Social services' neglect led to the death by starvation of Khyra Ishaq in Birmingham. If the way Nottinghamshire County Council is dealing with my case is anything to judge by, children in Nottinghamshire are at risk too, as social services appear to be all over the place in their handling of things.
Hi, everyone.
Ridiculous farce
This morning I received a letter from Notts County Council social services apologising for not inviting us to a core group meeting on 17 August. We should have been invited to this in order to discuss the child protection plan that has been imposed on us. Again, Andrew and I haven’t had a chance to have our say regarding this ridiculous farce.
Not allowed to cook for my daughters
I have spoken to the manager at NCC social services this afternoon who has informed me that the social workers assigned to us will be in touch shortly. I told her I was appalled that no one had been in touch for weeks, even though they think the girls are at risk. I informed her that the girls don’t wish to speak to them and Andrew can only meet with a social worker on an evening or at a weekend. I also said that I would consult my solicitor before speaking with them. The child protection plan states I have to be supervised at all times with the girls, and must not be alone in the car with them or cook for them.
Manager also questioned plan
I informed the manager that we cannot adhere to the plan, and won’t be doing so. I also told her that I informed social services of this on 23 July when I was discharged from hospital. She actually admitted that she had questioned the plan herself, and said that I would have to discuss this with the social workers assigned to us. Apparently, the social workers want to meet us on a three -weekly basis, so it looks like we are going to have fun and games over the next three months.
Taxpayers’ money
I am disgusted that the department is wasting taxpayers’ money on a series of errors and unnecessary assessments. I am standing my ground and determined that NCC are not going to disrupt our lives. I am not going to make things easy for them.
Wasting resources on my case
I spent the day with Laura, my older daughter, and we talked about the current situation with social services. Laura is 17, nearly 18, and even she has commented on how irresponsible and inadequate NCC social services are. We reflected on the poor girl in Birmingham who starved to death, partly due to social services’ lack of input and mistakes. Social services complain that they are overworked and under-resourced. Perhaps if they didn’t waste time on cases like mine they would have more time for those families that really do need the help?
Does a 17-year-old have any right to privacy?
I also passed on to the manager Laura’s concern about her health records being shared without her consent. The response I got was as there was a child protection issue and Laura is still deemed a child her records can be shared with anyone involved. Surely Laura has a right to privacy and confidentiality just as much as an adult? If anyone reading this has any thoughts on this issue or any knowledge of children’s rights I would like to hear from you.
I’ve been told a social worker is going to contact us today to make arrangements to see us. I won’t hold my breath and will keep you all posted.
Love and best wishes
Angela x
Please believe me | Angela's law 
A 17 year old most certainly does have a right to privacy of their healthcare records. They can grant permission as long as they are capable of understanding what they are being asked for.
This is true of children as young as 8, if the HCP believes they understand what’s being asked of them then they can deny access to their records to anyone including their parents.
Wow, thank you, this information is really useful and I will tell my daughters about it. Social Services claim they can discuss mine and my daughters health without consent in order to share information. It seems that they think they can do what they like and make the rules up as they go a long.
Perhaps my daughters and I could write a letter stipulating that our records are not to be released to anyone without our permission. I am going to contact the information commission too, as in my opinion there have been many breeches of confidentiality.
Once again thank you for taking the time out to help me and give your support.
Best wishes
Angela
Hi, I know this is a long time ago for you now, but I wondered if you ever got confirmation on the health records issue? My sister had a similar problem and we never got a clear answer.