Social workers writing inaccurate reports

Pawsandhooves · 2021-04-09T16:35:49+00:00

I'm new here and this is my first post so please let me know if it should be somewhere else. As the title suggests we have a social worker who has written a report that is inaccurate. That's the polite way to put it. It's biased and she's written nothing that we told her and only things from the ex's point of view. This report is what the judge will use to determine residency of a young child. I'm dealing with that with the solicitors. I want to have this whole debacle investigated and was wondering if anyone here has taken action against a social worker and/or against social services? What were your experience's and what blocks am I likely to come up against?

Skeptadad · 09/04/2021 22:05

She isn't supposed to write "what you tell her" she is supposed to write what she finds.

OverByYer · 09/04/2021 22:06

SW will gather information from all parties involved to complete an assessment not just what you have told them

Skeptadad · 09/04/2021 22:15

If Social Services had "written what my ex had said" my daughter wouldn't have a dad and I would be in jail. Thankfully they are given discretion to make their own minds up.

Hazelnutlatteplease · 09/04/2021 22:22

Many years back...

SW was absolutely charmed by ex who she thought was worlds best dad, it was deemed I had nothing good to say about ex (hard to be nice when you are trying to explain they are dangerous) and therefore I was preventing a positive relationship. I put in a complaint, the complaints handler had a nice chat with the social worker involved.
The complaint found there was no grounds for complaint. It was stressful and pissed the SW off further. The report stood. Kids went back to violent ex. I learnt you dont complain about SWs

It did eventually right itself but that's an even more unpleasant story. I very much doubt the original social worker has a clue the damage she did. I do not trust Social workers. if I was dealing with them again I would insist on everything being recorded.

Skeptadad · 09/04/2021 22:56

Most Social Workers go into social work for the right reasons.

My family are Social Workers. They didn't go into the profession to mess people around, make peoples lives worse, that they didn't believe in justice and fair play. It's not an occupation you enter, generally, if you don't want the best for people.

It's logic really.

Of course there are terrible ones but there are in any profession.

If someone becomes a formula 1 racer it's because they want to be a good racer not because they want to crash.

Skeptadad · 09/04/2021 23:40

@Hazelnutlatteplease

Many years back...

SW was absolutely charmed by ex who she thought was worlds best dad, it was deemed I had nothing good to say about ex (hard to be nice when you are trying to explain they are dangerous) and therefore I was preventing a positive relationship. I put in a complaint, the complaints handler had a nice chat with the social worker involved.
The complaint found there was no grounds for complaint. It was stressful and pissed the SW off further. The report stood. Kids went back to violent ex. I learnt you dont complain about SWs

It did eventually right itself but that's an even more unpleasant story. I very much doubt the original social worker has a clue the damage she did. I do not trust Social workers. if I was dealing with them again I would insist on everything being recorded.

Did you consider feeding this back to the social worker? Once my case is over I am considering feeding back to professionals the real world ramifications of the poor decision they made. There have been a lot of mistakes which have been very costly to my child.

If you didn't, did it cross your mind or why did you decide not to?

Original poster

Pawsandhooves · 10/04/2021 12:18

Thanks for your answers so far. I can't go into too much detail at the moment but the SW has interviewed all parties involved and has written what the ex has said. I have evidence which I showed her and she has put none of it in her report.

I do think there should be consequences for her for the way she has handled this case (there's more to it than I've written here) and I'm interested in how other people have dealt with a SW that they weren't happy with.

OP posts:

Tillymintsmama · 10/04/2021 12:22

You can complain to her line manager or supervisor. She's obliged to give you these contact details if you ask for them.

If professional misconduct is alleged, she can be referred to Social Work England, the regulatory body for Social Workers.

Original poster

Pawsandhooves · 10/04/2021 12:42

@Tillymintsmama

You can complain to her line manager or supervisor. She's obliged to give you these contact details if you ask for them.

If professional misconduct is alleged, she can be referred to Social Work England, the regulatory body for Social Workers.

Thank you Tillymintsmama. I've looked up what, where, who etc. but you often get some really useful info from people who have been through it that you don't get on official pages.

OP posts:

Skeptadad · 10/04/2021 12:57

My advice is to hang in there and keep being the person you are. My initial Section 7 was inaccurate and didn't portray me as me.

I knew that if I continued to act like the decent person I am, and my ex continued to act like how she naturally is, then it will become apparent to everyone involved and it has.

Sometimes these things take a while to shake out. My ex couldn't continue pointing at me and saying he is wearing red trousers when I was wearing blue shorts. It does become obvious over time.

If you can point to inaccuracies in the social workers report then it may be dismissed as unreliable.

Original poster

Pawsandhooves · 10/04/2021 13:23

@Skeptadad

My advice is to hang in there and keep being the person you are. My initial Section 7 was inaccurate and didn't portray me as me.

I knew that if I continued to act like the decent person I am, and my ex continued to act like how she naturally is, then it will become apparent to everyone involved and it has.

Sometimes these things take a while to shake out. My ex couldn't continue pointing at me and saying he is wearing red trousers when I was wearing blue shorts. It does become obvious over time.

If you can point to inaccuracies in the social workers report then it may be dismissed as unreliable.

Thank you. I do hope it will become obvious. I'm half way through my letter to the solicitors about her report with the intention of discrediting it. I'm glad it worked out for you in the end. What a piggin nightmare.

OP posts:

Hazelnutlatteplease · 10/04/2021 13:34

If you didn't, did it cross your mind or why did you decide not

At the time contact properly blew up, it really was the least of my problems. I was busy dealing another useless SW who was very successfully doing their best to dodge any safeguarding responsibility, an ex who had a good chance of access "supervised" by a very untrustworthy family member if it went court and actually both kids had serious medical stuff going on too. Its a small community, I was gearing up for a potentially very nasty fight where I needed the present sw vaguely on board. We really needed to "disappear" out of ex's reach with as little fuss as possible, a further complaint/investigation, with SW covering each others back,could have been incredibly counterproductive.

ThisThreadCouldOutMe · 10/04/2021 13:41

My SW filed reports full of errors. From things like spelling my DCs name wrong, to speculation rather than fact about the home environment. It was strongly hinted at that if I complained my case would be escalated/reopened. So I left it.
It's been closed for 10+ years now and I too scared of the repercussions to do anything.

Skeptadad · 10/04/2021 15:52

I don't know if there is a less confrontational way of going about it Pawsandhooves . Putting in a complaint might entrench views and create a situation where opinion is polarized against you.

Many peoples initial response to having been proved wrong/receiving a complaint is to become defensive or deny the problem. If there is a more positive, way of getting the social worker onside then that might be key.

Hazelnutlatteplease - I completely get that. After my debacle is over I am not entirely sure I want to so back for seconds. I suspect I won't be able to help myself though - I really hate injustice.

Muddledupme · 21/04/2021 17:53

Years ago we had a social worker who wrote a report saying that I treated my twins differently and I treated one like a baby feeding her in a high chair and putting her in a buggy and the other child is confused because she sat on a booster seat and walked by the buggy. She spouted a whole pile of rubbish about how psychologically damaging it was. I never had twins there was ten months between them they just looked very similar and not much size difference.

Charlie1066 · 06/10/2022 21:53

Yes I could and would like to help with that have you made a stage 1 complaint? Also it would help if I new what bias reports where made?

Kateiekoo · 21/05/2023 04:06

Hi. My granddaughter was almost 7 when she was removed from my daughter's care, & I fully agree that that decision was the correct one.
However she was then placed with a man that she had barely knew & had recently found out was her dad through a DNA. This guy is a violent woman beater who isn't allowed within 50ft of his oldest two kids by a judge because he beat their mum to an unrecognisable pulp. His police record consists of violence against women & he has been arrested & questioned a few times for rape, yet my granddaughter got lumped with him, even though I'd put my name forward to care for her, they said I was deemed 'unsuitable' by my initial police check.
The dad lived in his mum's at the time & it was agreed that my GD could only stay with him in condition that he lives there as his mum passed her p/c. My daughter has full PR for the child & he isn't on the birth cert.
After about 6 weeks he moved out from his mum's got his own place & took the child to live with him. No checks or safeguards were put in place, & more importantly my HD says she only ever seen the SW once. My daughter was never informed of this either nor would she have agreed to it. Cut a long story short, he emotionally abused the child, endangered her by leaving her alone outside a busy shop while he took his other child inside shopping, he assaulted her & constantly shouted at her, my daughter found out about this & after ringing SW we were told that there was no order of any kind on the child, so we went to his house & took her & my daughter placed her with me. That was July last year & she has remained here happy, settled & thriving.
However here's my problem... She was placed on the "at risk" register AFTER being placed with me. At risk of what?? SS have stated in black & white in the unocini's that there are "no issues" since I've had her, yet theyr making me do a parenting assesment, a kinship, & addiction services because I wanted myself off painkillers in Feb 2020 without the help of my doctor (this was part of initial reason why they said I couldn't have her at the start). They are currently trying to obtain an ICO even though they backed me to foster her, but now that I've decided because of their lies & sneakiness & shocking failures of the child when they left her with the dad, I am instead seeking a residency order which they said they will NOT back?? I am sick to death of them in our lives, I want it over with. Can I refuse any more dealings with them?

Haz278 · 10/09/2023 15:11

Hi
I am in Scotland.
I am currently facing a children's reporter grounds hearing in 4 days time, 14.9.23 and a child protection care conference in 8 days, 18.9.23, I have written to my SWs boss regarding gross errors and inaccuracies in both reports that were submitted. I was basically told, yes there are mistakes, but the majority of your concerns are a difference of opinion, between vastly experienced SW & you as a parent, to your families current situation. So we will be going with the original report! How can the send us to a case conference or the panel when the report is incorrect?? EG, the children have a long standing history of self harm (this is correct) attempting suicide and cutting their arms and wrists! (Has never ever happened). How can they allow this to go ahead?
The other errors and inaccuracies that I showed my concerns about, can be upheld by me, I have written proof and a papertrail. I am a single mum, disabled. Both kids have ASD and possible ADHD. Apparently, I also have ADHD.
Can anyone advise??
Question? If this report was written in June 23, can SW cut and paste comments from a request for assistance back in may 22?? Can this be referred to as my current situation?

chrisjohn138 · 29/03/2025 17:13

i had a social worker doing an assesment with the mum but tried to conduct it over the phone with me without proving her identity for me not to share nothing with her as ive never met her and she hasnt suggetsed a face to face meeting