Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Flip

Original poster

Mistake by case worker, would you be cross like I am?

21 replies

lou33 · 01/10/2004 09:38

Just wondered how you would all react to this.

I got a letter in the post yesterday addressed me dh and myself, from ds2's case worker. Except it wasn't about ds2. It was about another child, much older than ds, but with the same surname. It had all the details of the child, his dob, address, people involved in his cse, what is happening to his agreed placement etc.

I couldn't get anyone to reply to me yesterday, so left another message for them today and finally the case worker called back. She has no explanation for this, as she says both addresses on file area correct. Obviously I am cross because I shouldn't know anything about this child, and also how do I know if any other letters about my ds have been sent in error to anyone else?

She just called me back while I was typing this to say the reason it was sent to me was because they didn't have an initial for either mrs x, so the letter was sent to me like both boys were brothers?! Apparently corrected now.
She also asked me to destroy the letter and she would contact IT.

What do you think?

OP posts:

gothicmama · 01/10/2004 09:41

I would ask for an assurance taht everything had been changed adn also for a check to be made taht you had received all correspondence sent about your ds - i would be cross if it was me

misdee · 01/10/2004 09:41

i would contact the other parents in question and let them know what has happened so they can also make a complaint.

Marina · 01/10/2004 09:41

Absolutely disgraceful. I'd be furious Lou and I don't think her explanation is acceptable. Um, Data Protection Act anybody?

Original poster

lou33 · 01/10/2004 09:48

Yes I think I might contact them (the parents). I was pretty gobsmacked. She is new as well, old case worker left in september, so this is the first time I have spoken to her. Maybe a letter to the case workers boss?

OP posts:

Avalon · 01/10/2004 09:51

I think a letter to the case worker's boss is right, but inappropriate IMO to contact the parents. I wouldn't like that in their position.

Original poster

lou33 · 01/10/2004 09:55

Too late avalon, i have left a message on their answerphone. Personally I would welcome a call if it was the other way round. Will wait for them to call me now.

OP posts:

heartinthecountry · 01/10/2004 09:55

I would be cross. Okay, everyone makes mistakes but in these sort of situations surely any data held on file should be double checked. Think I might also contact other parents and let them know.

conker · 01/10/2004 09:56

Ireceived a letter once regarding my daughter, except it was a clinical pyschologists report on another child who had severe emotinal and behavioural difficulties. Worrying thing was they actually listed the childs name at the bottom and I knew who it was! I just chucked the letter in the bin and never mentioned it again

Original poster

lou33 · 01/10/2004 09:57

That's what I thought hitc. She said to me "well obviously I don't know what address is correct when the letter is in front of me to sign, I just have the letter details in front of me and it said mr and mr x".

OP posts:

Original poster

lou33 · 01/10/2004 09:59

Slightly ot, but we received a report about ds2 10 days ago, about an appointment we had in JANUARY!!!!

OP posts:

Avalon · 01/10/2004 10:36

And no, I wouldn't be cross. Mistakes happen.

Original poster

lou33 · 01/10/2004 10:45

That's not a good enough excuse imo avalon. I have a lot of personal info about this boy here, and I know I don't want the same happening about my son.

OP posts:

heartinthecountry · 01/10/2004 11:04

Agree Lou, as I said earlier. If you are dealing with sensitive information about a child (or anyone) then it should be double checked, end of story. I understand all about depts being under resourced etc but this is just one tiny reason why they shouldn't be.

Avalon · 01/10/2004 11:12

I'm not thinking of it as an excuse, lou.
Just life.

The same thing happened to me when my daughter was having speech therapy. I received a letter about it and folded into it was a letter about another child. I rang the department. There was an apology and a request to destroy the letter. End of story.

coppertop · 01/10/2004 11:33

I would be extremely annoyed tbh. You would expect that any information they held about a child (or an adult, come to think of it!) would be confidential. The family involved have a right to privacy and I can't imagine that they would feel too pleased at hearing that sensitive information about their child has been sent to someone else.

Yes mistakes do happen but when dealing with sensitive information like this then surely you would doublecheck before posting?

edam · 01/10/2004 11:43

This is a completely unacceptable breach of confidentiality. I would complain, forcefully but politely, to the Director of Social Services (assuming you are talking about social services?). Don't go for junior or middle levels, go for the person in charge, it will be taken much more seriously and may provoke a reassessment of procedures. And the stupid little so and so who failed to acknowledge how serious this was will be corrected.
If you then don't get a satisfactory response, go to your local paper.
And I think you did quite right to call the other parents, I'd want to know if it was my confidential correspondence rather than have stuff going on behind my back.

mieow · 01/10/2004 13:55

We had something similar with DS, I recieved a letter with our address but someone else name on it, The writing looking fimilar so I opened it! And inside was a letter all about my son!!! It was a copy of a report sent to GOS, when I phoned up about, appartently I wasn't even supposed to get a copy of that report as it mentioned Angelmans Syndome, which was a possible dignosis with DS, the consulant said that DS was doing well and improving, which a child with AS wouldn't be doing, before they done the MRI etc. The consulant said that he was sorry, but what if I had just chucked it back in the post?

Original poster

lou33 · 01/10/2004 17:30

Just had another look at the letter, and it isn't even from the same regional office! I am sw sn management team, and this letter is from nw, so how on earth can she have made the mistake, and why on earth would she tell me she was ds2's case worker?!

Still haven't heard from the other lou33's btw.

OP posts:

pixiefish · 01/10/2004 18:27

They should be more careful as it could have contained sensitive info

heartinthecountry · 01/10/2004 19:13

Hang on a minute Lou33 - you mean the person you spoke to isn't even ds2's caseworker? Why didn't she know that? Of course she probably can't know the name of every single child on her caseload but surely when she looked into why you had got the wrong letter that would have come up?

Unbelievable.

No, actually, sadly believable .

Original poster

lou33 · 01/10/2004 19:20

I know! I just realised myself, because I had to call my team wrt ds2's form about starting school next spetember, and noticed it had a completely different address and department on! It didn't surprise me that I was unfamiliar with her name, as ds's caseworker left over the summer, and I have had no reason to call them, but ffs, surely they can see we are in diff areas by looking on their pc! Plus there is a 14 year age gap betweeen ds and this other child.

OP posts:

Flip