Find Ancestors

Hi Everyone

As I was in children's homes and foster homes I am still trying to obtain my files with so much difficulty, I have contacted my Social Services down in the South of England when I was under their authority and I contacted them 2xyears ago and they said they could not find my files and possibly were destroyed or no files were ever made, but having a look back on my e-mails from them I find discrepancies with their e-mail replies I have back from them. My years I was in care was 1959-1971. I recently spoke to a court in Middlesex and they advised me to contact my local Social Services, I did that and delivered a letter by hand to them last Friday, I have received a letter today from my local Social Services informing me that I am not on their local database which I would not be because I was not under their local authority near where I live now and they have advised me in their letter that they are unable to help me further. I telephoned my local Social Services today and they told me the same story I informed them that the court I spoke to in Middlesex advised me to go to my local SS and the lady I spoke to at SS said the court has misadvised you and I said to her I don't think they have. When I was speaking to the court I said would my files be kept at the Family History Centre and the court said no because you would not want people seeing your details. I phoned the family history centre and the 2xchildren's homes at the South of England and they said the 2xchildren's homes were on record there and when I requested whether my records were there she said I would have to write in which is fair enough and then my information would get passed onto Social Services. I have had a very firm conversation to day with my local SS and I asked them to send the letter on and they refused so then my patience ran out and I actually instructed them to send the letter on as the South of England SS are expecting the letter. I cannot get anywhere with my local and South of England SS. One of my brothers obtained his file in 1991 and that was from the SS and this brother was with me in the homes and foster homes. I do not know whether we were made award of court or just a care order I very young so I cannot remember.

Talk about a vicious circle.

Please could anyone advise.

Thank you very much.

Darkie.

This thread is being edited today Sunday 18/06/17.


One of my siblings and I have managed to obtain our files now when we were in the Children's Homes and it is so difficult to understand when they told me originally they did not exist when I first requested them in year of 2007.

It is so lovely to read what my life was like when I was younger but sadly no photos of me in the file.

It answers a lot of questions but not everything.

The gentleman that is helping me from the Council is very helpful and understanding and he has advised me that he has fond more information on me to send out too.

I still have the evidence that I will be showing to the Council as advised by the gentleman that is helping me now to send the paperwork in from the year 2007 and hopefully they will give me answers to why no information was found originally.

I am so happy.

Hi Everyone

I have to go out on a music lesson now but I will check the board when I come back tonight.

I have had a PM from a member that has helped me a great deal hopefully I will get a bit further now.

Darkie, we have had the same problem with my husband's "in care" papers. Although we know he was in care with the L.C.C. we could not find which Borough of London took him in. There is a period up until he was 4 years when we know nothing about his whereabouts , as like you he was too young to remember. We know he went to Surrey then Bucks and finally to East Sussex. This was a lot earlier than when you yourself were in care( in the 40's). We approached the Archivist at the London Metropolitan Archives, giving them the details such as you have set out on this site, and also sent them a copy of his birth certificate. They do keep a lot of papers of this kind and even had a card in their archives relating to him, proving there is a file somewhere, but to date nothing ! You could try them, as I found them very helpful, even though like yours the file is either mis-filed , or destroyed. Don't give up, as I have heard people eventually get their files even back as far as the mid 30's. We are determined to keep on writing to the Boroughs it has been suggested might have them. May I wish you luck in your search, as I know exactly how you feel. Dorothy.

Hi Darkie

Would this be of any help to you ?

BAAF (British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering)
Skyline House
200 Union Street
London SE1 0LX
(020) 7593 2000 (Mon - Fri 9.00am - 5.00pm)
A central agency for organisations involved in adoption and fostering. Publishes useful information leaflets and books about various aspects of adoption. Offers advice on tracing.

Hi Everyone

Thank you for all your replies they are most helpful and the address at the bottom of this list I will try that too.

Darkie

Hi Dorothy and Everyone that has applied back to me on this thread,

I have received an e-mail today from Surrey County Children's Service and they have come back to me with the same story. The Information Goverance Officer at The Runnymede Centre (Room 15), Tel:02085418731 Fax 01932-794193. This is the following message he has sent to me. Following your recent call to our contact Centre, I have re-re-run the search for any records that relate to your time in the care of Surrey. Unfortunateley the result has been the same as the previous search we did. We have found no records that relate to you. I am truely sorry that these records no longer exist for you. As I said in an earlier
e-mail, it is a sad fact that local authorities were not required to hold onto these records until the law was changed in 1991 when the Children Act 1998 was enacted. Rachele if I write to the Director of Social Services for the borough it will lead back to the same department.
Dorothy if your husband was under Surreys care depending which area it was the address I have provided might be helpful, so Dorothy if you would like to PM me I will tell you what area I was living when I was in care I don't wish to put the area on the thread as it is a bit too personal. They say my records must be destroyed, they can't even tell me when the files were destroyed, so I don't think I can go any further with it now (I just totally give up on it). I am at a loss.

HI Sheila

I have tried that number below but when I ring it their is a message on the phone saying that it is an incorrect number perhaps their is a digit short. Are you able to check it for me please?

Thank you.

Darkie

Hello,
If you want help and advice then contact Joan Allan at

http://www.joanallan.co.uk/

Bye
Paul

Hi

I am still finding it down as that phone number but this does have an email address as well

The British Association for Adoption and Fostering BAAF



BAAF

Skyline House

200 Union Street

London, SE1 0LX



Tel: 020 7593 2000

Fax: 020 7593 2001

Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.baaf.org.uk/



Hope this helps, Good Luck !

This is so sad and I know of other's with the same problem!
Personally I was a Foster Parent from 1975 to 1979 at which time I took a Break from fostering.
In the 1990s I decided to Foster again and actually said I had been registered as a Foster Parent IN THE PAST and was told that no such records of my ever being a Foster Parent existed?
They made me out to be a Liar and continued to say No Such Records Existed of my Fostering any children in the District?
I even said well, I can bring the children I fostered to You as I WAS & still Am in touch with all of them.
Made No Difference at all they still went on to say they could not find records?
This is My Local Authority for you?
The children I fostered are still in touch and I recently helped two of them reunite with their adopted brother who they had not seen for some 35 years.
No help from Social Services of Course.
Not to mention the fact that this young man could not gain access to his File from the Social Services.
So Much for FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT!
Good Luck

Best Wishes
Janice xxx

Hi, Darkie,
You could always go to your local county court and see if you can summons your local SS dept to a court hearing and then question them in front of a judge as to why they will not tell you anything or find your files?
This is so easy to do, its a no money claim and wont cost much either!
It will be interesting to see how they respond when the court send them a summons. They might just be able to find what you want, as they will not want to go to court. They should keep your files somewhere?
Sounds to me like they cant be bothered...so they need a kick up the bum...lol.. Regards, Wendy

Hi Everyone

Sorry I have taken so long to reply, I have had a lot of pressure on me lately with my son who has recently lost his job so I have had to support him a lot on lots of advice. (not having much luck lately am I? but I don't suppose I am the only one in the world to suffer that)

Thank you very much for your replies and yes Wendy they do need a kick up the bum and I am willing to give them half a dozen kicks or more SS and the local authorities are so secretive if the boot was on the other foot and they were in my position they would feel exactly the same as I do.

Thank you Shiela for all your help but I looked for a phone number for them on the website still cannot find anything. Thank you Paul I will try that site. Janice I can't believe that they have no records of you as a foster parent (talk about incompetence with a capital I) they must have some records of of you somewhere but they are not really bothered and social Services are absolutely hopeless they were hopeless when I was in care and they still are. Wendy, I will try my local county court and see if they are able to help me. Paul thank very much for the advice.

Thank everyone once again it is much appreciated.

Regards

Darkie

xx

Hi Darkie, and everyone else - I was both born and adopted in Surrey. They say they have never heard of me, nor of my full sister, also born in Surrey. We were both adopted, but to different people so I am still trying to find my sister. I was adopted through Guildford County Court. I suspect my sister may have gone to Guildford, or nearby too.

I have my original name and my original birth cert. and also the birth name of my sister. I traced all the rest of my family and half-siblings.............still Surrey say they have not any records for either of us. I was in a childrens' home for a short while, probably my baby sister was too. It is long since closed of course, it was called Aigburth Nursery.
My birth names were Eileen Muriel..........born in 1944
My sister's birth names were Jennifer Ann............born 22nd September 1945. Our birth mother's names were Muriel Ethel M.........nee H.........
Maybe I should try Guildford County Court, but it is all so long ago I would be surprised if they still have any records.
Eileen
birth name
born 1944
adopted 1946
found birth family 1972

Hi Eileen

I have PMD you with an address that hopefully you will find useful.

Good luck in your search.

Hi Sheila

I have e-mailed BAAF today and they came back with a response very quickly to me and advised me what area will be dealing with my enquiry, so as yet I will have to get in touch with that area its not far from me really.

Thank you.

Hi Wendy

I have been in touch with BAAF address that Sheila supplied ( thank you once again Sheila)., but its lead back to the same department of where I have been in touch before, but BAAF were so helpful and quick to respond to me.

Wendy, looks like it will be the county court I will have to approach hope this does work.

Thank you.

Children's Homes

Hi Everyone, that has replied to me on this thread and the member that e-mailed me, thank you very much it is much appreciated

I have just got around to contacting The National Archives and they have information on me in a file lets hope they let me look at all information and not take any information out.

I will have to visit the Archives.

I just can't believe it has taken me so long to try and find information on myself as I had been going round in circles so anyone else that might be in a similar position to me I say please do not give up.

Regards

Darkie

Hello Darkie
I do hope that you at last find the answers to your past, I for one have lost all Faith in Social Services at least in my area.
They never found records of my Fostering?
Yet, yesterday I spent 2 hours speaking with one of the young people I Fostered back in 1970s.
Something very odd with Social Services Nation Wide.
Good Luck
Janice

Given the hammering that Social Services departments have taken recently, I would suggest you contact your local MP and ask for their help. It's amazing what can suddenly happen when an MP gets involved.

Good luck in your search

It is time someone gave the Social Services an hammering in all Districts.
Today I spoke again to my Foster Daughter only to be told that she was approached to make statements against people she was in the care of years ago.
Having stated that this was Nonsense SHE WAS DISMISSED out of hand as they went forward to Convict people who my Foster Daughter Swears were set Up.
Sad World.
Janice