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What is the safeguarding for? A child or yourself?

For my daughter

I can’t imagine it will go much further. I’m a social worker and it sounds like the doctor was just doing their job by reporting the incident - you did everything correctly by the sounds of it

Thank you so much for replying. I’m so shaken up by what happened and then the safe guarding thing has really upset me

Honestly try not to worry, the word safeguarding carries so much weight but in reality what’s happened it a mistake that you rectified straight away and no harm was caused which is the main thing x

We visited my partners nan last year and (she is 90) but didn't bloody tell us that she had a tray of mouse poison behind her sofa where my son had been playing 😡 so I went into panic mode and called 111 who sent us straight to A&E. He was checked over and monitored for hours until they let us go all clear bloods etc. About 3mths later I got a welfare call to ask if we had visited again, do we have mouse or rat poison in our own house on the floor🙄 I explained it was a house that we only visit every 4-6mths and it certainly would be checked. But it's horrible having the call and being asked those questions.

I missed my son's appointment for a scan because the letter came in the mail with the date while we were away. We returned when the appointment date had passed. I went to the hospital and they told me something about safeguarding 🙄🙄 it is scary. I don't know how many safeguarding reports does it take for them to start thinking of taking the child.

@Laura thank you so much for your help you’ve reassured me. @Rachel that sounds so scary!! I’m so glad they’re ok. So you got a follow up phone call? I wonder if I will get the same. 3 months seems a long time. It makes me worry about if anything else happens to her, she’s a toddler so is always falling and hurting herself, luckily nothing major so far x

Yes I did actually question that, it's worrying there may be kids being abused or mistreated and it's 3 mths before they follow up any cause for concern, scary. Yes just a call. It goes on his file we had a welfare call but they didn't want to come round or anything. I was more angry than anyone at the situation tbh.

@Lucy I think it’s such a fear for many parents that someone will swoop in and take your child when the situation is genuinely innocent. I’m sure those types of situations are few and far between. I hope your son is well x

I’m sorry to hear of everyone’s experience. Where I work it is a legal duty to investigate a safeguarding concern within 24 hours. Not everywhere is the same.

It’s gonna be ok. I do have some experience with these people. They are terrifying but usually they don’t open cases or try to take kids that are in a good loving home. Of course there’s times where they’re unpredictable and dirty but that is usually not the case. I’m going to college for social work right now actually and all I want to do is help and educate!! Either way tho you should know your rights about what is acceptable and what you can do to protect yourself if anything were to come of it (which it won’t.) Make sure to google your rights and watch or read a couple articles posted from lawyers in your area! But please don’t worry, it’s clear you’re a great mama and as long as everything you’re saying is what happened you’re gonna be totally fine.

@Cassie thank you 😊 it sounds like you’ll make a fabulous social worker. It’s all so annoying as I found the tablet a few hours later but I’m glad I made the call because you never know what can happen

From someone who deals with safeguarding cases as part of my job, the threshold for actually getting to the point of having kids taken away is very high - something like this wouldn't remotely trigger that kind of response. It will be a courtesy check to make sure you're aware of storing drugs correctly and are coping ok with having a chaotic toddler - the focus at most would be on offering support if you felt you needed it. But we're all human and kids get into EVERYTHING, you did all the right things so from what you say they won't have any concerns 😊 please don't worry!

@Amy you’re all so lovely taking the time to respond. It’s really calmed me down. I’ve bought a lock box now for all medicines, I don’t even know how she got them but that’s on me x