I have had so much happen to me regarding social workers with my grandchildren that I wanted to provide feedback on my blog. I am not against social workers, but I believe that they can be helpful at times but must be watched.
My instance it was a very painful situation indeed.
We as a family were very unhappy that one such worker, Jenny Pownell chose to use fabricated feedback from another worker Lorraine Riggs which instead she should have used feedback from the school which was positive. The claim from Lorraine Riggs was that the school was worried about the children’s behaviour and appearance, but according to both the head teachers of Mengham Junior and Infant school in a letter, stated the children were indeed clean and not filthy, stinky and smelly as Lorraine Riggs had stated they said.
Lorraine Riggs also provided feedback that she was told at a grandparent’s meeting the same thing about the boys. However, Lorraine Riggs only ever attended one meeting and never any of the other three that I attended. I had attended the meeting with Lorraine Riggs and no such comment was ever said.
I personally met with a psychologist who read through all of the reports and confirmed to me that they had both lied and explained how they were being racist.
This emotional and racial abuse that I suffered is something that I am still dealing with to this day and something should be done to improve the standards of service within that service’s department.
Also I never called anyone racist yet they claimed I did. My psychologist stated that there was an element of racism in the letters that we received. The judge also stated that the social services did not provide enough support and that they were so critical, and if they were so busy labelling me how could they show support.
I did try to informally resolve these issues, by contacting the head offices in Winchester. However they instructed me to contact the local area manager Jasmine Grimshaw. This was Jennie Pownalls manager. However, she told me “That I got what I deserved, because it was the way I carried on with professionals.” Even, her own associate Jenny was quite shocked what she had said to me. This caused me to burst into tears and keep saying I am not a bad person, I am not a bad person.
After all of this happened, I was ill for a very long time, as it triggered off all of the bad memories and abuse that I suffered as a child from St. Helena. It was very difficult for me as I didn’t have any parents and support structure and it made me so upset.
Ultimately, social services and the team are rewarding bad behaviour and those responsible are getting away with it. Due to the lack of response, the lack of attention, the lack of empathy, the individuals that we never get to meet, the meetings that never happened, the empty promises, I had no other option but to report all of this to the news and I am awaiting response.
Not only did I complain to the news I also complained to my MP who responded that he read all of the paperwork from Social Services and the school. The school’s written word and the Social Services written word did not match and he was rather upset. He then wrote to Mrs. Steele to try to resolve the issues and he only received a poor response.
I begged them to ask the Head of the Havant Children Services not to rely on third-party information or feedback in court related issues. The representative had enough information from the school involved but chose to not use that information but rather information from an outside source. I believe that all of the agencies should work together more effectively as a team. This would eliminate confusion and make for a better service structure and would have had me feel a lot better my family and myself.
I am not against Social Workers, as I did have three good social workers after the incident. I want to take this time to thank, Mike, Mr. Connoly and Mrs. Wilkinson for being great representations of positive support for those who need it. They were above board and helped to make my family feel much better. When I met with CAMS, that prompted me to continue my written therapy and publish my memoirs.
When I lived in St. Helena as a child, my social worker was Mr. Sonny Ward. He was a brilliant and fantastic social worker and he should have been commended for it.
I always try to see the positives in everything as much as I can. Even though, the issue with Jenny Pownall, Lorrain Riggs and Jasmine Grimshaw was so horrible to me I used it as an chance to improve myself. I have since gone back to College, learned computer skills, language skills and improvement in other areas of my life. So I have decided that I want to share my thoughts with others and help those in need, who are suffering as I did.
I also always dedicate my Blog and writing to my Grandmother Dorothy Henry who is my constant role model and inspiration to keep fighting.
Well said hun xx
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