Court and care workers/social workers

[H0PI]

Please can you tell me if people like care workers or social workers can be witnesses in a court case against a paedophile ?

Social workers can be yes, but they can only stick to absolute facts in court. So if they saw something happen then they can say “yes I saw X do Y to Z” but if they didn’t see anything and just thought something then they cannot in court give that opinion.

They may be asked to give evidence because a child told them what happened so they would have been given the first account.

They are able to give opinions, just like any other person can give an opinion when giving evidence.

Yes but it's rare.

Context?

Social workers are explicitly told, usually when training, that if they are to appear as a witness in court then they should stick only to the facts.

I've given evidence over 10 times and have been asked my professional opinion on different matters every time I've given evidence, as long as you can justify why you came to that conclusion it's fine.

I am unsure if I will be called. I witnessed abuse in a care home setting when a child present . Don't want to say too much.

You can obviously be asked about what you witnessed.

For what you are describing I'd also expect you could be asked about what Safeguarding training you had, your understanding about Safeguarding if you knew what and how to report it in your organisation as well.

"I am unsure if I will be called. I witnessed abuse in a care home setting when a child present . Don't want to say too much."

I'd say unlikely. If you are the only witness then it's more likely.

If it's criminal most cases have plea bargains before court.

If it's civil there's also a likelihood of an out of court agreement.

Have you given a formal written statement?