Social worker coming this morning

[Cocopogo]

Got a social worker coming this morning as struggling with DC. What will they do?
my house is messy because I was having a big sort out and dragged everything out the loft and there’s no food in the fridge as I haven’t done a big shop for a while and just been grabbing bits after work etc.

Did you call them yourself?

Initially they will assess the house, school, doctor and any other places that are involved with the kids. You should be totally honest and tell them where you're struggling.

After that they can decide where you need help and hopefully put a plan in place to support you, maybe a family support worker or similar.

I don’t have experience with social workers visiting but my friend is a social worker and she says they will be there to support. So speak to then about where you are struggling and ask them to help you put measures in place to best provide for your children.

I am assuming you self referred but they are there to help you.

I would recommend thinking about ways to ensure there is adequate food etc in the house for the children. Good luck

Be completely honest and then she can start getting support and help in place for you.

Remember they are here to support you.

The initial visit will be safeguarding and may look at things like how tidy is your house, do you have enough food in, chatting about your capabilities as a parent, how much support you have.

I think they’ll talk to you about how you’re struggling. Perhaps offer some support and parenting classes. It does sound like you’re not very organised and perhaps have issues prioritising tasks. Doing a big sort out sounds like it’s been a bit chaotic and not well thought-through when you’ve all this going on. And “no food”? Or not much for main meals? Again, organisation to do two “big shops” a week would make much more sense than wasting time doing small shops every day after work. And a fridge really shouldn’t ever be empty… the staples and some freezer food as back up should be there.
Be honest and don’t hide anything as it will come out and look worse later on. Good luck.

A couple of years ago when DD was really struggling with her mental health I took her to A&E for an emergency assessment on the schools advise. That triggered an automatic safeguarding referral.

The SW was very nice, didn't poke around the house but asked a few questions and listened to my views on what the issues were. They also asked if I thought we needed support and I think was surprised when I said some support would be lovely!

We had an 'Early Help' worker for a few months, and she was lovely, very practical. Would probably have got stuck in with helping getting organised if I had needed it. As it was we just had a chat about how things were going on her visits, and she organised a couple of referrals that had drifted.

Try not to worry. It sounds as if you need a helping hand for a bit, and that is what they should be focussed on.

The state of your home isn’t a big thing but a quick tidy would help give a better impression. No food is a big thing and will be taken more seriously. How old is your child?

Have a quick tidy, five minutes in each room will make a difference.

Be honest with what support you are after, I used to work in Early Help and they liked people to be open and honest with what is going on, within the whole family, so they can offer help and signpost you to places that offer support.

We had social service intervention when my partner suffered a violent manic episode and referred himself to A&E.

When they visited, they create a profile of each child (e.g Sienna is blonde 4 year old with blue hair. She likes Disney princesses and baking. She goes to school and has lots of friends. She is confident and a little bit cheeky - note this isn’t my actual child!)

Then they made observations about the house. In our case, they noted it was clean, tidy (the social worker loved my use of the word ‘organised chaos’ as they don’t expect houses to look immaculate, I had pre school children who like to tip all of their toys out - she said they would be suspicious if the house was too neat and tidy and doesn’t look lived in) and safe to live in. They also checked the childrens’ room and noted they had suitable beds, a wardrobe full of clothes and plenty of toys and comforters. They never checked the fridge or cupboards.

They are there to help you. They want you and your family to be ok, that’s their aim. Be as honest as you can. You’ve done the right thing, and I hope all goes well for you.

Tends to be different approaches depending on if you've called them in or someone else has. I assume it's either happened or is happening by now, so hope you got a decent professional and it's been positive and helpful.

In my experience the are utterly useless. It’s all talk and box ticking. They don’t actually do anything at all at this level.

@Cocopogo how did it go with the social worker?