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Hi I applied for a residence order for my nine year old son last year , and after many court appearences at family court residence was awarded to my ex, this is despite evidence of abuse and neglect, i have now been asked to attend a child protection meeting to discuss my sons case ,, i am angry because the authority s have ignored my warnings about the dangers to my son , and now i dont know whats happened to him ,as my ex tells me nothing , do i now have a chance to get custody of my son to give him a safe normal life , ? i need advice urgent as meeting on monday ,, this is all came as a big surprise to me as i have not been informed of problems by my ex , and the call from social services is a worry for me
What a dreadful worry this is for you.
Please be assured those on here who are knowledgeable about your type of situation will reply to your post and give you advice /information.
Hi there
I can imagine how worried and angry you must be feeling because this could have been avoided if the authorities had listened to you and put the needs of your child before the needs of the mother. I wish I could say this hardly ever happens, but it happens more than you would think.
I think you would be entitled to have a solicitor accompany you, but I doubt there's enough time to get one on board. Have you got a family member that you could take with you? I would also take the paperwork from the court case and put together a chronology of events to show how long this has been going on and a short statement outlining your concerns and the efforts youve made to alert the authorities to the risks to your son previously.
Generally these meetings are multi disciplinary and there may be representatives from various agencies there, such as police, your sons headteacher and anyone else that may be involved. You should be given an opportunity to speak and I would strongly advise that you keep your anger in check, present yourself in a calm and measured way as this will work in your favour.
Make it clear to them that you have been trying to safeguard your son for many months, as you were aware of the serious risks to him due to the neglect and abuse he was subjected to. Express your distress that your fears for your son have been realised and that in light of the current situation that your son would be better with you, if they won't agree then I would make them aware that you will be applying for an urgent Child Arrangements Order to have residence transferred to you. I must repeat that it's important that you remain calm and reasonable at all times....no matter how you feel inside.
You should check out the welfare checklist and use it as a reference point, here's a useful link
www.cafcass.gov.uk/grown-ups/professionals/care.aspx
This is the checklist that professionals and courts use as a bench mark when considering a childs welfare needs which should be paramount.
Here's some information about the conference
You could also call the Family Rights Group first thing in the morning and ask for advice, they are experienced in helping families that are involved with Childrens Services.
Best of luck and please do come back and let us know how you get on.
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