Social Work and Youth Caution for GBH

[careleaversdoomorfate]

Hello everyone.

It's my first time here, as I'm 19 years old.

My question was that would a caution for GBH that I received when I was in the care system hold me back from social work? My two cautions for common assault won't ever show up on a DBS check due to them being filtered and protected but my caution for GBH will as that will never be protected.

A little bit of a background into how I got the caution for GBH. So, when I was severely mentally ill (couldn't think straight and had a lot of mental health issues and was on a variety of medications) I had trust problems. A private doctor came into the room to do an assessment to see if I needed to be sectioned for my mental health. He agreed to not share any information that I'd shared with him to my carers for confidentiality keeping. Anyway, he left the room and I followed two minutes later. He was in the kitchen with a mug of tea and he was sharing absolutely everything that I had told him although he agreed not to do this (none of it was me plotting to end my life or anything where he would have had to inform them). I got really angry with him as it just confirmed to me as a 15 year old girl at the time that I really should never trust adults, especially as I was quite a private person. So, my carer just started shoving me back into the room and I tried to get him of me but he locked me in the room and walked away. I started screaming and crying about being locked in. I then started to throw chairs etc in a moment of madness. He came in during this time (unbeknown to me as my back was turned to the door) and I threw another chair and although it was an accident as I would never have thrown a chair in anyones direction had I have known he was there, he ended up with a broken thumb. I got cautioned for GBH as it was reckless and so not with intent. I found out that the said carer was pressing for the police to arrest me over this but as it was accidentally done they refused to arrest me over this.

Sorry for my long post. So, would a caution for GBH prevent me from being a social worker? Most people say 'no' as I was in the care system when it happened, I was under 16 years old and the carer wasn't vulnerable or elderly. He was a 28 year old bodybuilder.

I don't know. But you say you were 'severely' mentally ill at 15, and are now 19. That isn't a long time to have recovered from a serious mental illness.

You could call your preferred universities and discuss it, but I would guess they would want a longer period of good health to be sure that you have recovered.

If so, don't give up, because your experiences could be very valuable. But focus on developing your skills and mental health until you are in a position to show that you can cope with stressful circumstances.

@Allington Thank you for your feedback but I think you missed the point of my post. My point was in simple terms 'would a caution for GBH affect my career prospect of becoming a social worker?' It's definitely long enough in terms of mental health because everyones mental health varies and nobody should be timed by employers on 'good health'. Everyones level of recovery is different and timing is different. Yes, I was mentally ill but what person who hasn't been severely abused etc and given to the care system where abuse takes place on a high scale, what person wouldn't be mentally ill from that? I've met 90% of the kids in care that I've lived with who have had serious delays in development or severe mental health deterioration. Not all mothers want children but no child should have to pay for the mistake of two people who did the deed for the rest of their life.

Former police officer - you would have to declare it, as failing to declare it would probably be gross misconduct. And they will complete an enhanced DBS so it'll show up anyway.

However - juvenile cautions usually wouldn't be considered (if you were cautioned under 16).

Be honest about it - the unis won't care but the employer will. Local authority have their own policies on offender rehabilitation. Doesn't mean you're not in with a chance - in fact I would go for it and just be honest from the beginning.

Good luck - I will say that social work is incredibly tough and the things you will see can be detrimental to your mental health so make sure that you have a good support network.

You'd have to declare it and it might put employers off. It really depends. I'm sure uni would be fine but it might be different when getting a job after.

@happylittlechick I see what you mean but I've spoken to my previous social workers and I've spoken to social workers from the enquiries team and because I was in care and under 16 when it happened as well as it also happening within the home they told me that they'd be shocked if I never got a job over that so long as I explained what happened and proved my care leaver status which I could. If I was 15 and not in the care system and wasn't wanting to be asocial worker then ti could be a whole new ball game.

@zippityzip Thank you. Definitely. If I lied to my employers and they found out they would automatically dismiss me as it would show that I'm not honest. The cautions for common assault won't show up (only two under the age of 13) but that caution for GBH will show up. So, I'll go for it as I believe that I'll be able to get into it. It's tough but I've spent most of my life in the care system and I've honestly seen it all. Nothing phases me, I've seen absolutely everything from the kids to the staff.

My only worry is that I have ASD (high functioning) but would my employers judge me on my disability? I worry that they would assume that I didn't care etc as is often stereotyped but this is not the case with me and I can decipher facial clues (I've gotten a lot better as I've become older).

I also wanted to ask that as I'm under protection (I have been since I was a little girl from my family) I have decided that I will be changing my name just before university. So, if I changed my name I'd inform my employers of course of this as it is an offence to lie about never having cautions etc under a new name if you have. I'd be honest and tell them it's just for safety reasons and provide them with my old passport of my birth name but would this matter? I've heard that I would just be told to apply for a DBS in both names which I'm okay with. If I was honest etc would they see it as suspicious? Or would they understand that I have to do it for my own protection as family have tracked me down before which has meant that I've been forced to move by workers in the middle of the night etc and family have done this by using my name which is why as they are so dangerous, my only form of proaction would be to legally completely change it because my protection runs out when I'm 25 years old, just after I've completed university and I know that they will try and come after me again as they believe they own me and that I dishonoured them for not running back to them when I left care but I would never do that as they are disgusting and horrendous people.

You don't need to tell your employers all this. Changing your name is fine. Convictions still need to be declared and a dbs will ask for previous names first and surname.

You have to declare all previous names for a DBS. Not 100% sure but for social work it would be an enhanced check so even the ones you say are ‘hidden’ would be reported on.

You will always need to explain your conviction, you don't need to explain your name change, but you will need to declare it on your dbs application, theres a section for it. It's difficult to say whether you will get employment, you probably wouldn't at the moment as the conviction is not very long ago. The uni would ask questions about the conviction, so you would need to explain it there. As you will spend time on placement they have a responsibility to make sure you're suitable for the job. At 19 though I doubt you have either the education or the experience to be applying to join a social work course. What entry route are you planning on taking?

You will have to declare all three cautions. It should be fine though, you were a minor and they'll be considered "spent". If you only declare one and the other two show up (which they would on a PNC print out, so might on an enhanced DBS) you'd be dismissed. It's not worth the risk.

It's tough but I've spent most of my life in the care system and I've honestly seen it all. Nothing phases me, I've seen absolutely everything from the kids to the staff.
I take issue with this and it's an incredibly naive point of view. Have you worked with parents who are so disabled they can barely look after themselves but keep having kids? Mothers who have a mental breakdown and murder their own child believing they've done it for their own protection? People who use their toddlers to practice tattooing? Children who have been abused by so many of the adults in their life that they offer sex to a teacher at the age of 6? Babies sold into the sex trade in exchange for drugs and who end up with horrendous internal injuries? Because that is the reality of what you'll be dealing with. You have not seen it all, I haven't seen it all and I've seen all of the above. Never underestimate the depth of human depravity and desperation.

Yes, everyone's mental health is different. But I would be very surprised if the uni didn't want to explore this with you, to make sure that you are in a place to cope with the course and the demands of the job. So you do need to be prepared for that, and be able to explain why you are confident it is in the past without getting defensive.

They will also probably want to make sure that you are able to put your experiences aside when you are doing the job, and keep professional boundaries. Will you be able to work with people who remind you of your family? Will you expect young people you support to feel the same as you did, or want the same things that you wanted?

I am not saying this to attack you, or to say you wouldn't be able to do it. But that you need to have thought these things through and be prepared to be asked those questions.

My older daughter is studying social work - she was in care (I fostered then adopted her as a teen). Her experiences have contributed to her decision, and add a level of understanding that other students don't have. So I am not saying this to undermine you, just to suggest things to consider.

The name change - people change their names all the time for all sorts of reasons. As long as you declare it when asked for any other names you have been known by it shouldn't be an issue at all.

To everyone. I received cautions. I've never been convicted of anything and a caution is different to a conviction. I've never even been arrested. As for filtered and protected cautions, they will never show up but a caution for GBH will always show up due to it not being filtered or protected.

As a social worker I would say it probably won't rule you out from training but you should wait a few years before applying. The more maturity and distance you have from it the better.

@CodenameVillanelle I'm not going to have completed my degree until I'm 25 years old. As I have other education to get out of the way first.

That's ideal. Good luck to you!