Grandparent fostering a grandchild?

Bath_cube

I have started this post as this issue sounds a bit strange to me. A lady I work with has a grand daughter aged almost six. Her daughter and her ex partner split 18 months ago due to daughters partner taking illegal drugs and a mental health issue. The social services became involved when her daughter called the police about her partner a few times. My colleague says children's services wanted to place the child into local authority care but herself and her husband challenged it. She says she has her grand daughter on a fostering agreement and reduced her work hours to accommodate this. She did have to take a fostering course in line with children's services rules if she wanted the child to remain with her and her husband. Her daughter and her ex partner can only see the child under her supervision once a month. Her daughters ex is not permitted to go into her house or on the street where they live, he has to arrange to meet them in a different location in order to see the child. It all sounds a bit off to me. How can someone receive fostering allowances for their own grand child and if the child's father is deemed such a danger wouldn't the child have been placed into care away from the area? . My colleague said she fears her grand child's dad could apply for custody one day. Also the other set of grandparents have to arrange to see the child once a month through children's services once per month but the child's father must not be with them when they take the child out for the 3 hours per month. Also if my colleague was found to be allowing the child's dad to call round or take him out by himself. The child would be taken into alternative care and she would lose all rights to see the child again. Does anyone know if this is correct?.

GlasweJen

Yes, it sounds perfectly correct. Why do you think your colleague would lie about something so serious?

Robisere

In a word: yes.

It is 17 years since my son's marriage broke up and his two were taken into care, due to his horrible wife's neglect, drunkeness, drugs and discovered abuse. We lived in another county, but ds wanted his children and the only way was for us to take them, which our own County's Childrens Services helped us to achieve. After a court case in which our son was granted access, but their mother completely barred, our son came over here to find his own house and a job. Social Services monitored him with the children and after another Hearing, he was given Parental Responsibility, then allowed to take his children and we gave up fostering them. He has brought them up on his own (with any help we could give) for 17 years and they are a very close little family: the kids (now adults) adore their dad.

So yes, it is perfectly possible for grandparents to foster any children, including their own grandchildren, if the authorities and the Court decide, after checks and investigation, that this is the best solution for the children. After all, what solution is best for the children involved, given loving, responsible grandparents?

I might add that this has made our whole family a tight, loving unit. We also have a dd with two children who was a single parent of one until she met the right man. Now the whole family is one loving unit and our family "Do's" are fantastic. All because grandparents and one parent would not give up.

Ms_Chocaholic

Yes it sounds very plausible. The grandparents would have been assessed as suitable to care for the child, Social Services wouldn't just have "presumed" they were okay without speaking to them at length.

Detroit

I don't understand the reason for the post?

Are you concerned something is amiss in the care of the children?

suki1964

This really does sound like Blue lasses stepsons child

Remember the one who left the GF 18 months ago to live with the gypsy and her six kids. The one that got him to taking drugs

The grandchild would be coming six now

Just saying

mickey54

You obviously doubt what she's saying.
Why? Because she's now doing shorter hours.
I think it's very admiral of her, and I'm sure most grandparents would do the same.

gettingtheresometime

I suggest you download the adoption podcast. Whilst it primarily deals with the adoption process of two small siblings, it mentions this very issue

Savvy_Sue

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

I suggest you download the adoption podcast. Whilst it primarily deals with the adoption process of two small siblings, it mentions this very issue

I'm guessing you mean the one on Radio 4? Agree, it's a useful basic guide!

Also worth reading up on Mooloo's threads, she's doing exactly this.

elsien

Doesn't really matter if it sounds off to you or not, does it, seeing as it's absolutely none of your business. Or is a made up scenario. Or a combination of the two.

seashore22

Blue lass/bath cube/yellow petal etc etc.

Keep out of other people's business/stop making things up. Whatever you are doing on here, it's not healthy.