Hi there,
Thanks for your letter. People have lots of different ideas about what social services do and that can make them seem really worrying and scary.
The biggest worry about social services can be when you dont know what theyll do. Something important to remember about social services is that they only take people into care when its too unsafe to stay at home or theres nobody who can take care of them properly.
Youve always got a right to know whats happening with your family and have a say in what you feel is best. Dont forget that social workers are people too and they dont want to judge you they just want to keep you safe.
It might be good to think about what would happen if you felt able to tell your social worker how scared youve been. One of the dangers about keeping a fear inside is that is that sometimes it can leave you feeling like everything is out of your control.
Telling your social worker whats been worrying you can give you both a chance to talk about what is going to happen. If youre not sure it might help as well to post on the message boards first to find out whats helped other people when theyve been scared of social services.
No matter how you feel about social services you dont have to be alone. An Advocate is someone whos there to help make sure you get heard about things in your life. They can help you talk to your social worker for you when you need them to. You can find out more on the NYAS website.
I hope this helps, take care.
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
