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URGENT HELP AND SUPPORT NEEDED


nickfan1

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Sorry for the capitals in the title but it has been one awful day. This is an absolute unabashed plea for the people of Warrington's support. I will try to sum up as quickly as poss...hmm...

 

I am in a desperate situation. I need your help and support. We are an honest, self sufficient, hardworking family. My family is being torn apart by our Local Council. We feel we are ACTIVELY being bullied by them, and are being told there are no means for a second opinion or to go over their heads. They seem to think they are untouchable and they do not care they are putting our family in grave danger and it could be avoided. I am the mother to two young children and I have been hospitalised with profuse nosebleeds that they could not control for almost a week. They said it was directly related to stress, causing high blood pressure, and this situation with the council is causing me anguish. They could end my suffering at any time. As it stands I have had to teach my 4 year old daughter to dial an ambulance in case I collapse from my continuing nosebleeds. Preventative treatment is not working at the moment due to the high levels of stress I am experiencing from the council. I could be rehospitalised at any time which means my hardworking husband has to take time off work, my cancer stricken mother has to help with my children and I am torn away from them. I do not want my children to witness again me being taken away in an ambulance, it is traumatic.

An independent medical professional has written a statement saying it would be psychologically damaging for my daughter to be removed from her peer group at this point and time. This is due to the fact she has a large strawberry birthmark on her forehead and is currently in the middle of laser surgery at Alder Hey Hospital. This is ongoing treatment every 6 weeks for the foreseeable future until the mark is gone. The mark changes and goes black for up to 10 days after treatment. She needs to, in this independent professionals opinion remain with her peers so as to avoid psychological damage at a delicate time in her life. The council EMPLOYED doctor has received this advice in writing from the doctor and chosen to go against it, I need to know why? Why, other than wanting to damage the wellbeing of our child, would he do this? How can he possibly be allowed to discount a legitimate INDEPENDANT medical opinion without even a consultation with my daughter?

Our child has been refused admission to a school and despite several changes in circumstances our appeal has been denied, and despite even more SERIOUS changes in circumstances, they refuse to grant us a second appeal. We are awaiting a decision from the government ombudsman. We are seeking legal representation. This is not a preference, we are not typical pushy parents being difficult, please believe us. I have no choice but for Lily to go to this school. I have written a diary detailing everything and my husband has every piece of correspondence from both parties, it is a shocking read.

 

I am asking for your support. I am asking for you to ask the council to review the situation. My health is at stake here. My children's health is at stake. They say every child matters in Warrington, but my children have been cast aside, disregarded and treated worse than children living in a place where they aspire to our so called democracy and social care here in Britain. We don't want to have to speak to the press but if our lawyer suggests it we will do what it takes to protect the wellbeing of our children. I am a volunteer and I do a LOT for the local community and hospital bereavement services. I only just completed a bungee jump a few months back to provide funds for a bereavement midwife because the NHS cannot afford it. I have had supporting letters from my local MP Warrington South (Helen Jones) and the head of the charity I volunteer for, asking the council to reconsider on personal grounds and on the grounds that if I am forced to homeschool my daughter as planned, I will have to withdraw from volunteering and the entire community of going to suffer, a very vulnerable group at that...victims of pregnancy and infant loss. No more literature, support group, clothes memory boxes. Nobody can take my place, but I will not have the time to do it if I must concentrate on the educating my child at home. Also the council will be aware that I was filmed by ITV a few weeks ago for documentary regarding my work (they approved some locations), and they are hoping to return for further filming also. If they do this I will be sending them straight round to the council offices for THEM to explain why I have had to give up my position. I am sure the council will find this extremely awkward and I hope they are ready to explain themselves to the people of Warrington and the UK about where this help has gone and why.

 

 

A terrible miscarriage of justice has occurred here, and I want help to have it put right. The council have told us they will no longer help us, to not contact them again, and there is no higher power to go to. How can this be? Every person involved or looking at this case apart from the council can see a horrific injustice occurring. When it is put right the council may have done irreparable damage we have already suffered enough. What tragedy has to occur before they will relent? Do I have to collapse and die next time? Does my son have to be diagnosed with special needs possibly unnecessarily? Does my daughter have to be ridiculed by schoolchildren she does not know to the point of depression? I do not know, all I know is I want NONE of them things to happen, and the council will not help us avoid it. Everyone is suffering and this could be rectified in a very easy way.

 

Please help us, anything you can do to enable our child to be on the waiting list on medical grounds (as she rightly should be) or attain a place at the school would allow our family to begin to repair the damage done by the council to date. You can contact the members of council involved to voice your opinions, as well as local media outlets and our local MPs Helen Jones and David Mowat

 

Email addresses below for your convenience.

jonesh@parliament.uk

david.mowat.mp@parliament.uk

swoodyatt@warrington.gov.uk

imarks@warrington.gov.uk

 

The council lso have a facebook page, feel free to post there

 

http://www.facebook.com/warringtonbc

 

Full details of the entire situation can be found here: http://thefightforlittleschool.blogspot.com/

 

 

I know this has been a bit long winded and I hope I have not bored anyone to tears by this point but we are at such a low ebb as a family at the moment I think we need some support from the public, especially in Warington to spur us on and remind us we are fighting for something fundamentaly right here.

 

Thanks very much

 

Gemma

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Dear Gemma

It is most unusual to get such a detailed complaint put on our public forum.

I have flagged this up with the powers that be with the council and the MPs - although it would probably be helpful if you dealt with the MP relevant for the area you live.

David Mowat covers the South and Helen Jones the North.

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Thanks Gary, I just don't know where else to turn this obviously could happen to any child in Warrington and I think the council do not want people to be awre of this...I mean they say certain circumstances....but looking at our circumstnces I just don't know how bad things would have to get before that would come into play, when will they say enough is enough? I have already contcted both MP's for Warrington, I know Helen Jones is my MP (Living in Birchwood) but I thought this is an overall education issue in Warrington so it won't harm to make both aware. So far Helen Jones has offered her support, writing to the council asking for the case to be looked at again. I will be blogging again later today to say how, come September, this will have an impact on another area in Warrington if I am forced to homeschool Lily, having to give up my work with victims of Pregnancy and infant loss in Warrington.

 

Thanks again for reading!

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Thanks Gary, I just don't know where else to turn this obviously could happen to any child in Warrington and I think the council do not want people to be awre of this...I mean they say certain circumstances....but looking at our circumstnces I just don't know how bad things would have to get before that would come into play, when will they say enough is enough? I have already contcted both MP's for Warrington, I know Helen Jones is my MP (Living in Birchwood) but I thought this is an overall education issue in Warrington so it won't harm to make both aware. So far Helen Jones has offered her support, writing to the council asking for the case to be looked at again. I will be blogging again later today to say how, come September, this will have an impact on another area in Warrington if I am forced to homeschool Lily, having to give up my work with victims of Pregnancy and infant loss in Warrington.

 

Thanks again for reading!

 

Just to let you know an MP can only take up a case of their local constituent - so you will have to deal with Helen Jones directly and Mr Mowat will not be able to help your case.

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Nickfan

 

I think a lot of the people on this forum would have great sympathy for your situation but unfortunately that?s just about all we as the general public can offer. If it helps though, I can tell you that you?re not on your own here because my family, many years ago now, were also exposed to this sort of uncaring bureaucracy and obsession with the rules.

 

Back then, I did much the same and reported things to the press with the story making the front pages of the Guardian, Liverpool Eco and Manchester Evening News. It didn?t stop me being evicted from my home but it showed the council in an extremely poor light and gave notice to others in similar circumstances to be mindful of what could happen.

 

You will get through all this and as traumatic as it seems just now, later in life you?ll look back on it as just one of those things that are sent to try us.

 

Good luck and try to keep your chin up.

 

Bill :)

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Thankyou Bill and I am sorry you have suffered at the hands of the council too. The support is enough to keep us on fighting, and I also want people to know, this might be them one day too, in this same situation and this sort of thing is going on all the time and the council have done their best to mke us go away. I have a great sense of community pride, I love my neighbours and friends and am proud to be from Warrington, but this has shaken my faith in my hometown to the core, I feel all my hard work was for selfish people.....not the community, the people are wonderful, but the people who are supposed to RUN our community are making a shambles of it.

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It?s not all-bad, there are local people out there representing us that I have great admiration and respect for but mixed in with these are the little Hitler?s and jobsworths that totally spoil the broth.

 

It?s always difficult when the hand that helps feed gets bitten but at least you have the consolation of knowing that you can rise above this. By all means rattle their cages but bear in mind they do see many out there that are trying to bend and abuse the system and this just makes it difficult for those with a genuine need.

 

Most of all, don?t let them get the better of you and certainly don?t allow a few council sado?s change your outlook on life.

 

Bill :)

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Nothing really yet, apart from they thought we had a case they would take on...They took all the case details yesterday from us said they would pass it on to their education and human rights law specialists and hopefully get back to us by Monday, so we are still waiting about on that one.

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Whatever the rights or wrongs in your problem,i think you're wasting your time posting here for support,this forum only has about a dozen or so active members.

 

Depends what you mean by active - people in a position to be able to make a difference - or just love having a rant! :roll:

I know this topic is being read by those who are able to make a difference.

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Whatever the rights or wrongs in your problem,i think you're wasting your time posting here for support,this forum only has about a dozen or so active members.

 

Don't suppose you could argue with that statement when you look at those who have read the post - 310, and those who have replied - 12.

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Gary,regarding the PM you sent me,I stand by my comment that there are only a dozen or so *active* members,meaning members who post regularly not just once in a while.Regarding your comment not to make posts you don't agree with,i thought we live in a democracy?If you take a look at this woman's website,which clearly names council employers,i think this could become a *can of worms* topic.

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My advice.

 

1. Avoid talking about your stress and other family issues it clouds your issues and sounds like a rant, I was begining to get bored reading before I fund out what your problem was. Even now I'm uncertain of the real issue is it schooling or is it your daughter needs treatment ?

 

2. Create a facebook page, put a photo over her on it, people are quite happy to click like, or join an FB group more readily than bother their MPs, however with 10,000 supporters on your page it gives the impression of public opinion. when you tell your MP you have 10,000 supporters.

 

With FB supporters local papers may then join your fight and thats when bad beuracracy gets even more supporters.

 

3. Get a referal from your GP to a Psycologist. Get them to write a letter expressing concerns specific to you daughters condition to The onbudsman.

 

Good Luck.

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Gary,thank you for your latest PM,you say 50 + active users-care to post the list?By active i mean posting at least 3 times per week.Regarding the topic in question,naming council employees in the link put on your forum leads both you & her in danger of being sued for libel.

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Gary,thank you for your latest PM,you say 50 + active users-care to post the list?By active i mean posting at least 3 times per week.Regarding the topic in question,naming council employees in the link put on your forum leads both you & her in danger of being sued for libel.

 

Mike - Thank you for your PM and your refusal to discuss this in private. Not quite sure what your agenda is - but from your own calculations you are not an active member of this forum! :lol:

Rather than enter into a public slanging match with you - which is clearly something you want to try and achieve - I will let readers, posters, active or not active, come to their own decisions about your dialogue with me.

This is my final comment on this matter as I do not want your comments regarding the activity on this forum to distract from this topic - which is why I was trying to reason with you using the Pm facility of this forum! :roll:

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What's the definition of an active user of the Forum? Well, I don't know what my stats are, but it wouldn't surprise me if over the period of my membership they are less than one a month. But I frequently read the forum without posting. I would say anyone who conform's to byrdy's definition of an active user wants to get a life!

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What's the definition of an active user of the Forum? Well, I don't know what my stats are, but it wouldn't surprise me if over the period of my membership they are less than one a month. But I frequently read the forum without posting. I would say anyone who conform's to byrdy's definition of an active user wants to get a life!

 

Your maths needs a bit more effort than your posting.

The thing about this Forum, is that people can come and go as they please. I can guarantee that allegedly, spending time on here posting does NOT mean that people don't have a life.

 

Plus, there is the other end of the spectrum, and that is maybe some people do not have the opportunity to as you say, "get a life" because they might be disabled.

You should not judge others by your own standards. :roll:

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I am an 'active' member who has been 'inactive' for 7 days so where exactly do I stand now...... now I remember what it's like on here :?:roll:

 

Anyway, not sure I completely follow the story of your school place/council problem nickfan1 at the moment as like I say I've not been on here for a week.

 

What was the reason given for your daughter being refused a place ? Was it that the school is oversubscribed or that you are out of the catchment area or something else? Have you contacted the school headteacher and governors and will they back you?

 

Sorry if you have already said why and I have just missed it :oops:

 

Like Bill said earlier though keep your chin up and remember that kids are a lot more resilient than us grown-ups at times :wink: No good making yourself so stressed out that you become ill over it all as that will be far worse for your kids.

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Hi dizzy Lily was refused on proximity but our problem is that our circumstances changed between submitting our application in Nov nd allocation of places in Jan, but the councl haveno system for this in place...or if they do they are not letting parents know about it. And I know because I still have every scrap of literature that was sent out to parents on how to make an 'informed decision' So technically Lily should be in that school becuse she would have been registered as medical not proximity if that makes sense. As well as all the other stuff in the blog lol I know it is a long winded read!

 

It has just come out yesterday too that they did not bother to take minutes at the appeal hearing as it is not the done thing! So we have no official record of the meeting! We requested the minutes to contest what was said but obviously there is no record of what was said now...

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