We had two advantages in Staffordshire.
- Staffordshire County Council's contract with the subcontractor 'Entrust' [for EHE services] conferred statutory duties the council didn't hold by law and we were able to put them on the back foot by getting access to this contract through the freedom of information act. We made it pretty public, with a letter to them copied to the head of the council, to the Department for Education, MPs within an All Party Committee on Home Education, local MPs and councilors, and a formal complaints process.
- We were able to get Lancashire LA's EHE support team to come to a consultation meeting with the Staffordshire council managers, to explain to them why EHE was NOT considered by them as a cause for concern as regards welfare risk. It really helped to have people from their own profession telling them they didn't need to overstep the Government guidelines.
It's taken a whole lot of discussing, rewriting and tweaking but finally people are starting to relax in Staffordshire and the EHE team can begin to do some actual supporting ... which in truth they couldn't do when they mistook their job for policing!
I also believe it is possible for children to be removed from parents for unreasonable causes. Frequently people don't know the bounds of their own blasted jobs I have noticed. They don't understand their roles or the law often.
It's great to see someone who's doing real work in situ, @sallylloyd and I'm not an expert. All the same, many millions of us (perhaps that 13% in the UK who believe in some kind of shadow government - see Yougov stats) are listening to interviews like this in which a baby has been torn out of her father's arms and ended up who-knows-where in care having who-know-what done to her. Millions feel that this is a matter of extreme concern. Please take time out to listen to this:
Thanks, @sallylloyd It's great to hear someone doing good work on the inside but I had to post the Richie Allen interview to listen to if you've time. I've no idea about the current situation or how Staffs is but there are countless examples - look up Samantha Baldwin and Vicky Haigh. According to YouGov, a massive 13% of the UK agrees that some kind of shadow government has taken over the world. These are not crazy people - they are simply realising what has gone on. Soc Services are now in some areas an agent of a tyrannous state.
Scary stuff :-(