social worker put kids in her car without car seats!!!!!!!!!!!

[bigdonna]

my two mindees were being picked up this morning by a social worker for a supervised visit with their dad.She turned up 25 mins late and took the 10mth old,3yr old in her car without seat belts,still cant believe it.

I take children on supervised contact visits, and my car is equipped with a range of car seats suitable from birth to young teenage.

As a childminder, I believe that you can make a complaint to Social Services with regard to an individual social worker endangering children's lives. In hindsight you shouldn't have let the children go - the social worker should have gone to the office first, then collected the children. I do not feel that in this situation the social worker has a right to remove the children from your care.

Better the kids see a row than end up dead or badly injured.

well thanks ladies for all your input ,i still feel bad about it,not sure when next visit is but wont let them go again without car seats.i dont drive so i dont have car seats.And will def report it.

well nab it has taken me 6 weeks to get the baby from crying all the time,and the three yr old to actually talk.so me shouting or argueing over them would have been a big set back.yes i know i shouldnt have let them go.but too late now.oh bad me.

big donna, although maybe you shouldnt ahve let them go (hindsight is an amazing thing LOL) dont feel too bad about it...

its was not you who was travelling with them not in a car seat, it was the social worker and it is she who should be feeling awful not you.

'Live and learn' and all that but dont dwell on it.

well done for reporting her

thanks nannyl for that,i dont start too many threads as a lot of people judge so easily!!!

donna, did you not have a car seat you could offer to lend the sw?

sorry said before i dont drive my husband takes car to work with car seats in.i shouldnt have needed any !

outrageous by the social worker and def needs reporting.

you were put on the spot bigdonna and shouldn't feel bad, hindsight and all that. i would be interested in hearing what response you get from social work. i manage a team who regularly transport children and if one of them did that i would definitely be looking at formal disciplinary action.

She needs reporting, no doubt.

But could she be expecting you to have childseats for them? If so there is a worrying lack of communication on her behalf.

she did ask me if i had car seats,but they walk to my house the family dont have a car.so i suppose you could be right quinessentialshadow maybe she did expect me to have seats!it was not the social worker i was told was coming either so yes maybe its cross wires

But she should in any case be able to think on her feet, and go back for seats before taking the kids.

QUOTE well nab it has taken me 6 weeks to get the baby from crying all the time,and the three yr old to actually talk.so me shouting or argueing over them would have been a big set back.yes i know i shouldnt have let them go.but too late now.oh bad me.
By nannyL UNQUOTE

No one is saying you are bad. The fact is you allowed these children go in a car without seats, that was dangerous and illegal, and while I appreciate you were in a difficult position, having a child who wouldn't settle is nothing compared with having to live with the death of a child because they went in a car without safety seats. The SW is the one more in the wrong here. I was merely asking why you felt able to let them go?

Ooh! peoples ignorance about such important matters makes me so angry, particuarly when they are supposed to be QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS with at least a basic level of intellect. angry]
Why do they do it! selfish gits, thats what I think

the social worker did not have a legal right to take the children in this scenario. you could have spoken to her aside from teh children and explained you were unhappy to allow teh children to travel like that and that you would happily care for them whilst she went to teh office to get a car seat.

obviously you are not a bad person for not doing so, most people would be terrified of standing up to a Sw. and more importantly it is HER fault teh children were placed in suc a dangerous position not yours.

yes you should most certainly make a complaint about the Sw in question.

I am actually know thinking of adding a cluase/paragraph to my policies, stating that if it comes to my knowledge that children are leaving/arriving from/to my care in inappropriate car seats, no car seats, or no seat at all( eg.in the back of a two seater little van), then I will have no option but to hold the child( and charge) until suitable option is found. I know that this may cause conflict but I will also add that I will take it as grounds for terminating their contract. Harsh and not great for my income, but who wants blood money?
any opinions or advice welcome? think I may start by commenting in my newsletter that these changes are about to come into force.
Ps I am quite good at telling parents that straps are no use if they are too loose, so my current parents should not be too surprised.

Great idea, Kiddi.

Forget the law, why don't people want to protect the kids from accidents? I have heard lots of people complaining about having to buy new seats when their kids have been out of them or not bothering as they can't fit them in. We had to buy a new car when we had our 3rd. It is what you do when you are a parent, you protect your kids from as much as you can.

thats perfectly reasonable kiddi.
i am sure you will alreadyhave a comment in your contracts with parents advising them that you must inform outside agencies of any harm or neglect that you become aware of so this new clause will just be an add on from that.

state that all children must have a suitabel child safety seat and they wil,l not be released into teh care of anyone collecting them until one has been provided. put in there that this is now law.

i can't see anyone who would argue with that being placed in teh contract as to do so would mean them admitting that A) the are willing to break the law but, and more importantly B) theya re willing to place their childs life in danger by not using one

A colleague recently had an issue where seperated father collected child and plonked her in the car without seat. child not two yet. she said where car seat? father said, in the back? then walked off stuck child in MIDDLE LAP BELT!!!!!!!!!!! as other two seats were full, (not of other needy children)Childminder could do nothing!
Definate need for us all to confront this issue before it arises!

I'm not sure you could effectively hold someone's child to ransom untill they went and got a car seat, no matter how well intentioned. You could maybe stress that you would have no option but to contact the police as they are breaking the law

Having had many discussions on the unfit to drive or care for child issue, guess it works the same. It in childs best interest that they remain safe with you until adequate care/provision can be provided. I think most peoples policy in these events is to call emergency contact/ and or police. embarrasment usually snaps people out of it, even if the childs safety does not.
bigdonna dont fret too much , just decide what you would doagian, write it down, stick to it, and all should be well for the little ones in the future.

I would report her!
I work for SS and we have a stock of carseats in the office for taking children out. We get really mad when contact workers and social worker turn up without seats for children and then ask to borrow ours! Of course we let them, but if we are prepared they should be too.

I have refused to let children leave in the past with other SW if not got seat.
Its terrible, she should be shot! Oh and not surprised she was late, the ones i work with are rarely on time either

Blimey bigdonna, that's outrageous.

Hope you don't feel got at by the vehement responses - I think the outrage was addressed towards the SW, not you. Do report her - if she's not pulled up on this one she might do the same again and next time the children she's driving might not be so lucky.

thanks edam