I don't understand all the anxiety about SWs

[Loveweekends10]

I see so many threads on here where people are anxious about social workers. I really don't get it. I can honestly say that before I came on mumsnet I never gave them a second thought.
Is this anxiety whipped up by the media? Is it low confidence in some parents that they don't think they are dong a good enough job with their kids?
I'm also shocked about the amount of people that say they fell out with someone and that person then rang social services to get at them.

Social Workers have enormous power which means that they can - and do - break up families if they feel like it. There does not need to be any evidence of abuse, the SW can just claim that they think there might be in the future. That's all it takes.

And that is why people are scared.

This is one experience of them i have had (I foster).
They have a job to do, they are employed to do it, they have to "achieve" and write reports of what they have "achieved".
To this end a social worker I came in contact with removed a foster child from my care, (50/50 permanent placement with my XH) as she had read an article that 50/50 care was detrimental.
She had no evidence that it was detrimental to my foster son who i had cared for since he was 9months old, as far as he was concerned I was his mum. But she had the power to do it as he was their ward legally and she wanted a promotion.
I have met some nice social workers too, but they don't usually last long in SS, as I think SS is evil, and it is my guess that they can't stomach it for long.

For goodness sake. This is why there is anxiety about social workers. Do you really think that they decide on a whim to remove chidren...no discussion with anyone...no reason? To fulfill some sort of mythical quota?
It is the responses to this thread that can cause the fear. I'll informed and inflammatory.

Damm iPad. Should be Ill informed

Darnley, why do you assume that people who criticise Social Services are 'ill-informed'?

I have worked in social care for over 30years now and I am still amazed at how prepared people are to believe that we simply take children from their families willy nilly with no reason, just because we feel like it. You only have to read a few of the threads on here currently to see the damage and fear that can be generated by those ill informed people. I am not claiming social workers are perfect, far from it, but I can assure you that they have better things to do with their time than make up reasons for removing chidren. There are enough real reasons for that.

yes mistakes are made, because they are human.

But, imo, these myths are bouncing around as the majority of people who have their children removed do not want accept responsibility. They would rather go on the internet and claim their child has been taken unfairly rather than admit they weren't acting as a parent should.

I am now beyond anxious about SWs. A neighbour has lots of mental health issues and has some sort of vendetta against a few families. She shouts at us in the street, at school, at the shops. Recently she has made complaints to the police (all rubbish and dropped) and she has reported us to ss. The SW has said she's taking no action and has no concerns but now we are "known" and I have no idea what may happen going forward. Very very anxious.

I am now beyond anxious about SWs. A neighbour has lots of mental health issues and has some sort of vendetta against a few families. She shouts at us in the street, at school, at the shops. Recently she has made complaints to the police (all rubbish and dropped) and she has reported us to ss. The SW has said she's taking no action and has no concerns but now we are "known" and I have no idea what may happen going forward. Very very anxious.

I don't understand it either- it never worried me. It would be plain that I was a good parent. If you have neighbours on odd vendettas it will be quite obvious they are bonkers.
If people say they leave their 8 yr old for 10 minutes you get someone saying that SS will take them away. I left mine for 10 minutes and I would simply have told them why, my safeguards and that I should be doing it again.

Luckily they were past the age of worrying by the time I worked out that people are worried- not that it would have made a difference.

Exotic - I know I am being irrational in feeling so anxious and maybe it is the scaremongering threads/articles/programmes that are fuelling my anxiety. And yes, all the authorities know about the bonkers behaviour.

Exotic - I know I am being irrational in feeling so anxious and maybe it is the scaremongering threads/articles/programmes that are fuelling my anxiety. And yes, all the authorities know about the bonkers behaviour.

Thanks for that Munty, not going to bother engaging as I cannot prove anything on here.
Let's just say I am speaking from personal experience and have since gained employment as a teacher, therefore passing all the child protection checks.

So you're known? So what? What do you think that means exactly?

I was reported to SS when my son was 3 weeks old because he rolled out of my arms and cracked open his skull when he hit the floor and spent 2 days in hospital.

Obviously it all came back unfounded.

But I hardly worry because I'm 'known'.

Everyone is known, FFS. You think the school doesn't pay attention? Or leaders of toddler groups? Or your next door neighbour?

Do your best to raise your kids and love them and take care of them and stop being so paranoid.

Social Workers do not always operate in the best interests of the child. They can be swayed, for instance, by a simple dislike of the parents, or by favouring the non-resident parent (usually male) for reasons other than what is best for the child.

These things happen. I have seen it.

Social Workers have enormous power which means that they can - and do - break up families if they feel like it. There does not need to be any evidence of abuse, the SW can just claim that they think there might be in the future. That's all it takes.

And that is why people are scared."

No they can't,

seeker, you always come on these threads denying that these kinds of things happen. People have shared their stories and you are basically calling them liars.

Thanks for that Munty, not going to bother engaging as I cannot prove anything on here.

What? Did I say that was the case with you? Or that it is the case in all instances. No I don't think i did.

I said that a majority don't want to admit it, also stated that of course mistakes are made.

The question was why are people so worried and, imo, there are lot of 'sw are the bogey men' myths flying around, when in alot of these 'forced adoption cases' removal was indeed the best option.

Social Services have neither the time nor the resources to bother with parents who look after their children properly. It's a myth that they swoop in and take kids away for no reason. In fact it's quite the contrary - they give parents chance after chance to improve things, and only remove kids as a last resort. That's my experience anyway, as a GP for 16 years, and having had several members of my family have children taken into care.

Dontlikechocolate maybe you did not have all the information the social workers had or...maybe... It was Eastenders and that's not real.

Ok, thank you

Seeker is right though. They can't break up families.

I don't do anything that is not in my DCs best interests. I would tell them exactly what I was doing and why, they could talk to the DCs, and I would tell them that I would be continuing to do it. If they thought that taking them away from a loving home, with responsible parents was an option I would raise hell with MPs, local paper etc.
So no- it has never worried me and I have never had anything at all to do with them.