To think we need action on child protection

[stargirl1701]

The details of the latest cases have been horrifying. There seems to be no answer from any quarter as to how to stop this happening again. Funding is obviously an issue as both social workers and health visitors have unsustainable case loads.

I wonder if what is also needed is the view of the ordinary person. Do police officers and social workers become numb to their constant exposure to horror? I know my own reaction to the bruising on both Arthur and Star: it's clearly not a normal childhood bruise pictured on either child. I say that as parent of 10 years and a primary school teacher of more than 20 years experience.

The Children's Panel system in Scotland uses lay members effectively. These are volunteer roles in which enhanced PVG status is required. Do Child Protection referrals need to be assessed by a panel like that rather than be left to judgement of the over-stretched social worker team? Volunteers serve for 3 years in a local area outwith their own. The last recruitment campaign garnered 2000+ applicants.

We need a new approach. It is madness to carry on with a system that is so clearly failing to ensure the safety of vulnerable children. More funding would obviously help but there does seem to need to be reform of the system.

@JeffThePilot My mum is a manager in children's services and trained social worker, teacher and sendco. I spent 5 years volunteering for children's services to instill change after receiving awful aftercare after being raped and struggling with my own disabilities and my best friend commiting suicide after being let down by camhs. I also went on to study a degree and masters, and have spent the last few years working for NHS and local authority. I know exactly how hard it is so do not patronise me. I am also fully aware there are many workers who aren't taking responsibility, aren't caring and aren't doing their job properly to protect children and vulnerable adults.

@halloweenie13 my good luck was not meant as sarcasm although looking back can see it came across that way - I genuinely do wish you luck if you take that step, it’s a tough thing to do. There really isn’t a single social worker who embarked on this career without caring, it’s burnout and cynicism which leads to some ending up with a different attitude. Ideally what the profession needs is a lot more support for families, and more support for workers to avoid the burnout and cynicism. To retain experienced workers without wringing them out. Otherwise you just have an endless cycle of people who, like you, are passionate and committed to wanting to help, until a large percentage of them are chewed up and spat out, to be replaced by newly qualified enthusiastic workers… and so on. Hats off to anyone who does it and sticks at it, genuinely.

@FixTheBone

I think there's likely to be very few people on here qualified to answer the question.

What we don't know is how many successful interventions were made in the time we've heard about these two sickening cases.

This!!! You will never hear the full facts as it isn’t allowed to be shared.

It can be said that lay people should sit on a panel and screen CP referrals but unfortunately, a person who isn’t properly trained and educated in this field likely would approach horror like this with only emotion. A SW must try and keep emotion out of their hypotheses, analysis and balancing of risks and strengths. Emotion leads to confirmation bias. You only see what you are looking for.

People have absolutely no idea what it is like to do this job day in day out; unless they do it. People have no idea of the anxiety, exhaustion, tears, anger and frustration the average social worker has daily because their manager won’t agree a course of action or the waiting lists are too long or there is physically nothing more you can do but the threshold for removal isn’t met. No idea at all

There's a march happening next Saturday:

www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-petition-to-have-arthur-labinjo-hughes-killers-given-a-whole-life-order/u/30009887

@Spagoot224

Lay members of CPs are trained and supported for their 3 years of service though. I'm not suggesting ransoms off the street. More than 3000 people applied in the last round. Child Protection and the Children's Panel referrals aren't that far apart in terms of content.

I'm seeking ideas on changing the system not challenging the sentences handed down in one specific case.