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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be worried/upset/cross that a Social Worker...

128 replies

KingCanuteIAm · 17/03/2009 21:36

Turned up at our school today and told me (a parent) that she was here to collect a child being taken into care?

Basically, I went into the office to hand in trip money and was followed by a Social Worker (she had her ID badge in her hand). There was no-one in the office so we made small talk, after a few minutes she said "I don't know if I am in the right place" so I asked her why she was here, perhaps I could point her in the right direction, her reply? "I am here to pick up a little girl going into care".

I was shocked by that but then someone came into the office so she told them then name of the girl and where she was taking her. So I now know, that a child is being taken into care, who the child is and where she is going.

I have the womans name from her ID badge, should I complain or AIBU and I should let her get on with her work?

I just know if (heaven forbid) something like this happened to me/my dc I would be horrified if I thought it could become playground tittle tattle so easily! (For the record I have not mentioned it to anyone and I will not mention it to anyone - but I know many others wouldn't see the harm in it!)

SO, keep stum or stamp and shout?

OP posts:
DaphneMoon · 18/03/2009 09:54

Well alarm bells would ring in my head. Surely Social services don't call in the middle of the day and take children away. I hope to god they checked her out properly. Otherwise anyone could do it.

StealthPolarBear · 18/03/2009 09:54

I'm amazed at the number of people who think this was acceptable! Although I've noticed all the SWs on the thread disagree, which is very reassuring - I'm sure almost all of them are very professional.
Telling you there was a child to be taken into care probably wasn't a breach of confidentiality, but was probably more info than she needed to give. Mentioning the name in an open office with a window open to the public was. No doubt about it! I don't care how new to the job she was, she should be an expert on confidentiality before she gets let loose on 'real' cases.
Even if she thought you were staff (which you've explained, she didn't) then surely she should only be sharing info with the staff members who need to know? Not will any random teacher she bumps in to? Is there no equivalent of Caldicott in social services?

StercusAccidit · 18/03/2009 10:08

No polar bear.. they're the only public body that is accountable to themselves only, they have their own internal complaints procedure which almost NEVER goes to stage 2 let alone go anywhere higher.. the local goverment ombudsman is you next choice and he/she usually expects that you exhaust the internal procedure first.
They are also the only public body that does not have to justify their spending and display where it all goes.

She should have asked for the headteacher and discussed the name of the child with him/her and them only.

The OP is right to be angry on behalf of the child whose confidentiality has been breached.
Its disgraceful IMO.

Surfermum · 18/03/2009 10:13

I work in the Health Service and initially I thought well, OK saying why she was in the school wasn't really on, but come on it's not that bad - the OP has no idea who the child is.

But then when I read that a conversation about the child and where they were going happened within her earshot I changed my mind.

That is totally unacceptable. The staff concerned should have moved to somewhere where they weren't going to be overheard. The onus is definitely on them to make sure the information is kept confidential, not on anyone who is in the vicinity to stick their fingers in their ears and go "la la la I'm not listening". Anyway how do you know you are about to hear something confidential until you've actually heard it?

We are hot on this at work. We can't even confirm over the phone whether someone is on our unit or not until we have seen the client's signed confidentiality agreement to see that they have given permission to speak to that person. It's not a case of trying not to be rude or not, there are ways of telling the caller that you can't help them without being rude and without disclosing any information.

TotalChaos · 18/03/2009 10:15

Agree with Edam and Nooka. I don't see the point in only approaching the school - as whatever the head said to SS about the incident would be weakened by being hearsay (by being what Mrs X said the SW said to me).

StealthPolarBear · 18/03/2009 10:15

Yes, I agree Surfermum, I work in an information dept in the NHS and we are obsessed by confidentiality - making sure people (members of staff) are currently entitled to the info they are asking for. Being careful how we phrase things and the info we give out in case a particular interpretation or group of 'safe' facts could lead back to an individual. That's why this seems so odd.

Surfermum · 18/03/2009 10:23

Exactly Stealth. We work on a "need to know" basis. There is no way that a parent who happened to be in the school needed to know.

I often get into mexican stand-offs with our clients when I'm phoning them because I refuse to say who I am until I know who I am speaking to. And they refuse to say who is speaking until they know who is ringing! Very often even their partners or parents don't know that they are in treatment with us (drug and alcohol service) so we have to be really careful. I won't leave messages on ansaphones either unless the client actually speaks on the message, and even then I'm not keen on doing it. For all we know they've pawned or sold their phone and it's someone completely different using it.

Original poster
KingCanuteIAm · 18/03/2009 10:33

Eve, if I had posted to say this would your opinon be different?

"Today I went to the school as usual, there was an awful rumpus as one of the girls was being dragged away by social services. Her mum was there and they were both so upset, eventually the police had to step in. It turns out that the SW had turned up to quietly remove the child but let slip what was happening to the Parents best friend who phoned the mother straight away. The whole school was horrified, the poor child had all this in front of her friends"

I know it is a leap but that was a possible consiquence of this womans actions (and not the worst one I can think of). I know SS have a terribly hard job a lot of the time and I cannot imagine how it must feel to have to take a child away like that, however, I do not see that "having a tough day/case" is a good enough excuse to blab to anyone what is going on!

OP posts:
StealthPolarBear · 18/03/2009 10:35

Or even "I'm going into hospital to have a baby. I have no one else to care for my older DCs so they have to go into temporary care. I went out today and got called a child abuser in the street"

Original poster
KingCanuteIAm · 18/03/2009 10:43

Exactly Stealth, we have no idea what went on here and it could be anything from the Mother has escaped from a DV situation and the child is being picked up to be taken to her safely through to the parents abusing her or indeed anything else. We all know SS step in for many reasons and they ar not all bad!

However, if I had been like some parents (and every school has them) I woul likely have been openly speculating with anyone who would listen about the worse case possibilites. Those converstations always seem to end up with "Ooh, I never trusted him, funny looking - I was only telling Marge the other day..." accompanied with stern warnings to the children "you keep away from..." Yes that sounds stereotypical but I have heard those conversations and I ave been looked at like some kind of child killer when I have said things like "we don't actually know anything..." It is lonely being the voice of reason

OP posts:
ladymariner · 18/03/2009 10:45

Yanbu

Complain as high as you can get.

Surfermum · 18/03/2009 10:47

To me, it doesn't matter what the possible consequences might be and whether there are any or not. That information just shouldn't have been shared.

StealthPolarBear · 18/03/2009 10:49

I agree Surefermum. Think the OP was just wondering whether the people who think she's been a bit over the top would ahve a different reaction if there had been consequences.

Surfermum · 18/03/2009 10:52

ISWYM. I'm obviously very conditioned to just not sharing confidential information without having to justify it .

Original poster
KingCanuteIAm · 18/03/2009 10:53

Yes Stealth, exactly that. Sufermum, I do feel that it is just a no-no regardless but others don't seem to agree, I was just wondering if their opinion would have been different if something had gone wrong.

OP posts:
Original poster
KingCanuteIAm · 18/03/2009 10:56

Yup, me too! Mind you I am one of those who doesn't like to pass on a phone number without checking first. Another thing people look at me funny for but I fel that it is basic manners and that I have no clue what their history is so I don't know that it will be ok, no matter how it appears!

OP posts:
oldraver · 18/03/2009 15:10

A similar thing happened to me at the doctors last month. I was at desk and receptionist was looking for a form that had been left for me and they couldn't find so I wa there a while. A woman marched up, stood beside me and announced "Were here for the child protection conference of xxx".

I was stunned and looked round and there were four other people with her which did intimidate me a little, so I was too chicken to say anything. I'm not sure they realised they had made a faux par though there was some wispering and giggling going on. I mentioned to receptionist when they were gone that it was unprofesional of her. The practise manager heard us talking and later phoned saying he had talked to her about it and she did realise she had been indiscreet

This wasnt WEST OXON was it lol

friday32 · 18/03/2009 19:40

That was really unproffesional of her and gossip could be rife in the playground and as already pointed out the reason for the child going into care is unknown but people tend to assume the worse and it could be an entirley innocent reason.

smudgethepuppydog · 19/03/2009 20:09

Having been taken into care myself as a child on more than one occassion I think it's up to the child involved to tell people if that's what they want to do. It is not up to the Social Worker to disclose that information. She needed to be more careful about using the child's name because as you so rightly point out you could be tittle-tattling in the playground about that child. It was extremely unprofessional of her, she needs to be more careful. I doubt very much she'd be sacked for it.

In the school I work in we have been gently reminded to be careful about talking about children in such terms when there are visitors in the staffroom.

The child's right to privacy should come above most other things.

Nabster · 19/03/2009 20:17

"Unusual for a child to be 'taken into care' by a single social worker halfway through the school day."

Nope, happened to me.

MissusNice · 02/07/2021 15:44

not unusual at all

CiaoForNiao · 02/07/2021 15:47

ZOMBIE THREAD ALERT

MotionActivatedDog · 02/07/2021 15:48

@MissusNice

not unusual at all
How on earth did you manage to find a 12 year old thread and post on it? Confused what were you searching??
chocolatemademefat · 04/07/2021 00:09

She shouldn’t have given you any information but you’re obviously eager to report her as is clear from the way you’re refuting every suggestion made to you.

As others have said - she didn’t tell you the child’s name - she was asked a question by a member of staff and answered it. If nothing short of getting her into trouble will make you happy - crack on. Although why, as another person in a queue, you’re offering help I have no idea.

CiaoForNiao · 04/07/2021 00:37

@chocolatemademefat this thread is 12 years old. OP is probably long gone!