Councils to be allowed to opt out of child protection laws

[LadyConstanceDeCoverlet]

• and also legal requirements for care for disabled children. Information here - www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2016/09/30/councils-to-be-allowed-to-opt-out-of-child-protection-laws .
  

AIBU to ask people to join the campaign against it? togetherforchildren.wordpress.com/

[Absofrigginlootly]

Bump

[caroldecker]

So we are saying the current laws are perfect and nothing could be better?

[JoffreyBaratheon]

Jesus. The tories would privatise their grannies if they weren't nailed down.

[caroldecker]

Arfarfanarf It is all about how they meet their responsibilities, but it also about what those responsibilities mean.
The current law spells out how many things must be done, not just the responsibilities. This is allow some flexibility about how things are achieved, not about reducing the responsibilities.

Joffrey I assume you mean that Labour are in favour of nailing grannies down? Is this not excessively violent, and sexist?

[Pisssssedofff]

I think in examples like Birmingham city council they weren't fit for purpose children died already so something had to be done.
I don't actually think removing the important stuff like social work from councils is a bad thing. Having said that the targets that agencies are paid by is case closures and that is dangerous

[DamsonInDistress]

Why all the shock? This is exactly what the tories are all about. No such thing as society, remember. Only the individual, and if you can't look after yourself then you can feck off under a rock as far as they are concerned.

[Beebeeeight]

This is so daft.

Does it mean cp will be left to the police?!

[PoldarksBreeches]

It's really not a good idea for children to be able to opt out of having a social worker. Foster carers cannot do both roles and in many cases shouldn't. That is said without disrespect to foster carers but it's two different roles and removing the need for a social worker could lead to the child and foster carer coming up with plans that do not fit with the reality of service provisions or the foster carer colluding with the young person which is easily done, without the balance of a social worker.
Children opting out of 6 monthly reviews is also ridiculous. They can opt out of attending and give their views to the foster carer/social worker already, removing the necessity to review their care is so wrong.

[lollylou2876]

From what I understand all council's have had they're budgets cut severley and are facing more cuts, yet are expected to deliver ever improving and efficient services.

The council's are now responsible for the NHS at a local level, which was/is supposed to help adult care services, running alongside, yes you guesed it private providers (in NHS hospitals) if you can afford it, which suprised me as most council's have atrocious histories at dealing with social care let alone health care.

I think the tories are indeed setting them up to fail and pass the buck when things go wrong, as when under council remit, it's their fault as opposed to the government's, in order to make privatisation seem like a good and viable solution.

Unfortunately most of the services that were privatised, have not benefitted service users in the long run and indeed have been severely detrimental to the majority.

[Pisssssedofff]

Look at the prisons, even the railways, I cannot think of any example where privatisation has benefited anyone at all

[Purplebluebird]

What the hell is happening to this country :(

[crashdoll]

The privatised agencies have not been any more effective in protecting children. It's more cost effective for the government though. This isn't about protecting children. It's about saving money and that's disgraceful.

Children will always be abused and murdered at the hands of their parents. Nobody will ever be able to stop every child from suffering but there are some who could be removed more quickly.

[crashdoll]

I was going to mentioned this case but the name evaded me, so I didn't. I just remembered. Little Ellie Butler's case was being "managed" by an independent social work agency. One of the failings that lead to her tragic but preventable death was their input, or lack there of. I'd have to read the SCR to remind myself but I recall that this as highlighted as an issue.

[PoldarksBreeches]

Yes, because the abusive murdering father refused to work with the local authority social workers and the collusive, ignorant judge allowed him to have a new assessment without the previous assessment being shared iirc

[caroldecker]

Much of public service is shit - people have mentioned Birmingham social services, but also Stafford hospital.
British rail, alongside the public car companies, phone companies etc were shit run by the government.
Privatisation is not the only answer but can be a viable solution. There is nothing fundamentally different between private and public sector employees (except pubic sector get paid more, moan more and believe they are better than others)

[Pisssssedofff]

That is true Carol - hope the hair is as lovely as ever btw - however in the case of private social services agencies they are targeted and paid by case closures which means they are closed when often they shouldn't be, total opposite from council run SS where cases were often kept open by SW so they didn't get given any more work to do - rightly or wrongly - but there must be some sort of balance.

[JoffreyBaratheon]

Yes, sorry that was sexist. I should have said the tories would privatise their grannies, and their grandads - given the chance.

[justicewomen]

Privatisation has been disastrous for probation www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/prison-privatisation-chris-grayling-probation-services-watchdog-criticism-government-failure-a7344361.html

[caroldecker]

Justice That article refers to prisoners with sentences less than 12 months that previously had no support from the probation service. So basically a new service provided, not a replacement by privatization.

[Absofrigginlootly]

carol public services are not what they could be because they are UNDERFUNDED!! Not because the model itself doesn't/couldn't work!

privatisation (where companies put profit and shareholders above staff and services) never ends up providing a cheaper more efficient service.

Just look at: national rail, post office, Royal Mail, local transport (eg buses), utilities (gas, electric, phone, Internet) etc etc etc.

It is so so so important that free healthcare, education and social care is protected and provided for by the state.
All these organizations deal with vulnerable adults and children. They need to be working together under the same overall 'organization' (i.e., the government/public) so that they can present a joined up ideology and approach. This works well in the example of child protection training courses I went on when working in HV. Their we're NHS staff, social workers, teachers, police and probation officers present. Everyone got so much out of sharing ideas and ways of working and you came away feeling like you were all part of one big 'team' working in your own ways to play your part in protecting children.

That would never happen when everyone was working with competing agencies who wouldn't be open with their policies and share for the common good.

Children will inevitably slip through the net

[crashdoll]

A private company does part of the work in my local authority for adult social care. They work to rule with zero flexibility. "That's not in our contract" is their worker motto. Helpful when you're working with vulnerable individuals....not! There's lots of things that aren't in my contract but you'd have to have a heart of fucking stone not to make a cup of tea for a lady who cannot move from her bed and won't see a carer for another 4 hours.

[caroldecker]

Abso I agree privitisation doesn't always work, but if you believe it has not been more successful than not you are severely deluded or under educated. The performance of public utilities, car companies, plane companies etc was appaling.
Without privitisation, there would be:

No mobile phones
No cheap air travel
No car manufacturing in the UK

[UterusUterusGhali]

That Guarniad link is sponsored/written by a private social care firm...of course it's more favourable!

[justicewomen]

Carol
No that was the latest chapter in the unfolding disaster that is probation post partial privatisation.
Read www.independent.co.uk/voices/privatising-probation-services-was-a-foreseeable-mistake-and-now-we-all-stand-to-pay-the-price-a6780826.html

or
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33861811

or
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/national-audit-office-watchdog-savages-governments-disastrous-privatisation-of-probation-services-a7010496.html