Beginning to the End of Victoria's Life


Beginning to the End of Victoria's Life 11th November 2001 – 14th August 2006 Vicky was a 16 weeks premature baby and poorly all her young life, most of it in hospital. Vicky went into care, because Vicky’s mother became pregnant and could not visit Vicky every day. So when she give birth to her other child she could not cope with both at that time. The grandparents went to see Vicky’s social worker at 11.00am 19th August 2004 and were told that their granddaughter Vicky had been put on an Interim Care Order. You see Vicky had been in hospital since birth in November 2001, the social worker told them that she could not see a problem seeing Vicky, but not on this visit, they live in Cornwall and Vicky was in hospital in the North West. So they planned to see Vicky on the 26th October 2004.
Vicky was born 16 weeks premature. image www.fassit.co.uk©
On the 12th October they received a phone call from Vicky’s guardian saying that they must not come up and see Vicky, because if they do the hospital have been instructed to refuse entry, and they also sent an Interim Care Order Sec 38 Children Act 1989 that the social have parental responsibility for her. They also pointed out that they would be given indirect contact and not direct contact, which means letters, cards, and photos. So from that moment on they started sending post cards to Vicky, but cut up into small jigsaws pieces of dogs, cats, teddies on the beach, and anything else they could find suitable for a small child. They sent them once a week to the hospital they even drew a little smile on the back to let her know that it was from her grandparents. They carried on sending cards even when she finally went into foster care, so they decided in 2005 to go to court for direct contact. In October 2005 they were advised by the court to send to all parties a skeleton argument and written submission by January 2006. The court also told the Local Authority to send all relevant paper work to the grandparents for their viewing and to read the medical reports and the Psychological report and that the court would give the social time to find suitable persons for adoption. Afterwards the social pointed out why they did not want them to see Vicky and that they must read the Psychological Report. When they went back to court in January 2006 the social were asking the court for an extension to find a suitable adoption parents for Vicky, has they were having a lot of trouble finding someone to take Vicky due to her medical needs. Vicky’s biological mother came to court to tell them that she did not want her daughter to be adopted. When they got the Psychological Report they stated that they had concerns about Vicky that it would upset her if she saw the grandparents, but some of the report did not make sense, on one occasion it said that Vicky’s crying was very sad to hear, but was not for attention or needy/hurt, but seems soulful and lonely. This report was based on all what the carer said and not what the professionals observed. Another sentence it said that Vicky would look at people smile and blow raspberries and is very endearing it also said that she was more interested in adults than children so why would it upset her (has previously stated) if she would be introduced to her grandparents. The judge summed up saying to the social that it would be very unlikely that adoption would take place, but he give them until the next court date to find someone. They had another court appearance in May 2006 the judge asked if adoption was still on the cards the social said that there were no one who was willing to look after Vicky even on long term fostering, just short term fostering. At the same time the issue of Vicky’s operation on her bowl rear it’s head, so they decided on a meeting between the Social, solicitors, Cafcass and the doctors to see if it was feasible. The judge ask the grandparents if they were still sending cards and photo’s they replied yes, but he said that they would be excluded of the next meeting. Then the judge summed up and said that the next court hearing will be in September 2006. Outside the court room the grandparents ask the social if Vicky’s health deteriorated what would happen then, and the social team manager said they would have to ask the doctor to make absolutely sure that she would be dying before they will let them have contact, but only then through a window. Vicky’s operation was on the 19th July 2006 the grandparents phoned the hospital to see how Vicky was doing, to be told, that the social had put a block on all information on her well being. The grandparents phoned Vicky’s solicitor to ask him did he know how Vicky was, he said he did not know and would find out. The day after Vicky’s solicitor rang the grandparents to say that both social worker and team manager had gone on holiday and that no information was to be given out until they returned, even Cafcass were given no information. Two weeks later 3rd August 2006 Vicky’s social worker phoned to say that Vicky had taken a turn for the worse and was dying and that we had permission to come up and see her. It was a big blow for the grandparents, they felt that this is the only time they can see her when she is dying, and felt cheated. So they flew up to the North West not knowing if she was alive or dead. The journey took almost 8 hours to arrive at her bedside in ICU at 23.15pm to see Vicky on a machine pumping oxygen into her and a doctor plus nurses ensuring that she got all the treatment she required. They stayed all night at the hospital and the following day the grandparents had to look for accommodation after finding somewhere to stay the grandfather became poorly and ended up in bed with a very bad migraine and stay in bed most of the remaining day and night. That same night Vicky’s biological mother phoned to say she wanted to talk to her father, but the other grandparent said that dad’s in bed poorly. Then she said mum they are trying to stop me seeing Vicky, social services have phoned the carer and told her that she must not leave Vicky alone with anyone who visited, but that meant when their daughter went to see Vicky and there was two people already at the bedside Vicky’s biological mother could not see her. The rule was that only two people were allowed, but the foster carer’s husband would not leave, so that she could not be with her daughter and she said it like the social services are trying to snatch Vicky back again, because Vicky’s health had slightly improved. Also the staff were referring to Vicky’s foster parent has her biological mother and the foster carer never corrected them. It was making Vicky’s biological mother obsolete in their eyes, and cutting her up considerably. So the grandparents stayed for 4 days, but there were tension in the air the foster carer was constantly coming between the grandparents and biological mother, this person was in fact acting out the role of mother instead of foster carer, this made them feel like they should have not been there. The grandparents returned home, but phoned the hospital every day to see how Vicky was doing, the hospital told them that Vicky was slowly improving and should come off the respirator by the weekend. On the Saturday 12th August 2006 Vicky came off the respirator and was breathing on her own. When they phoned on the Sunday 13th August the grandparents were told that Vicky had a bad night so the hospital decided if she still did not improve they would put her back on the respirator. On Monday 14th August 2006 Vicky’s social worker phoned them to say that Vicky was in a bad way, so the grandparents said they would phone the hospital later to see if she was getting any better, when they phoned the nurse at the hospital in ICU said that Vicky had just passed away at 13.25pm. After the sad death of Vicky the social services phoned her biological mother to say that they would pay for the funeral, because Vicky was in their care so that meant the biological mother and grandparents were not consulted with the arrangements of the funeral. It was all about what the carer wanted plus social services had all the say in what church, service was to be held.
Vicky's Grandparents Mr & Mrs D Wilkins Image www.fassit.co.uk ©

Vicky’s biological mother was complaining to the social services, because she had heard that the foster carer had got a purple dress for Vicky to be put on her on the day of the funeral. Vicky’s biological mother had bought a white dress for her daughter’s funeral, has she wanted her to be remembered has a little white angel. The grandparent’s daughter phoned them to say that she had been advised by the funeral director that the funeral will be next Thursday 24th August 2006 at the foster carers church. A senior social worker phoned the grandparents to say that they were willing to pay travel expenses of 10p a mile and two nights accommodation, they excepted this and that it would go towards the cost of the journey and this is the only time the social have offered any financial help. One evening the grandfather checked on the internet to see where the church was, to their belief they saw Vicky’s picture on the church website, the grandfather broke down and cried so they phone their daughter to tell her what they had just seen. The foster carer had put it on the website to inform people when the funeral would be held. On the Thursday 24th August the day of the funeral the grandparent’s went to the chapel of rest they went to the reception and was told to wait, because Vicky was been attended to they waited about 15 minutes to see the foster carer and 2 friends come out, they did not speak just walked by and left. Why the carer was there, is because they had dressed their granddaughter in the dress the carer had brought and not what Vicky’s biological mother bought her. So when their daughter arrived with her family she asked the chapel nurse if she could change the purple dress for the white one she had bought, the nurse and the sister were more than happy to change the dresses. When the funeral car came the family was appalled to see that the coffin came out and put back on the back seat of the car, there was no hearse just one car? The next thing they were appalled about was when the funeral car came out and they followed, the cars that belonged to other members of Vicky’s family were forced to stop by two vehicles, which belonged to the carer’s families, it was so that they could be behind the coffin car. So by the time they got to the traffic lights, which change to red, Vicky’s family had lost the funeral precession. When they finally got to the church, the foster carer’s family were already out of their vehicles. They all followed the coffin into the church; the biological family were amazed to see that the churchwarden took the service. Vicky’s biological mother had phoned the church a few days earlier for a hymn to be sung, at her daughter’s funeral but the foster carer had picked a different hymn to be sung, so not to upset anyone, the church did not use any of them. The foster carer family got a mentioned to comfort them, but no mention to Vicky’s family. The only comfort they were from a doctor, who wrote a poem and spoke how all at the hospital loved Vicky. While all of this was going on the social workers attended the church service. The churchwarden mentioned to the congregation that if anyone wished to attend the foster carer home they could. But the biological family will only be at the crematorium. This is the time that Vicky’s family could say their final goodbye, has they had not got the chance before, because of the entire incidence that happened earlier. The churchwarden was already at the crematorium, the family carried her coffin in and placed it on the alter, the churchwarden asked them to say the Lords Prayer, but well before the prayer was finished the curtains closed. Then they noticed that the social workers were sitting at the back, it was like they had to make sure that this was the end. The grandparent’s went outside they got into their car to drive off, when the senior social worker did the final insult, rather than taking him to one side he taped on his car window, he got out, and he handed him an envelope in front of everyone with cash and told him “I don’t want the receipt now send it to me later” with that the social finally left them, they could not do any more to humiliate him. At the crematorium it was the quickest funeral in history. The natural family were devastated to have been so snubbed by social services, especially as for the foster carer and her family were sent away on a holiday two days after the funeral to help them get over Vicky’s death. The social worker &Team manager have been move on. The court on the 28th September 2006 will be now be cancel for the grandparents, but the social will have half an hour to say that they do not want an Interim Care Order on the Child. The family has been offered no counselling or support from social services and deeply shocked by their treatment from social services. If this is the way the social treat children and families, in they care, that die, then it is diabolical. Everything on the cheap. More on the story of Vicky’s Life Vicky was a 16 weeks premature baby and poorly all her young life, most of it spent in hospital. Vicky’s mother became pregnant in 2003 and could not visit Vicky as often as she would have like at the end of her pregnancy. Just after the birth of her son it was very hard for her and also to find someone to look after the baby, while Vicky was in isolation. Vicky was at that time prone to infections. Shortly after his birth the Local Authority undertook an assessment of Ms S ability to parent her new born. That assessment found that Ms S was able to parent her son very well recognising his needs and meeting his demands. This is the first time she has been an asset by any local authority. Regards to Vicky and the involvement of social services her mother ended up with very little rights or responsibilities for Vicky, the Social Services had taken out an Interim Care Order. The Social Services took over and eventually Vicky was transferred from Stepping Hill Hospital Stockport to Manchester Children’s Hospital Pendlebury if and when she was allowed out of hospital she would probably be placed with foster carers. Vicky’s mother was frightened that if she did not give up Vicky, she would end up losing both children. The Local Authority wanted Vicky Adopted, but mother did not want Vicky adopted. Although there is no apparent reason, why the mother or maternal grandparents were excluded from seeing her. This is a very clear plan by the social services to Groom for adoption,. And to get rid of the family,. This would only then give the mother and the grandparents indirect contact until adoption takes place, and as the grandparents lived in Cornwall and Vicky in the North West, but the grandparents fought for direct contact for Vicky even to the extreme of going up country on several occasions to court. The grandparents could not get Legal Aid so they turned to an Organisation called Children Need Families who had a legal adviser. They got papers for 12 months and still got know where, in the meantime they phoned the hospital every week to see how Vicky was doing, all they got told was “she is doing fine” They also asked if she was receiving postcards which they were sending once a week to the hospital, they said yes. The postcards were of animals etc and laminated. Then one day they phone the hospital to ask how Vicky was to be told “she is not here she has gone home with her foster parent”. The grandparents decided that this had gone on long enough and got a solicitor who directed them to court, but this took some months. The adoption came up yet again. The solicitor could not represent them because of the distance and cost so they represented themselves. In October 2005 the grandparents went to court and that all parties was to send in a skeleton argument and written submission by January 2006. The court also told the Local Authority to send all relevant paper work to the grandparents for their viewing and to read the medical reports and the Psychological report and that the court would give the social time to find suitable persons for adoption. Afterwards the social pointed out why they did not want the grandparents to see Vicky and that they must read the Psychological Reports. When they got the Psychological Report they stated that they had concerns about Vicky that it would upset her if she saw the grandparents, but some of the report did not make sense, on one occasion it said that Vicky’s crying was very sad to hear, but was not attention or needy/hurt, but seems soulful and lonely. Another sentence it said that Vicky would look at people smile and blow raspberries and is very endearing it also said that she was more interested in adults than children so why would it upset her (has previously stated) if she would be introduced to her grandparents. The Psychological Assessment Report was all based on the conversation between the Foster Carer and Psychologist and NOT on what the Psychologist monitored (we have paper work to prove) plus what is this title is she a Child, Criminal, or Education Psychologist this is her true title: - M.Sc., B.Sc., Dip. Ed. Dip. Criminal. Psych Chartered Forensic/Educational Psychologist. If this is her true identity then what happened to the Child Psychologist also why didn’t all these solicitors notice that her report was biased? When they went back to court in January 2006 the social were asking the court for an extension to find a suitable adoption parents for Vicky, as they were having a lot of trouble finding someone to take Vicky due to her medical needs. Vicky’s biological mother came to court to tell them that she did not want her daughter to be adopted. They had another court appearance in May 2006 the judge asked if adoption was still on the cards, the social said that there were no one who was willing to look after Vicky even on long term fostering, just short term fostering. At the same time the issue of Vicky’s operation on her bowl came into question, so they decided on a meeting between the Social, solicitors, Cafcass and the doctor’s to see if it was feasible. The judge asked the grandparents if they still sending cards and photos they replied yes, but he said that they would be excluded of the next meeting. Then the judge summed up and said that the next court hearing will be in September 2006. Vicky was taken into hospital again to have her operation on July 19th 2006 but after the operation Social Services put a block on all information regarding her well being including child solicitor and Cafcass for two weeks while they were both on holiday and all mother and grandparents knew was that she was very poorly and in intensive care unit. Then two weeks after her operation the Social Services phone the grandparent to say that Vicky was dying and you have got permission to come up right away to see her. They left right away, about 400 miles and arrived late at night. The grandparents stayed a few days to see Vicky improve and they were allowed a supervise visits to her bedside, while the foster carer looked on, because she was told by the Social Services not to leave Vicky on her own with them, although there were doctors and nurses all the time at her bedside. Vicky’s started slowly to improve so the grandparents decided to go home in the thought that Vicky would make a full recovery. The grandparents kept in touch with the hospital every day until a week later they phoned the hospital again to be told that she had a bad night after been taken off the ventilator, so they phoned later that day and a male nurse said that Vicky had passed away, and the foster carer was nursing her. The Social Services paid for Vicky’s funeral, because she was in their care so that meant the biological mother and grandparents were not consulted with the arrangements of the funeral. It was all about what the carer wanted plus Social Services, they had all the say in what church, even though the church is the same as foster carer went to. Vicky’s biological mother was complaining to the Social Services, because she had bought the child a little white dress this is what she wanted her daughter to be cremated in. Vicky’s foster carer had already dressed Vicky herself in a dress she had picked, on the morning of the funeral at the chapel of rest, without consulting Vicky’s biological mother. While the grandparents were told to wait in the reception room in the chapel of rest, because someone was attending to Vicky, in their amazement they saw the foster carer coming out. In the grandparents opinion the carer was a very controlling person, again it was all about what she wanted and not to work together to get through this difficult time. When the biological mother arrived at the chapel of rest she was very upset to see the dress the carer had dressed Vicky in, so she asked the staff if they would help her to change Vicky into the dress her biological mother had brought, and they said yes you see they wanted Vicky to look like a little angel. When the funeral car came the family was appalled to see that the coffin came out and put back on the back seat of the car, there was no hearse just one car? The next thing they were appalled about was when the funeral car came out and they followed, the cars that belonged to other members of Vicky’s family were forced to stop by two vehicles, which belonged to the carers families it was so that they could be behind the coffin. So by the time they got to the traffic lights, which changed to red, Vicky’s family had lost the funeral precession. When they finally got to the church, the foster carer families were already out of their vehicles. They all followed the coffin into church; the biological family were amazed to see that the churchwarden took the service. Vicky’s mother and the foster carer had picked two different hymns to be sung, but because the carer went to this church and the biological mother found out before the funeral, she phoned to ask for her hymn to be sung, so not to upset anyone, the church did not use any hymns, but the ones the church picked. The foster carer family got a mentioned to comfort them, but no mention to Vicky’s family the only comfort they got was from a doctor, who wrote a poem and spoke about how Vicky’s was loved by all at the hospital. While all of this was going on the Social Service Workers attended the church service. The churchwarden mentioned to the congregation that if anyone wished to attend the foster carers home they can, but the biological family will only be at the crematorium. This is the time that Victoria’s family could say their final goodbye, has they had not got the chance before, because of the entire incidence that happened earlier. The churchwarden was already there, the family carried her coffin in and placed it on the alter, the churchwarden asked them to say the Lords Prayer, but as the prayer had started the curtain closed. Then they noticed that the Social workers were there, it was like they had to make sure that this was the end. This service was has far as the family was concerned the quickest funeral in history. The natural family were devastated to have been so snubbed by Social Services, especially as the foster carer and her family were sent away on a holiday two days after the funeral to help them get over Vicky’s death. The family has been offered no counselling or support from Social Services and are deeply shocked by their treatment from Social Service, the social worker and team manager have been moved on to other departments. On the 11th November 2006 we received a letter from Vicky’s social worker stating that the photo’s we sent Vicky that they have no recollection of any photo’s been sent, and some of the cards have been damaged by Vicky chewing them. (Previously mentioned by the judge) We understand from the social that these cards would be put in a folder and that some cards were cut up like a jigsaw. Then we started sending the cards in laminated form, so how can she chew them up without cutting her mouth, (see medical records) impossible. Also in the letter they state” I understand that you may have the cream/beige coloured teddy given to Vicky by the foster carer. This had been left at Francis House and you brought it to the church. I am sure you will appreciate that this has sentimental value to the carer and (if possible) this should be returned through this office. We will refund postage in this case. I understand that the teddy bear that you purchased for Vicky was never removed from the hospital. Just remember this would have been Vicky’s birthday; it was the most difficult day for us to receive a letter like this. On the 29/11/2006 Vicky’s biological mother has been sent a letter informing her that if she does not pay the funeral bill, she will be taken to court. Even though the social has already stated previously that they are paying for the funeral, so why then has my daughter got to pay? What more can they do to this family to hurt our feelings. The social decided to pay the funeral cost in December 2006 just days before Christmas. It as been a very difficult few months for the family what with bereavement and so on and not had a proper chance to say our last goodbyes to Vicky. Vicky’s biological mother and family as been devastated and been cheated by social. So in June 2007 we can finally say our goodbyes to our darling Vicky by bringing her ashes down to Cornwall and scattering her ashes in a beautiful coast line, with all her loving family around. Published by Fassit UK© Back