Social worker power

[Babyonboardinthesticks]

...needs to be curbed. Also if cases in the press there should be more rights for social workers to publicise their own evidence to some extent too. Openness is more important than confidentiality sometimes. Justice needing to be seen to be done as much as done.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7052599.ece

It feels at times like the book 1984. You suspect if the state really wants to take your children they could come into any of our homes and find anything that every average parent has done and claim that's "abuse" and remove the child and that once you're in their clutches that's that.

We should let parents waive anonymity and set up web sites with access to all correspondence and reports.

Just sounds bizarre to me from the account given that this would warrant the activity described in the article, so if there's nothing more to it I can't understand how the Police and all the other professionals have got into this.

The journalist should not have a copy of the conference report and I am disgusted that she has.

What is beetlejuiceing someone?

"The journalist should not have a copy of the conference report and I am disgusted that she has. "

The more victims that break the social services secrecy rule the better, that way people can't claim 'there must be more too it than that' and people can see just what is going on behind closed doors.

If enough people have the courage to break the rules, like taping conversations etc and putting evidence out there then what will be the arguement against secrecy? The walls will come crashing down and social services will finally have to take responsibility for it's work.

If the journailst has a copy of the report, does that mean they have access to the reasons that SS gave for their interest in this family?

Never heard of that one - must be one of your americanisms!

Wasn't it candyman you had to say 3 times?

"don't beetlejuice her! "

Ahh Michael Keaton he made the best batman.

I liked that short bloke. whatsisname. you know.

from top gun.

Val kilmer that's it.

and [shame]

Leoniedelt, not sure what you mean. My point is about respect for the child who is the subject here, no matter how us adults feel, this is her life and she deserves privacy.

As I have said, I have shitloads more experience of any of you lot of 'the system' and I am satisfied by the work my team have undertaken to protect children. I have now left it. Frankly, I am delighted that anyone remains given what's going on and I hope that good work continues. I hope that the focus on children remains and we don't get away from this as often their interests are not the same as those of their parents.

"Val kilmer"

In willow yes and Top Gun 'iceman' but there's only one batman for me .

"My point is about respect for the child who is the subject here, no matter how us adults feel, this is her life and she deserves privacy."

She also deserves the 'right to a family life' and not to have social workers screwing up her life, trying to kill off her father and making her mother have to hide from a state agency with more power than sense.

But i'm sure thats just 'one of those things' they should put it behind them and not speak out.

Sorry but the right to privacy is there for the states benefit not the families and certainly not the childs, what must the neighbours think? And if this family hadn't of spoken out what would they continue to think?

"In other words I think the privacy rights should largely go out the window in the interests of justice being seen to be done."

One quick google and a sexual abuse victim will be getting "Ha ha, your uncle stuck his willy in your mouth when you were five!" for the rest of their life.

Is that justice?

You say that, show me a Social Worker who wouldn't bloody LOVE to tell the truth about some of the families we work with and the crap they say about why we're involved. We can't, so we don't. It wouldn't be fair to the children.

Anyway, Atlantis as you're back and having fun remembering Val, perhaps you can remember to explain your odd comment about the rewards of removing children for Social Workers on the other thread. It seemed to be incredibly offensive and obviously untrue, but I wouldn't want to prejudge your explanation.

"One quick google and a sexual abuse victim will be getting "Ha ha, your uncle stuck his willy in your mouth when you were five!" for the rest of their life."

Rape cases are heard in open court but without disclosing the identity of the victim unless she agrees, this is no different.

And I'm completely in support of that. As long as children are protected from public prurience, you'll get no objections from many Social Workers about any of this we want people to understand our work better and we want to get things as right as we can for children (incompetents and oddballs aside).

and your odd comments...?

" perhaps you can remember to explain your odd comment about the rewards of removing children for Social Workers on the other thread. "

Sorry completely missed this post before.

The rewards of removing children from social workers????

Not being funny I have no idea what your talking about.

Enlighten me please.

Just to say that yes clearly tehre are mega issues with some SW and that the whole profession does need a shake up but demonising them works against that as it puts the reallyc aring people off the profession. And we do need SW, just good ones.

I've worked in the sectror and have met a rangte from good to bad and the majority are, quelle surprise, middling. There's none of this 'wow lets take a child' stuff though, never. And frankly even when a child has really needed to be removed for its own safety, usually it gets met with a resounding no unless injury has already occurred. Even when a bad outcome is somewhat inevitable (eg small infant school kids wandering estates alone at 3am)

"And I'm completely in support of that. As long as children are protected from public prurience, you'll get no objections from many Social Workers about any of this we want people to understand our work better and we want to get things as right as we can for children ..."

No Wahwah, you might be in favour of that and for that I salute you, but most social workers do not want an open system where they are made responsible for their actions with press coverage.

All parenting groups involved in the family courts want an open court, during the consultations social services were the loudest (screaming) voice crying for the courts to remain closed.

"Isn't it 12 months paid leave a sw gets when they take a kid home from the child pool?" from 19.02.10.

I've been puzzling over this, perhaps you can enlighten.

Clarissimo,

then please tell me why so many family court parenting groups have got families who's children risk being taken away for what can only be described as totally BS evidence much like the about story?

We all know we need social workers and we all want to keep the best ones, what we want is to get rid of the dead wood and shake the sytem up into something we can all trust .

I understand the concern re safeguards, but I am suprised at the objections. All of my colleagues at all levels are strongly in support of more information being out there. I think it would actually build public confidence in the usual good work going on and certainly expose any poor practice -hard to see why it's not a win-win.

Anyway, am off now, so goodnight.

""Isn't it 12 months paid leave a sw gets when they take a kid home from the child pool?""

Oh yes, I remember that comment and have tried to track down the source of that information... I was reliably informed that working practices (not sure when) was that a social worker could foster a child for up to a year and would be paid a salary for doing this ( as fostering rules meant a carer had to be home with the child during non school hours- age dependent) hence the take a child from the kiddie pool comment.

"I understand the concern re safeguards, but I am suprised at the objections. All of my colleagues at all levels are strongly in support of more information being out there. I think it would actually build public confidence in the usual good work going on and certainly expose any poor practice -hard to see why it's not a win-win."

Then why wont social workers speak out?

We want to change the system, you want to change the system, so speak out, you will have the backing of a lot of people, both public and private law families.