get grandchildren out of foster care

I really feel for you - it must be awful. But how old are you, and how old are the children, if I may ask? It might be better for the children to be in foster care with younger families, but with close and regular contact with you. I'm only 62 and OH 67 - but I am not sure we could take full-time care of 3 young children and give them all the energy and attention they deserve.

I am 57 granjura and am convinced this is just a blip and their mother will get them back at some point ,they are 6/7/and 8,the 15yr old lives with us anyway ,I have no doubt it will be hard but I intend to do it if I can but I just don't know if I am allowed

sorry forgot to add foster carers are older than me

So sorry for you bewilderedgran get yourself some legal advice from a solicitor specialising in family law. You can get a free first appointment if the solicitor belongs to the free appointment scheme and many do. You will only pay a fee if they send a letter for you. Don!t give up keep going for a residence order for all of them. Good luck!

Surely social services can see that the children will be better kept together and with their grandparents who will give them the unconditional love that no foster carer ever could. This is very sad bewilderedgran and I can imagine how distraught you are feeling. I do hope you can get good advice from someone soon. Good luck.

Thank you all,I will try and get advice ,there must be some way to stop this but I fear they are determined to take them for good ..............and that breaks my heart

bewilder Dont give up you, are their gran, love them and want them, it makes no sense what so ever to stop you from having them.

You can go to the CAB and get advise, do what ever you can, I would even go to the press if need be.

My friend was in care and after the stories she told me believe me it should not be called CARE!! you must save them from the horridness that goes on in these so called care homes.

Best wishes please keep us posted.

There was a similar 'case" a few months ago on GN - and the grandparent involved did eventually get the child/children living with her. Can anyone remember how to find this thread? Anyone remember who the GN was?

Was it Chadsky, Jess? Just put her name in forum search and the thread comes up straight away. I'm on my iPad and it won't oblige for me.

TwiceAsNice is right, you must seek legal advice as soon possible but also get an appointment with the children's social worker to discuss their plan for the children. If the local authority is initiating care proceedings they have a duty to consider family members as carers. Don't give up and don't be put off - if they try to fob you off ask to speak to the social worker's manager. Put your request in writing if necessary so that you can prove what steps you have taken later. Good luck.

Chadsky was certainly one, Jess, but I think there was a more recent post..will try to remember.

I don't know what is wrong wih social services today. They seem to have an agenda where the natural family's come last to be considered able enough to look after the children. Are they on some sort of monetary award if they place kids with foster parents? My grandmother took me and my brother in on the death of my parents when i was 7 he was 4. She was 71 at the time, and had had 10 of her own.
It must have been really hard for her, but she looked after us well and was a lovely woman. She had also taken a sisters child in and reared him.
A little common sense wouldn't go amiss here.

Love and family can overcome most things, I do not agree with keeping siblings apart. I know we say we couldn't look after children full time but when the unthinkable happens we just roll up our sleeves and get on with it. Good luck bewilderedgran

You are so right harrigran, I don't think there would be any of us who wouldn't take their grandchildren if the need arose. bewildergran, there is some good advice here from some who know. I am sure it will turn out for you in the end. Lots of positive vibes and

aloise it's not Social Services that make decisions about where a child should be permanently placed, it's the Court.

Before the Court decides a child should be permanently placed outside of the family and makes the relevant Order/s to achieve this, either the Magistrates or the Judge have to be convinced that a) Social Services have tried every reasonable avenue to achieve a placement within the family, and b) there are compelling reasons why a family placement cannot be achieved.

I echo everyone else's advice bewilderedgran about seeking legal advice/talking to the local authority. Keep a record of everything you do and everything that happens. Good luck and best wishes.

Yes it was chadsky - suggest putting this name into the "search forums" box on right hand side and you will find some of the threads that relate to her battle to be allowed to look after her own grandchildren. Have not heard from her from a while - unless she left and re-joined with a different name.

Thanks everyone for your replies ,I had a good look around the board and got some helpful posts etc,the news is I put a request in to have the children placed with me and the childrens court appointed guardian has been in touch and has promised to put it forward for consideration in court TODAY.

and they want me to be in the building incase they need to ask anything ,I know it probably means they are just going through the motion because I don't think the social worker wants them to consider us .(will explain later why i think that is )

God I hope I am wrong and I will get my grandchildren ,keep your fingers crossed for me please ..........................I will update this evening ,hopefully with good news

thanks again

bewildered thinking of you today, I hope all goes well

We're all rooting for you bewildered - seems like a "no-brainer" to us.

Thinking of you bewildered.

hi folks ,I was so nervous but it wasn't too bad,in the end it turns out I was taken into court from the start ,what i didn't know was because the eldest is with me by a residence order then I am entitled to be in the proceedings and I am entitled to legal aid and my own solicitor !
If I had not gone today i would never of known that
Social services didn't seem happy that I had applied to have the little ones come to me but they accepted that they have a duty to 'assess the viability' whatever that means .

The childrens temporary care order was renewed and they will stay with the foster carers until the viability thingy has been done at least (we are back in court on 18th april and it's got to be done by then ).....................I obviously wanted them here with me but I sort of understand because if I don't have a chance I can't put the kids through coming to me then being dragged away again ,they would be traumatised by that .

The solicitor for the children and the guardian for the children were very helpful,but part of me was not expecting them to be that helpful and I'm not sure I trust their 'friendliness'

I thought the social workers were 'friendly' but they soon showed they have an agenda and are prepared to lie and twist things

Thanks for reading and if anyone has any hints/help/advice or warnings I would be most grateful

The one thing I did get from today was a bit of relief that at last I was trying to do something ,instead of feeling totally at the control of others and out of reach of my grandchildren

Sounds like progress bewildered . I guess the solicitor and guardian are there to act in the children's best interests . In fact everyone is.

I... am convinced this is just a blip and their mother will get them back at some point.
Does this mean that you don't believe they are in care for good reasons?

No grannyactivist I believe it was the right thing now (though at first I thought they totally mishandled it )I do believe this doesn't necessarily mean they will never go home.
However it has become clear their mum didn't/doesn't 'get it' and therefore they may never go home

she has to go through a long process of assessments etc and I need to concentrate on protecting my grandchildren and raising them .