Reported to social services by coworker

[UnsocialServiced]

My frankly bonkers coworker has reported me to SS because she is concerned about my 3 old. I was wfh last week because my DS had a slight temperature. Whilst he was home and I was working he had a day of watching films. (3 films in one day). I'm not saying it was great parenting but I was in the next room could hear him at all times. He also kept coming into chat with me and play in between working etc. Anyway Coworker told me today that she was concerned about DS being ignored and felt she had no choice but to pass her concerns on. What will happen now?

They'll tell her to shut up and leave you alone. Half of the country has been working from home during lockdown. What does she think their children have been doing?

They will probably laugh and think nothingbmore of ot

They will laugh

Is there a HR person you can raise this with? Seems like a malicious report.

I'd be speaking to my boss about this. How fucking dare she! We are in the middle of a pandemic!

I would like to think nothing as SS have better things to do.

I don’t think I could ever speak to her again though what on Earth was she thinking. Does she have kids?

Raise a grievance for malicious reporting. Ok you might not be able to do this but she's barmy.

Hahahaha
Nothing
Social workers are also WFH by the way and leaving their own kids in front of the TV

Your coworker is an absolute hole.

My neighbours did similar for the sake of sanity all round.

Nasty trout.

I am worried SS are going to cause trouble. I also don't want anything to do with coworker again I know this isn't rational but I'm so upset she thinks I have been neglectful.

I would speak to HR about it. That's intrusive and bizarre and absolutely ludicrous. How does she think any of us kept our jobs??

They will laugh like drains, then send a template letter that basically says “fuck off”, while muttering among themselves about the stupidity of some people with no clue about how seriously neglected some kids are.

Oh jeez what an idiot I imagine that is how a lot of children including SW children have been parent ed the last few months!

Most working parents have had to do this regularly over the past 6 months. SS wont do anything.

I would be making a formal complaint at work. This nothing but bullying and harassment. Reporting you to ss for this is egregious.

Thank your coworker for their concern. They are bonkers. Perhaps you could set the coworker up to volunteer somewhere as they are such an expert in parenting? You could have some fun with this.

@BeaverTail

Is there a HR person you can raise this with? Seems like a malicious report.

agree.

Tell her that you've been concerned about her behaviour recently and have also contacted ss as you're concerned about her? Nothing will happen

Complain to HR or your team leader.

And any more interfering in your private affairs would get a grievance raised.

Not sure what will happen now. But that was a bit neglectful tbh. You shouldn't be working with a 3yo at home. I'm not exactly blaming you as parents (mostly mums!) have been put in impossible situations due to covid. I can see how it would have come across to your colleague and why she would be concerned, not enough to warrant a call to SS though.

My guess is they'll not take the report any further or do ahome visit to check all is well. That is an uneducated guess though.

I can understand you must be angry and worried. I'd be utterly furious about that. So sorry that has happened to you. If it's any consolation that sounds completely normal for a toddler under the weather and you WFH. Like you say, not exactly ideal but hardly long term neglect.

Firstly with SS, let them do their thing (if they decide to go that far!) Possibly a phone call from someone to see how you're coping will be as much as they need. Best thing you can do is be calm and cooperative and let them make their assessment.

Secondly I would speak to someone senior at your work and let them know that this has happened and make a record of it in writing. It's not normal behaviour to do that to a colleague (and tell you about?!) and I'd want to be sure there was a record in case it forms a pattern of behaviour. It's possible she behaves maliciously to others and it will take someone more senior to put it all together.

That's what I'd be doing anyway.

I don't think SS has the time to investigate this because of the actual neglected children. A pp said contact your HR person,do that.

I doubt that would reach enough of a threshold to even prompt a phone call from SS tbh OP but I would have thought a call would be all that would happen at the very most. What does your colleague think parents do when they're ill? It's no different to having to spend the day on the sofa while the kids amuse themselves and I doubt there's many of us who haven't had to do that.

She doesn't have children herself. I made a joke on a Teams call about DS now knowing all the songs word by word. She's taken from this that I just force him to watch TV all day and ignore him. She framed it as being concerned and me needing to get extra support.