great article here about social workers removign kids from homes imo

[TheDaVinciCod]

here

Thats really really scary

It is terrifying. How dreadful that we should be scared to take our children to the doctors surgery or hospital just incase ss gets involved.

You know the best effing bit?

That social services is ours, the ones who refuse to see higher functioning autistic kids, and won't help us with our son at all- not even respite which ds2 badly needs

Presumably becasue they spend all their cash takinga way kids who don't need it

Bunch of arse

it si so horrifying to think that no one is held accountable at the end of the day

What rubbish, more ssd bashing. Such an easy target. For those children to have been removed the social workers would have had to apply to court, other professionals would have been involved. The article makes it sound as if social workers just swing in and whip children out on a whim, what utter crap

The Judge criticised social workers for failing to follow the most basic procedures. The parents have been ruled as totally innocent. I think that some people were not doing their job correctly and if you think that is ssd bashing then I wonder if you really think that no social worker should ever be critisised Overrun?

If anything this report strengthens teh case for social work to made into a proper profession, with improved training and specialiss for workers. Social workers are only human and many decsions are made on teh eveidence of other experts (the dr in this case for example) It is sad that resources in many social services departmenst are scarce and it is a crying shame that many social workers work extra hours for no pay (tme of in lieu is given but many departmenst are so streched it is imposible to for this time to be taken)There are lines of accountability and teh decision to remove a child is (should be) made by more than one individual and a court order has to be made. Therefore to blame individual social workers serves no real purpose unless they are negligent,

Of course I don't think that social workers shouldn't be criticised. But every one always piles in. Its always easy to criticise after the event, with the benefit of hindsight. Then we all become experts, but its a very different matter when you are the one who has to make the decision. Its your responsibility to safeguard that child. Let the child stay at home with the risk of abuse, or remove them and screw them up by seperating them from their parents. Its a minefield.
No wonder no one wants to do the job anymore causing massive shortages of social workers in areas like child protection.
Lack of resources are a huge problem as well. So I am not saying don't be critical of SSD, but ffs, try and have a bit of respect for people who do a very difficult job for very little pay, and with the knowledge that they are in one of the most hated professions in the UK. Would you do it?

No, I wouldn't be a social worker but only because I couldn't cope with the harrowing cases of child abuse, not because I would be scared of being an easy target.

I know that the job is a hard one, but there are too many cases where children are wrongly removed or not thought to be at risk and left with devastating consequences. It also seems that the children who are removed unecessarily mainly come from middle class backgrounds and the children who arn't removed and should be come from underprivileged backgrounds. To me there seems to be an inverse snobbery in the social services.

I think the thing with ss is that it is all so hidden that it does become an easy target. The very anture of the work means that the parents aren't always fully informed about what is happening and neither are the general public. I've been involved with ss for the past 6 weeks, and I've found there are good ones and bad ones - same as in any profession really. The thing that really scares me n that article is the bit about the male social worker convicted of sex abuse. I have a male social worker and I do not feel comfortable with my dd being with him alone, but I have no choice. I do think that ss could do more in these sorts of situations, when dealing with vunerable children, they really need mroe back up. However, I do have a lot of admiration for any one who does choose that as a career, it is def not something that I could do.

Wow, Kelly I am really suprised that he is allowed alone with your daughter. Can you insist that she isn't alone with him?

Wow, Kelly I am really suprised that he is allowed alone with your daughter. Can you insist that she isn't alone with him?

Oops

See I think the scariest thing about that article is where it mentions the 2 social workers later convicted for child abuse/porn offences that had taken a lot of children into care. How many other people are in these positions and putting children into vulnerable places where they are then scuseptible to allsorts of abuse. Our social services system in this country is disgusting particularly where kids are concerned and I totally agree that it needs to become a professional organisation. However, its still going to take time for all the old school brigade to die off - the ones who got through the doors before they bought in the backgorund checks and are in the system making the decisions.

I am going to bring that up after reading that article. I didn't like the idea, but thought well he is a sw, he is in a position where he will have been vetted but I am defo not happy with the idea now. I am not allowed to be there, but I see no reason why somebody else can't be there.

kelly you raise that if you are concerned. all social workers are put through vigorous police checks, but of course people will get through sometimes. Most social workers who are charged with abuse are residential sw's which appeals to them as they have more opportunity.

what does a residential sw do?

work in a childrens home or anywhere where there are residents. Also often when these things are reported, sometimes these people are not trained social workers but care workers. Don't get me wrong I am not suggesting that social workers are never suspect, but its useful to know
About your male social worker, is he one of the good ones or are you not happy in any other way? If you think he is good in other respects think carefully about requesting another one.
Also are you aware that you can request to see your files? SSD now operate an open file policy, so you can see them. they wouldn't be able to show you immediately because they have a duty to ask third parties (drs for eg) if they can include stuff from them or take it out. Hope that helps

He isn't a particulary good one tbh. He seems very vague and out of it most of the time - he seems doped up! He doesnt do the work he is suppsoed to do, acts clueless most of the time, and at the last core group meeting suggested that I should do a write up for it! But I am unwilling to complain because he is very much on our side, didn't want the children put on the register on the first place and keen to get things moving (so long as he doesnt have to do much )
I wish I had been able to keep my trauma sw, she was lovely. She was actually austrailian, working here for a year, and I got hints that she wasn't entirely happy with UK ss. She even came round in the eves and basically counselled me, she was abs wonderful.

sorry for the hijack btw!

my sister is a social worker. she goes to great lengths to keep her life private from that of her clients. she wont live in the area she works in, she doesnt allow her dd name to be up at the nursery she attends. she has decided to keep her dd in private nursery and not go to the free attached half day sessions where my dd goes. she has been in court many times about CP cases, and she hates it. there are so many bits of paperwork to fill in, so many visits to gto throught etc. they dont just whip children away without getting the correct paperwork in place.

i know kelly had a bad time recently with SS, but unfortunatly the case against her dp, was there, and SS may have made the right choice, i dont know as i am not Kelly.

i could spend my time yelling about nurses who do a sh*t job, docs who didnt listen etc, but i know the bad ones are a very small %. and i do complain when needed.

I am going to bed now, but Kelly you can cat me anytime.

kelly, i am not having a go btw, i just felt so incredably sad when you came back on to say what had happened with dp

my sister hates her job. she is wanting to leave (her boss is also a right cow which doesnt help)

i was a social worker, not in child protection though.

this article and all the others that spout the same scare tactics fails to inform you of the fact that a social worker cannot just decide off his/her own back to remove a child.

there would have been a number of meetings and ultimatly a court orde would need to be obtained prior to the child being removed.

Cod im sure as a mag you can imagine the amount of paperwork involved with reaching such a decision.

The article states that "basic procedures" were not followed, it doesn't state which. was the application worded wrongly? was it completed in the wrong form?

Since 2002 there are have been many changes to the way SS work. there is now an open agency approach and before a decision as important as removing a child is taken then the case would more than likely (unless it is deemed an emergancy removal) be discussed at a JAT (joint assesment team) meeting.

this is a meeting where a representaive from all teh major services, school, YOT, HV, NCH, CAMHS.....loads of others depending on who is available really.

The case woill be discussed at length and then all those concerned will agree the best approach.

you cannot walk into the office one day with PMT and just remove a child.

there are many many social workers who ara a disgrace to the job and cause journalists like this to writte such drivel, but the vast majority of us have the same concerns as you, we also have to fight for every penny we know that the system is so criticaly underfunded we have to trun parents away where we know that just the smallest amount of intervention could really help.

Articles like this just cause people not to notify SS when there is something they are worried about. kids dont get taken to the DR's because the mum is scared that SS will get involved and take her kids away.

I have spoken to a mum who was suffering incredibly severe PND but would never admit it because she was convinced we would remove her children.

I have personally been on the receiving end of a bed SW. thanfully i knew the things she was spouting were rubbish and was able to make a formal complaint and had her sacked, but i dread to think the damage she could have done if i was Joe Bloggs!

I promise you that removing a child is the very last resort and unless they have real concerns that the child is in imediate harm it would be weeks or months of lots of intensive support offered. it costs a hell of a lot more to remove a child than it does to train a mum how to cope.

Kelly - Im afraid that given your situation it is necessary for the SW to speak to your DD without you. he should never be alone with the door shut and you can of course request that a different worker speak with her if you would feel more comfortable.

baty - you are talking about "best practice". What shoudl happen in an ideal world. It doesnt always happen. Calling the article "drivel" wont change that