Why is it that when pressure groups, think tanks and organisations come together to offer sensible suggestions to improving the family justice system, the government seizes on the idea of change as a vote winner and worsens the systems it seeks to change rather than reforms them?
Part of the problem stems from not understanding the systems they’re working with as a whole, having only a very limited knowledge of them combined with having to heed the clamours of key stakeholders battering down government’s doors to make sure their views are prioritised, rather than those views which actually solve problems.
This latest news item mentions a speech that will be given this morning by Michael Gove on the latest plans to ‘dismantle a bloated adoption system’. It is believed that Gove will go on to say, “Ministers will back social workers when they intervene and take children into care; there has been too much reluctance to remove children from “outright abuse and neglect”.
The rather ranty quotations in the article, focusing not on competency inside the system, quality of social care or adoption as a means of providing a loving home, suggest a dangerous recklessness by an individual vying for popularity. Social workers are already starting to feel concerned. Nushra Mansuri, a professional officer for the British Association of Social Workers, felt there was room for improvement, but said “performance indicators immediately set off alarm bells.
She goes on to say, “This was tried under the Blair government and led to accusations of targets leading to perverse incentives [to place children for adoption].”
Targets had a disastrous effect on children. And rushing through adoptions will do the same.
We would suggest reforming the system from the inside out, not looking at superficial statistics to move an agenda. How do these gentleman get to run entire departments into the ground? Absolutely astounding.
Dear Mam, regarding ANOTHER WRONG ACTION. The speeding up of adoption to any that apply for a child to adopt. REST ASSURED that within 15 years the same sorry story of abused children will emerge. Not by the clergy but against these CURRENT adoptive parents. WIth all my heart I hope that I am wrong BUT knowing the evil that lurks within the human mind this will happen. Will GOVE be made ACCOUNTABLE for his current actions.?. Is there any way to find out the CRITICAL CRITERIA under which Gove was adopted. Has this man contacted his BIRTH PARENTS. An interesting story here. Were I a Psychiatrist(oops) I would beg the question. Is there some underlying reason why he is taking this FOLLY LED path.
LikeLike
Dear Mam, as usual here is another theory. Why does our Parliament who KNOW of how Social Services have manipulated the system to have children adopted ALLOW this VILE practice to continue. None of the at least 50 MPs who I contacted have even replied to my pleas. So here is my proposition. Is it possible that people at the TOP are involved with DIRTY DEEDS and that any investigation would expose them.
Is this why the MEDIA only publish SELECTIVE cases of wrongdoing. NEVER the pleas of those seeking JUSTICE. Tell me that I am wrong.
LikeLike
Dear Phil, thank you for your comments and thoughts. My own view is that most of the time people charged with looking after the family justice system are unable to do so because they are faced with realities they don’t understand and conflicts of interest that are so ingrained, to go against them or even to attempt to reconcile them from inside the system would most likely mean that they would lose their jobs very quickly. The underlying culture is one of corporate customs and behaviour coupled with a hardened attitude to suffering, which is usually a coping mechanism for people working in fields where they see a lot of suffering every day. I think corruption is prevalent at all levels but I’m not sure that there is a conspiracy theory at large. I tend to think that most of the problems stem from a lack of understanding and rather poor training across the board and that there are pockets of individuals who take advantage in the worst possible ways but by far the most pressing problem, to my mind, is the culture. Lawyers who charge ridiculous fees, judges who bring bigotry to the court room and cynical, poorly paid and fed up social workers who just don’t care about their work. This of course is not the way it is for every individual inside the system, but there are too many people who don’t care and too many people prepared to ignore the problems, which keep those problems unchallenged.
LikeLike