thanks to vimeo.com

I haven't posted an update on my families battle with the scourge on working class communities, called social services.
I'm happy to report that we have made progress, but are nowhere near being out of the woods yet.
We have managed to challenge the private company that have been manipulating both social services and our daughter in to taking a back seat and allowing us to keep an eye on our daughter and to support her and our grandchild. It's a huge but worthwhile challenge as we also look after a severely ill relative. She still lives in their house and they can still visit unannounced but it's an improvement on how it was before.

Where we were previously

Previously, our daughter and grandson and been under a section 47 investigation. Our daughter, i call her Amy, has struggled with her relationship with the babies father and as a teenager struggles with being a single mum. Like most other teenage mothers!
Even though social services run the investigation they are informed of babies needs by a private care provider who's first duty is to their shareholders. My experience of these companies and their workers is that they are manipulative and will tell lies to sell further "care packages" that aren't needed.
They had my daughter and my wife in fear of losing their baby/grandson. That is the stick they use into manipulating a family. Fear is a huge motivator!! They have tried to marginalize me and my wife at every turn. Our own fault in part for not employing our own solicitor at the outset. The care company recommended a solicitor for "Amy" which i find a conflict of interest. My investigations of that company found they didn't even have an office and it was my suspicion they were connected in some way to the care company, next step!
They manipulated our daughter to go to a foster placement as soon as she had baby. Due to the fact that the babies father was at that point having challenges and had been aggressive and once was violent towards Amy. It was her decision to make and we went along with it as we thought the space between her and her partner would be best. They told Amy that after this 3 month placement, which was a great home, she could move into her own home and the babies father would have to have visits at a contact centre.
What actually happened is that next step rented a house and Amy moved in. However, there was a caveat on this arrangement. Amy would have to have next step employee's stay in the house with her overnight.
They attempted to keep us, her parents and his grandparents, out of the loop and in the dark as much as possible. They have tried to hide important meetings from us and keep us away. They knew we could see straight through them and notice the conflict of interest which was occurring and that our daughter and grandson had become pawns in a system that has comodified them.They would have continued this for as long as they liked until challenged.

They try to "bamboozle" us with reports that contain acronyms like IRO and CLA etc etc..My favorite so far is "CAFCASS"!

Fear is what they use..We had been in fear and ineffective until we decided NO MORE!!!!
We realised from interacting with people on here that we could use our rights as grandparents to challenge these people who up until then had dictated everything and we meekly complied. Fear is a real weapon when used like this and in a situation involving the removal of your baby.

Best advice i can give:

Employ A Decent Solicitor, Early!!

Where We Are Now

We have successfully challenged the private care provider to back down and take a back seat..They had lied and told us Amy couldn't stay in their house if she didn't accept their support workers in their house for nightly hours. In affect keeping Amy hostage as if she left she would be classed as homeless. This was a lie told to protect support workers shifts and make the company more money!!

Since my wife has been allowed to help our daughter and grandson, things have changed. previously next step were advising our daughter that if my wife spent too much time with her and baby it would "look bad" to social services, in affect side lining her. Amy used to be scared to go out with her friends, scared to leave her son with his grandmother, scared of everything, in fear it would look bad on her as a parent. She is no different to millions of young mothers, she doesn't drink or take drugs and is a good mother. But she struggles. She struggles at times with baby, she struggles with her relationship with her babies father, she's a bit immature and is now struggling to cope with the decision she has made and the fact she has to grow up......But don't most young mothers.?
They tried to sideline us by pointing out that in the past we have had troubles with PTSD and depression. Making out they are really thinking of out health.

We are on the right road! We have even put our emnity for her partner aside and helped him get a job. To our suprise and joy he not only turned up but worked well and has been offered a longer contract. He has a log way to go but hopefully he is turning a corner and one day they could make a good family..

My message to everyone out there who is struggling with social services and child services is, don't be scared, be pro active. Don't take anything for granted and investigate everything. Most of all, employ a family solicitor at the earliest opportunity. Do your research and don't take one that is offered..
We hope to be free of the shackles of social services soon, hopefully. But we take nothing for granted.
Social services have never even taken legal advice up to this point. All the intervention has been based in fear and manipulation of a court case. this fear is often false.
The working class culture is being irradicated and this is just part of that process

Thanks for reading again. I hope this helps somebody...We have to keep talking about our experiences and spreading the truth.
Thank you @familyprotection for the opportunity to spread our truth..

Steem On!