In the best interests

Sometimes it's hard to see why some things are done why they are.  We had to make a decision that Mr 7 had to move on...it was in the best interests of the other 6 people in the house.  It was not in his best interests.  His social worker should have been standing up for his best interests.

A couple of weeks ago - right in the early stages of things going bad, I asked his social worker for support.  I said...his behaviour is deteriorating rapidly...here is what I am doing...here is what works and to what extent...here what I have tried with no effect.  I get told "You are doing everything right".  The next day "Things are getting worse, I need some more strategies" I get told "We will find a new placement for him"  This infuriated me...the social worker should be advocating for the best interests of the child.  The social worker should have gone out of her way to make sure that we were surrounded in not only strategies, but practical support.

If I were the social worker I would have come around to the house.  Put a safety plan in place, offered up some de-escalating strategies and then asked what practical support we could benefit from.  That practical support may have been hard to find, it may have been expensive...it may have taken a week or so to find.  But the end outcome would have been supported caregivers, who had the energy left to persevere, and the hope left that they could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Instead... the best solution is to move the child.  Now yes...right at the end things got so hard I said he had to go.  But the reality is I had spent two weeks asking for support before I got to that stage.  shouldn't the social workers number one priority have been "keep everyone safe, including Mr 7 so that there is not a third placement breakdown within 6 weeks"?

My fear is now that he has gone to the new caregivers unsupported and that in 10 days the process will start again.  I just hope that this time they see it as in the best interests of the child to be there and practically support the caregivers so that they can get through until things settle.  Because then the best interests of the child are being met.  He will have a stable, long term home where he can learn to manage his own behaviour.

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