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

In our LA area the police had a form they completed for each domestic abuse incident they attended, they would often be sent over in a bunch at the end of the month in a pile that could take up a box file if we printed them all out. They often contained only very basic information but all of the details would be logged on social services databases and cross referenced with any other information we had. There was insufficient staff to carry out an assessment on each family each time but those assessed as more serious from the information we received were assessed. For social care to be aware of any family they need referrals. Police often have officers who focused on domestic abuse and they liaise closely with social services.

A couple I know with 4 kids went into rehab for drug addiction. SS were involved. Rehab worked for the dad, who took 2 of the kids to live with his new GF. The mum left rehab for a fix and didn't take any of the kids.

An aunt took the other 2 kids and brought them up. Although I think the plan was initially short term care, they stayed permanently with her.

At what point would SS have stepped in? The family are very well off - trust fund well off, one of the reasons the doping got so bad in the first place.

Only so many times you can keep reporting the same things before you give up and lose faith in the system. It’s become the running “joke” with those of us who know that we will be in the papers saying we saw it coming and reported many times but nothing ever changed/happened.

At what point would SS have stepped in?

What do you mean? They did step in. Do you mean taking the case to court to remove the children? They would do that if they couldn't help the family to resolve the issues any other way. It sounds like the family did resolve the issues so no need to
Go to court.

Brilliant thanks - what I was asking, inarticulately, was at which point SS were called. Would the rehab place do so? Or could it be anyone?

One more teeny question, for which multiple thanks in advance - the grandparents, in their 50s, were assessed to take the DCs. They told everyone they'd been rejected because they were 'too old'. Hmmm - would that really be the case? I've always thought they were awful and it must have been some other reason! I don't want to be tactless tho'!

Plenty of grandparents get assessed as suitable for caring for their grandchildren but obviously we don't know the specifics of any car.

Anyone can contact social services about a concern. With something like excessive drug use it would be easier to prove there was a significant issue if a rehab facility put a referral in rather than a concerned family member, not least because people with drug issues aren't always honest when asked about them.

Situation not car, don't know what happened there!

How long after someone phoning SS with a concern do SS go round to the house?
Is there a certain timescale they have to go and check allegations out?
Do SS ever just listen to concerns and not visit a house or do they have to go round every house?

what I was asking, inarticulately, was at which point SS were called. Would the rehab place do so? Or could it be anyone?

They certainly would but also the school may have or any other professional.

One more teeny question, for which multiple thanks in advance - the grandparents, in their 50s, were assessed to take the DCs. They told everyone they'd been rejected because they were 'too old'. Hmmm - would that really be the case?

Not in my view, I have known plenty of grandparents older than that get SGOs but who knows?

How long after someone phoning SS with a concern do SS go round to the house?
Is there a certain timescale they have to go and check allegations out? Do SS ever just listen to concerns and not visit a house or do they have to go round every house?

In my area all referrals are screened which means checking with police, health and school, and speaking to parents (where possible). Screening is done without parental consent as the information is only used to decide whether to pass for assessment and isn't recorded on the main database (this is compliant with confidentiality and safeguarding guidelines). Referrals are designated red, amber and green based on the severity of the referral. Red referrals must be screened within 4 hours, Amber within 24 and green within 72.

After screening a manager decides whether they get passed for assessment based on the SW's analysis. If they agree that the threshold has been met, it gets sent to a team for allocation. Sometimes red referrals go straight to a team without screening as it's obvious they need assessment and it needs to be immediate.

Lots of referrals end with a telephone call and advice given, or referral to early help. Often screening shows that the concerns weren't warranted.

As at least one or more PP said When Social Workers start investigating an allegation and it turns out to be false they should apologise. I would agree that they can not know the full details of a situation. As time goes on and the truth comes to light i.e. displaced husband and father trying to control estranged wife and DCs using Social Work and NHS inappropriately in his attempts. I would have had a lot more respect for SWs if they had come and said we were conned. I knew that he was a horrible person with a history of trying to manipulate situations, why do they think I got rid of him! They didn't do that, therefore I see SW as even more threatening and nasty than H They did not know me so could have no reason to disturb our lives. He did have a reason he was homeless and penniless and probably felt I had made an exhibition of him. I can see H's reasoning but have no idea why SW were so awful to me and my DCs.

The SWs created my view of them and this farce of a situation is welded into my mind.

As at least one or more PP said When Social Workers start investigating an allegation and it turns out to be false they should apologise

No, they shouldn't. I'm not an arsehole and I will feel, and express, sympathy if such a situation transpires, but I would not apologise for investigating. It's my duty to investigate. The law requires it.

What would rank for a green/Amber/red?

I’m trying to work out if we locals feels it’s worse than SS do? Is it worth contacting Both SS and police at the same time? I guess just contacting the police they only hear the dv bits not the other neglect.

Nyn Up until these events happened in my life I would have agreed with the need for investigation even for the slightest reason. Since this event I wonder what the problem is. I was stupid enough to marry the person they only listened to his lies. In doing so I think that they committed a crime. All I ever looked for was an acknowledgement that this was a bad person to me and to them. The person has always been a horror. I will PM you the short info that I don't want to make public.

I’m trying to work out if we locals feels it’s worse than SS do? Is it worth contacting Both SS and police at the same time? I guess just contacting the police they only hear the dv bits not the other neglect

Red would be an injury for example, or a report of a child sex offender living in the home, or a serious DV incident.
Green would be something that would fall under section 17 of the children act (see screenshot) such as a child who is persistently refusing to go to school and whose parent is at their wits end, or when parents had a nasty verbal row but no injuries etc.

Police should always share info with social services if children are involved, they work in a very joined up way. if you think a crime has been committed against a child you can be sure that the police will work with social workers on a joint investigation.

@User02 please don't - I have sympathy for your situation and experiences but I'm not going to get drawn into a discussion about your views on social services if that's ok, that's not what this thread was for.

I am with OP on this social workers aren't conned because they investigate allegations, that is their job.
Some people make malicious allegations, some people tell their version of a story which is very different to the families version, some people are speaking a relatively objective truth but it wouldn't despite that warrant social services input. People try and use social care for their own ends quite a bit, particularly in family disputes. I think up to a third of the initial referrals we dealt with would at have fitted into that category. That also doesn't mean the complaints don't have merit in themselves. I used to regularly tell people that I couldn't read minds so we just had to work through the process.
Social care are not the people who owe you an apology, they are doing their job, your ex-partner may owe you one however. Allegations have to be taken seriously and investigated to protect dc.

Nyn - didn't see your post before sending PM.
Maybe it would be interesting for SW to see why people think badly of them and perhaps improve their image.
I am fairly sure that you were not the SWs who came into my life but maybe if you did you would wonder why I was a bit touchy and if you knew why it might help relations.
It has been totally unfounded and many years ago but still at the front of my mind.

Hi, I have a 5 month old and have been told that if she gets an accidental injury of any kind (e.g. if she bumps her head on door frame as part of her daily suicidal "let's try freefall dive out of mum's arms" routine - have been very lucky so far and try not to hold her for long due to this annoying tendency and warn others who are holding her as she is very wriggly) and I take her to the E.R to get her checked over, they will tell social services as protocol due to her age. Is this true?

@merlotmummy
Absolutely not.

merlot they will tell your HV. And then the HV will either console you about how almost every baby falls off the sofa, etc once, or they will explain how to be more careful. It won't be more than that with a genuine accident, so don't be put off taking her to A&E if she ever needs it.

Can you imagine how many referrals social care would have it that were true, every family with small dc would have a social worker, including all the social workers and doctors!

MASH investigated as they are legally obliged to do. I don't want to sound callous but it's not the responsibility of social workers (especially as MASH workers only do screening) to counsel your family after the assessment. Once a case is closed it is closed.

I doubt anybody posting here at all doubts your legal obligations or the validity of the your role in doing so. The difficult to understand bit for many here I suspect is how you demonstrate and voice sympathy for other folks you come across such as victims of family dispute, domestic violence etc, but have absolutely no grasp of what your "investigations" into innocent families genuinely puts them through and the lasting irrevocable damage this does to them is eye-ball popping. Whatever your intent you sound remarkably callous I am sorry to say, though I respect your honesty and appreciate other pressures your job must present, it is inconceivable to me how you go home at the end of the day of turning some poor family upside down with not a thought as to how they might cope going forward.

I suspect if this happened to more SW's their view on responsibility might change

It's not true to say that I don't voice sympathy or show care for families going forward whatever the ourcome. I started this thread to answer questions and dispel myths, not to showcase my people skills. I'm answering factually, when I speak to people in life at work I relate to them as people in distress/under stress with empathy.

Following this discussion with interest. Of course there is no need for an apology from social services for doing their job.

But, having gone through an assessment myself I do understand how people get a negative view of the process. It is very stressful. And there is so much stigma that it can be hard to reach out to family or friends for support.

In my family, the strain of the assessment made things much much worse for a few weeks.
A more supportive process could alleviate this, where there is an understanding by the SW of the impact of an assessment. It would be good to have more of an emphasis on support and follow up (where needed / wanted ). The earlier suggestion of a debrief following social services assessment is a good idea.