How do we protect these children? There must be more we all can do!

[AnotherThingToDo]

I’m haunted by these poor children who have to endure this torture. How many more are there who aren’t in the news because they haven’t died?

Experts, people in child-protection roles, people with experience: how can people who feel angry and devastated by this channel this emotion into actually making a difference?

We hear time and time again how resources are limited. Is there more that society can do?

derxa
I imagine the grandmother wouldn’t have wanted to take him to the dr because if the child was not removed immediately there was no was she would have been allowed to see him again.
She would have honestly thought that by getting SS involved it was her best option.

Not no was- no way

Its not exactly easy to sneak a child off to be examined by a Dr if you believe they are being abused. Especially in the midst of a pandemic. I mean the step father was threatened with arrest if he went to check on the boy again - imagine the potential lecture the granny could have got for going to a hospital for a bruised shoulder.

The first thing that sprung to mind when I saw the title of this thread was a change to the normalisation of alcohol as a key part of our social lives would help. The harm done by drunk people , not just to children but to other adults and property is huge. It takes up resources that could be better spent on providing help to children.

It’s considerably easier, and more easily explained away to take a child to have an injury examined by a medical than to call social services. In the first instance you’re showing concern for an injured child (and surely if you think the injury is serious enough to warrant social work involvement you’d also think it needed medical attention), in the latter case you’re saying you think the child has been deliberately harmed.

IknowwhatIneed

If it were me and it was one of my grandchildrenI would do what you suggest.
If the dr made a mistake and didn’t treat it as a child protection case that grandmother would never see that child again. She probably saw herself as the only safe place for the child.
In hindsight she would have, the same as in hindsight the Sw would have checked Arthur properly as would the police.
To even mention the grandmother who did what we are all told to do ‘report’ is unbelievable.

I was responding to the “it’s not exactly easy” comment, in my experience it’s much easier to see a doctor than to involve social work. And easier to explain “he was holding his shoulder and it looked sore” so I got it checked out.

I’m not questioning the grandparents decisions, they did what they felt was best at the time and even in doing so couldn’t prevent this tragedy. They hold no responsibility here and I wouldn’t criticise or question their choices.

And the GMB lady's point was that had the grandmother got him medically checked, this would have triggered an intervention "quicker". The issue wasn't even necessarily the speed at which Arthur was checked up on - it was the level of check up that followed.

However the referral started - from the grandmother phoning SS or the hospital, the end result was the same. The SW didn't thoroughly investigate. The process beforehand is actually irrelevant in the end up.

@80sMum yes they are obviously the ones who committed the physical act but SS are supposed to act as a safety net to protect children when their parents can’t or choose not to. The safety net failed to protect him so they have to hold some responsibility as well.

The grandmother clearly knew exactly how he got his injury - there was no need to go to the dr. She thought she was cutting out the middle man by going straight to SS

Not been in a setting where I can watch that clip until now. WTAF? You can't take a child to doctor or hospital without parental consent, it's against the law. You can't take them anywhere without parental consent, we call that kidnapping. Grandparent or not.

It is not the Grandmother's fault this wasn't followed up. She wasn't even the only one who reported concerns. What in the institutional DARVO is this? Seriously!

Yes absolutely mustn't move away from the perpetrators.

Some one on TV said today sw needs to be the fourth emergency service and I agree with that

User, gmb were astonished by that, go to the doctor first!

Even if granny hadn't taken him there she could have shown them the picture or said he's got this bruise but... Who on earth knows to do this??

If she'd showed a doctor the picture they would have advised her to speak to children's services. It's like a big old pile of buck passing bull crap is what it is.

I 100% agree social services should be another emergency service. No doubt about that

Even if granny hadn't taken him there she could have shown them the picture or said he's got this bruise but... Who on earth knows to do this??

They wouldn’t have done anything with a photo - they can’t assess or diagnose anything from a photo of a bruise. It sounds like the gran did everything she knew how to do, sadly to no avail.

There were quite a few SW on here over the weekend, I was wondering if any of you could answer a couple of questions I’ve been thinking about today please?

1. If you had received the information that there was a suspected child abuse case, you had information about the family that was suspicious and had seen the photo after making your way to the home would you check the child for bruises?

2.if no, why?

1. If parent wouldn’t let you what would be the next step?
2. If you were able to check and saw the bruise what would be the next step?

Thanks.

If you had received the information that there was a suspected child abuse case, you had information about the family that was suspicious and had seen the photo after making your way to the home would you check the child for bruises?

• yes, if the parent and child were agreeing to show me

2.if no, why?

• if the child was too distressed or the parent didn't consent

1. If parent wouldn’t let you what would be the next step?

• sharing information with the police. A strategy meeting would be convened urgently, either before or after visiting. If you've already had this meeting you'd share the info with police who would decide whether they would take any action. You'd also share it with managers who would consider whether any legal processes were indicated. This would depend on what other info you had and what reason you had to think it was deliberate harm.

1. If you were able to check and saw the bruise what would be the next step?

• you would ask the child and parents what happened. If it was plausible and you had no further reason for concern it would probably stop there. However if the account wasn't plausible or believable or the child said something different to the parent or there had been previous bruises etc etc then you would book a child protection medical in which a paediatrician would examine the child and give a view regarding whether it was accidental injury or not.

@Cassimin

There were quite a few SW on here over the weekend, I was wondering if any of you could answer a couple of questions I’ve been thinking about today please?

1. If you had received the information that there was a suspected child abuse case, you had information about the family that was suspicious and had seen the photo after making your way to the home would you check the child for bruises?

2.if no, why?

1. If parent wouldn’t let you what would be the next step?
2. If you were able to check and saw the bruise what would be the next step?

Thanks.

1. (I'm not sure where the bruises were but assuming not genitals/ bottom)I'd ask parent to show me the area of concern, which they'd likely refuse.
2. I can't touch the child myself.
3. If they refuse I can't press but can advise I'll be passing it upwards. Speak with my manager and get permission for a medical with the evidence I have (this may or may not be granted depending on situation).
4. As above, but its more likely to be granted.

It's incredibly rare parents will willing lift tops, trouser legs. Even if there's no abuse occuring- often for fear 'normal' scratches and bruises would be misconstrued. The parent can demand it's done under medical supervision, and sometimes do, because they know getting permission will be difficult.

I'm no longer in CP, so things may have changed in the last 5 years.

That's the basic outline, it would constitute part of a much larger assessment where you have discussion with the parents, police, others involved etc. It's not a stand alone thing.

It's incredibly rare parents will willing lift tops, trouser legs. Even if there's no abuse occuring- often for fear 'normal' scratches and bruises would be misconstrued.

I have to say that's not my experience. But also often it will be the school that reports the bruise either because they have seen it or the child discloses and in that case you can often get down to the school before pick up to see the child yourself without parent. That would only be done if the child is already on a child protection plan and the parents had agreed to visits at school. You wouldn't do that during an initial assessment apart from in very serious situations.

@Cassimin to be honest your questions feel a bit disingenuous and I won’t be answering them. Partly because it’s rarely as simple as those few questions, there are so many variables that inform your assessment and decision making in the moment, partly because my practice is open to scrutiny enough by people to know and understand those variables and partly because I don’t know a child protection social worker who wouldn’t reflect on this case and others and not think “there but for the grace of God”.

If you’re truly interested in the whys and wherefores, come and train, spend a few years dealing with the stuff we deal with day in and day out, then decide whether this social worker in this specific case was negligent. That’s what the Significant Case Review process is there for, undertaken by professionals who will have all the facts at their disposal - not just whatever the media put out there.

The social workers in this thread have repeatedly explained all that might have gone wrong here, I’m not sure why they’d then put their own practice under trial by public opinion.

IknowwhatIneed

Sorry I didn’t mean to sound disingenuous.
I was just wondering what you were able to do legally.
I’m a FC and I have some idea what you deal with but I’m completely unaware of the laws around child protection.
From personal experience I know how manipulative, cunning and violent parents like those involved in Arthur’s case can be.
I was just wondering what the procedure was and what could hold you back legally.
I’m far too old now to retrain as a SW but my daughter is thinking about it.( despite being warned not to by many Sw)
I doubt she’d work front line child protection though, she’s not tough enough.

Thanks everyone else, it’s good to know.