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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be annoyed at social worker..

32 replies

biddysmama · 25/07/2011 22:23

on thursday there was a card through my door from social services saying "please make contact asap with i called as soon as i got in, social worker named had gone home and was off on friday, left details for her to call me

spent all weekend worrying, ive nothing to be worried about, i do extended breastfeeding hich some people dont like but nothing for ss to get involved in...

she rang me today, asked for my name,dcs names, no idea who i am until she asks for my address and she says "oh, did i put it in yours? it was for next door, could you put the card through there for me?"

aibu to be annoyed that i'd worried all weekend, you hear stories about ss getting involved for no reason and that she couldnt even read door numbers?

OP posts:
hiddenhome · 25/07/2011 22:25

I'd tell her to stick her own bloody card through the right bloody door Angry

Stupid woman .

worraliberty · 25/07/2011 22:26

Human error

Must have been worrying though

Birdsgottafly · 25/07/2011 22:26

She has committed a disiplinary offence, she has broken confidentiality.

The mistake should not have been made to start with, i would contact the department and ask for the complaints manager and her manager, if you are fobbed off i would threaten to go to the press.

As a CP SW i am Shock at this!

Birdsgottafly · 25/07/2011 22:27

Worral- this is not human error, it should never happen.

ZillionChocolate · 25/07/2011 22:28

Perhaps Hiddenhome has never made a mistake. Good for her.

basingstoke · 25/07/2011 22:30

You can't be telling someone their neighbours have dealings with social workers. There are some things where if you make a mistake you are going to be in trouble...

marriedinwhite · 25/07/2011 22:31

Good god. I'm not a social worker and never have been but my immediate thought was that she had told you your neighbours were involved with social services. That is unacceptable.

ScarlettIsWalking · 25/07/2011 22:31

That is bloody awful. She has now disclosed to you what family is being investigated. Dreadful, not particularlly surprising though.

Birdsgottafly · 25/07/2011 22:31

You don't make the mistake of alerting neighbours thaat you don't know and are not agreed to be part of an investigation that next door are part of an inquiry.

She will be hauled over the coals for this and if the neighbour complains it could have consequences for the DC's that she was in touch about.

EllieG · 25/07/2011 22:31

Yes it's human error but it's not good. I'm a social worker and I have on a couple of occasions left a note in the wrong door. Sometimes you get sketchy referrals with dodgy addresses on and it happens. However I would always try not to leave a note on a friday if wasn't going to be around in the afternoon to follow it up (we used to time our letters so people would not get them on a friday as would recognise that they would be freaking out all weekend, and it ain't fair). If people have rung up all scared and I've realised it was my error I have apologised HUGELY and also NEVER told them where the note was supposed to go - she should not have told you it was intended for next door, as should be confidential. Very poor show.

eaglewings · 25/07/2011 22:32

I'm sure hidden would admit to making a mistake. But come on how would any of us feel if we had spent all weekend worrying why the SW wanted to talk to us. Must have been hell.

Original poster
biddysmama · 25/07/2011 22:32

to be fair, everyone on the street know that ss are involved, most of us have had to ring the police at one time or another cos shes gone out and left her children (2,4,5,7) alone in the house or garden

OP posts:
scurryfunge · 25/07/2011 22:34

This sort of error would escalate into a witch hunt in the area I work in. Bad form and easily avoidable if the SW was competent.

KilledBill · 25/07/2011 22:34

Another idiotic action from another insensitive social worker. Could be worse - I know someone who was hand delivered a letter (very similar last name) meant for someone else, with very personal details including medical things and all about their family and childrens history - for someone else by a social worker.

Of course no action was taken even though a complaint was made.

squeakytoy · 25/07/2011 22:34

How has she broken confidentiality.. she didnt put her case notes through the bloody door!

EllieG · 25/07/2011 22:34

I'd flag it up with them, tbh. Poor practice should be challenged.

bubblesincoffee · 25/07/2011 22:35

Putting the note in the door is forgivable human error, what she said on the phone is not. I'd be tempted to put in a formal complaint, although I'm not sure this is something I'd want to be involved in.

worraliberty · 25/07/2011 22:35

Worral- this is not human error, it should never happen

What error was it then if a human put a card through the wrong door in error? Confused

slartybartfast · 25/07/2011 22:35

er- social workers were obivously aiming to help your neighbours.
what is it with you who assume social workers simply take children away

Birdsgottafly · 25/07/2011 22:36

Biddy- it doesn't matter what you think you know, she should not have disclosed it.

It is worse that the police are involved, there paperwork (SS) should be correct as it will contain information from the police and probably school, so human error should definately not happen.

EllieG · 25/07/2011 22:36

Whatever was happening to the neighbours, the point is that the OP shouldn't know about it I suppose

Birdsgottafly · 25/07/2011 22:40

Worral- i meant the checks mean that human error no longer happens, the training means that you absolutly do not break confidentiality, there are things that you cannot justify.

Squeky- she has verbally told a stranger that the family next door are part of an investigation, it is breaking confidentiality in SW.

Its worse if this isn't a first visit by a professional, as it isn't, police visits have probably generated a referal, if not school etc.

Birdsgottafly · 25/07/2011 22:42

All information even within SS is on a 'need to know basis' if there are children involved. It is breaking guidelines to do otherwise, no excuse.

Icoulddoitbetter · 25/07/2011 22:42

Putting the note through the wrong door is not good but it happens. Stressful for the OP certainly. It was the SW saying "oh, it's for next door" that is unacceptable. It's noone elses business than the SW and the family involved that SS are visiting. We live in the kind of society that people only need 1% of a full story to make assumptions about people and this kind of crappy unprofessional behaviour just fuels this. Complain!

worraliberty · 25/07/2011 22:45

Squeky- she has verbally told a stranger that the family next door are part of an investigation, it is breaking confidentiality in SW

Errr no she hasn't Confused

I used to get visits from my DN's Social Worker when they were in Foster care...just to bring us up to date before a case review.

The card had no door number on, no name and no 'reason' for the SW to need to contact the family...also the SW didn't tell the OP the reason either.