Child protection social worker- ask me anything!

[NynaeveSedai]

With the recent rash of social worker related posts recently which have been FULL of frankly bollocks I thought I would offer to answer any questions.

Disclaimer - different local authorities do things slightly differently though national standards should be followed, and I'm in England so can't talk about the rest of the uk

I’m respect to FII a top GOSH doctor speaks at CP conferences and runs training programmes where she teaches red flag conditions (EDS autism pots allergies etc) and directs professionals to consider FII in parents of children with these conditions
If the parents then complain they have that covered as complaining is apparently also a red flag for FII

Like the OP says true FII is INCREDIBLY rare but it seems to be becoming more commonly ‘diagnosed’ on the back of flawed training like this

@pastaandpestoagain

"I had several cases of fabricated illness on my case load during my five years front line CP, one came with a diagnosis established which made it straight forward. The others didn't " Can I ask if any of your cases of possible FII involved male parents/carers? (The original research into FII discusses the role of the primary carer which at the time was primarily female. With the increase in stay at home dads and 50:50 shared care awards through the court I am interested to know if guidance has caught up).

Just to be clear a diagnosis of fabricated would not be given by a social worker, no diagnosis of an illness is done by a social worker. All a social worker would do is pull together a pattern of behaviour which gives cause for concern and if appropriate request an assessment by a suitably qualified professional. It is a rare diagnoses that is not causally given, taking your DC to the GP with a concern of autism or allergies is not going to result in this diagnosis.

Who is that doctor?
That's definitely not an approach that I have seen any sign of. Surely if the children are diagnosed with and showing signs of those conditions there would be absolutely no reason to believe they were fabricated

If children are removed from family and placed in care, what are the chances of the 4 children being returned?

If children are removed from family and placed in care, what are the chances of the 4 children being returned?

That sounds like a specific situation which I can't really comment on. In cases where older children have been removed and another baby is born, whether that subsequent child is removed depends completely on the circumstances at the time.

Thatbis exactly what I had assumed but apparently diagnoses can be removed ....

greenlanes Of the three cases one was historical, one was very clear once a thorough assessment had been undertaken and one was strongly suspected but there were a range of other issues that took precedence and I don't think a formal diagnosis was ever given. They were all female, I think from memory they were all single carers but it is very, very unusual compared to physical abuse, neglect or sexual abuse. It was the pattern of hospital admissions that attracted concern not the sex of the carer however.

It is taught that attention seeking is part of FII so if a parent is wrongly accused they fee they can’t complain as that then makes the case against them stronger

What are your thoughts on parents with 3 young (nursery and primary school aged) children fostering? Do you think they should wait until their BC are older? Do you think there's any particular type of fostering that tends to work better alongside a young family...respite/long term/emergency etc....

I was falsely accused of fabricating illness in DD1 despite her having prescribed medication. There was a full safeguarding investigation that I knew nothing about. No evidence was found (surprise!) but it's made me worried every time I take my children to the doctors. I questioned myself every time I gave calpol for years. There needs to be more awareness of abusive relationships and how abusers find different ways to continue the abuse once the relationship is over. My stbexh persistently targets me via the courts and social services. They are well attuned to him now but for years it caused me lots of stress. My dd is now being assessed for ASD/ADD so after reading the above am worried that it's going to be construed as fabricated. There needs to be a way to stop abusive partners from continuing the abuse as it feels like a constant threat. Social services in our area have been useless.

when a CP SW came into my house and it was messy (but not horrendous, think cups and papers on the table, unswept floor, dishes that needed doing) she said that if my children were any younger she would have "taken them off me at once".
Was that true? Would she really have been able to do that?

What do you think about children from dysfunctional families being placed in independent boarding schools as an alternative to the care system?

What are your thoughts on parents with 3 young (nursery and primary school aged) children fostering?

As a child protection social worker I wouldn't really want to comment on that. Your local authority should run open days every so often and you can go and ask questions.

My stbexh persistently targets me via the courts and social services. They are well attuned to him now but for years it caused me lots of stress

This is really hard to deal with. Even when you know it's vexatious and controlling you still have to investigate and assess. If you chalk a referral up to persistent controlling behaviour you still have to hold in mind that you could be wrong and the victim might be perpetrating abuse. Being too certain is very dangerous in social work. But I do understand the way that abusive men can use services to perpetuate abuse.

Was that true? Would she really have been able to do that?

No! Only courts or police can remove children, that would be a very irresponsible and unprofessional thing to say.

What do you think about children from dysfunctional families being placed in independent boarding schools as an alternative to the care system?

It can be beneficial for a tiny number of children (particularly those with high iqs and attachment difficulties) but in general that's really not a solution.

I'm gobsmacked that a consultant from GOSH is running around telling people to watch out for FII in families where EDS, POTS, allergies and autism affect the members.

These conditions are known to occur together in families quite often. Why is she jumping to the conclusion that it must be FII, rather than the more obvious one, that these conditions must have a genetic/environmental link (as indeed lots of other Drs/researchers suspect)?

If she then also teaches that any protest on the part of the parents at being accused, or indeed any attempts to achieve effective medical treatment for their DC, are proof of guilt, then this is really, really dangerous. What evidence does she have for her assertions, and what standing does she have?

pastaandpestoagain thanks for your reply. Many families where children have SEN have requested their records and found FII mentioned but just for mum, not dad. The level of misunderstanding from professionals about the rarity of FII is great and there is a high risk of threat to families.

Totally get perverse point about use of the family courts and professional by abusers. More does need to be done about that.

If a parent is a teacher and also a victim of domestic abuse (and chooses to stay in the relationship so the children are on a child protection plan) - do social services have to inform the employers of the victim that their children are on a CPP?

do social services have to inform the employers of the victim that their children are on a CPP?

Yes, that would be the responsibility of the LADO

At what point would ss be interested in a family living in poverty, overcrowded housing and the parents choosing to have more children in that situation?

would the LADO make recommendations about whether there is a risk to pupils? I just wondered if teachers risk being suspended if their own children are on a CPP?

Craftygin; well, it appears to have worked for the royal family.