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.
imagewww.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
Imagewww.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.
