In an insightful and interesting article in Community Care, Maggie Mellon, Vice Chair for the British Association Of Social Workers has expressed the view that current child protection practices and the culture inside the system are cause for concern. And we couldn’t agree more.
In the piece, Maggie says:
“I believe that suspicion of parents and of families has become corrosive, and is distorting the values of our profession..
Despite there being no significant rise in the number of children who die as a result of parental abuse or neglect, risk of abuse is assumed to be high…
What does this say about how social workers view parents and families? And, just as importantly, what must it tell us about how parents view contact with social services? I believe that the evidence is mounting of mutual distrust and fear.”
This view very much matches what we have seen over the last decade assisting families and children throughout the process. The child protection process itself is not sophisticated enough to factor in all elements present when a family comes to the attention of social services, and one of our main bug bears here at Researching Reform is the level of training social workers are given to carry out a job which requires a far wider, and deeper understanding than basic training allows.
The article also references research by researchers and academics, Lauren Devine and Stephen Parker, whose work we think is robust and progressive, and very helpfully highlights the key issues surrounding child protection in practice.
Maggie identifies a lack of empathy, support and compassion within social work today, another observation to be applauded, as it is so rife, and causes unnecessary pain and suffering for families and children involved in child protection investigations.
So what do you think? Do you agree with Maggie?
Researching Reform 
I totally agree, but I doubt if anybody from within the system can truly grasp the fact that there is so much wrong that a complete rethink is necessary.
SW’s possibly believe that they are right in 97% of cases, which I believe is the current figure for verdicts in favour of LA’s against families in family courts, but this inequality, particularly when families are unrepresented makes it easy for bad social workers to get away with bad practice, in the full knowledge that they will get away with it in the family courts.
I have personal experience of Social workers and Foster Carers committing perjury in court. Nothing was done about it, in fact the team leader has now become an IRO.
How can an ex SW team leader possibly be independent?
The summary of the judge (The infamous Judge Dodds) was farcical, cherry picking wherever he liked and omitting anything positive, doing his best impersonation of Bruce (I’m in charge) Forsythe.
One of the main problems is that not enough effort is being made to help families stay together, possibly due to financial restraints, but why can’t they spend less on Fostering/Adoption agencies, almost all of which have become “nice little earners” for SW’s and Foster Carers, or ex SW’s and FC’s or their spouses/partners etc.
Court appointed rent a report “experts” and LA legal teams are also a drain on resources, which could be much better used providing community services for families in difficulty.
Let social workers be exactly as it says on the tin, let them do social work to help, not to instill fear in vulnerable families.
And finally let us have justice truly seen to be done in family courts, let children above the age of 10 speak for themselves in court, not be represented by so-called Guardians who make a living writing reports for the courts which invariably agree with SW’s reports, even to the extent of a “copy and paste” mentality existing with so many reports looking the same except with a change in name of the child.
Many parents have reported that SW’s, Guardians and alleged experts reports often say She instead of He, and vice versa when referring to their child, this is because they have simply cut and pasted from previous reports.
One example frequently used in court is that the child soiled them
self after contact with the parent. This is happening all over the country and of course it cannot easily be disproved.
The system is fundamentally flawed and a total new training regime is neccessary which must be less confrontational, less dogmatic, and primarily focussed on helping families in difficulty.
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“Maggie identifies a lack of empathy, support and compassion within social work today, another observation to be applauded, as it is so rife, and causes unnecessary pain and suffering for families and children involved in child protection investigations.”
We must begin by having all social workers psychiatrically assessed.
Social workers must do their own inner childhood healing, before being allowed loose on service users.
We need to highlight % of social workers who were abused as children and check if they are carrying that unresolved hatredetc into the profession.
I personally know many who have and have no idea how it is being projected onto innocent famiies.
Top social work instector found that over 70% of social workers suffered sadistic schadenfreude disease.
“There are a number of Social Workers in Britain and Ireland who should be psychiatrically examined for Sadistic Schadenfreude Disease as a matter of considerable urgency as it does seem to be becoming highly infectious among their ranks.
This Disease affects the frontal lobe area of the brain and destroys the part which controls emotions, most effectively destroying those emotions of compassion, caring, and concern.
It seems to be being passed on during their meetings, conferences, and training Courses and is particularly rampant in certain parts of the U.K and Ireland such as Cork, Meath, Liverpool, Wigan, Essex, Suffolk, Surrey, Hampshire and some Inner London Boroughs where a highly virulent strain of the disease is apparent in those areas.
Obvious non-medical symptoms are nervous jangling of car keys, waving the two index fingers of both hands in the air in front of their faces to denote “Quotation” marks, and comments in their speech such “I hear what you’re saying” and “What I think you’re saying is….. “. When it is obvious in the other person’s speech that they are making comments such as “F*+k off you heartless twisted bitch”.
But it is their actions which give cause for most serious concern.
They take gleeful delight when they see a highly distressed and distraught mother having her children removed from her (permanently) in hospital maternity wards or in Children’s Court precincts.
They then go off to celebrate their `Victory for Rightfulness’ in the nearest pub, with large quantities of lentil soup, muesli, and to quaff generous quantities of Chardonnay.
This is a very serious disease and is becoming increasingly virulent and is reaching epidemic proportions and the government must urgently intervene to stop the further spread of this disease among British/Irish Social Workers. (it seems also to be spreading among doctors and nurses and other associated professionals, who may be less seriously infected but the disease is apparent in their cognitive processes.)
One of the most urgent steps for the government to take is to order every Pharmaceutical company to immediately begin research studies and tests into a vaccine which can be given widely and urgently, and with repeat booster doses at least every two years.
A Treatment Programme for Sadistic Schadenfreude Disorder must also be immediately put into effect by the Department of Health.
Top Medical Experts state that Frontal Love Lobotomy is essential followed by several years of Electro-Convulsive Therapy and a Rehabilitative Programme of gradual exposure to situations of caring loving relationships between mothers and children.
It is not yet known whether the disease has an inherited component but in order to protect our society from future generations which these social workers may produce, a programme of compulsory sterilisation is essential.
A full account of this Disease (Sadistic Schadenfreude Disorder) with accompanying data from scientific studies, will be appearing shortly in the British Medical Journal.
Dept for Infectious Disease Control
London-Dublin.”
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Reblogged this on World Peace Forum.
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hopefully some more people with big hearts and well educated logical thinkers will work together with others already fighting this battle to win a victory for all members of the human race-may find root cause is same for many problems-misleading information and deception etc-changing man made laws is one thing changing hearts and minds (hopefully for the better) is another-maybe we must learn to bring the best out of each other?-improved basic education for all?basic needs organized for all?will not many give help freely toward such projects?wanting things better is one thing -making things better is another?
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I have to agree here,but cant help also to think is this actually being organised now.. I never thought I’d ask myself or others a question like this..
But it’s like a disease that’s spreading not just in Ireland or some of England but on a whole wales too. We’ve heard some horrific cases and it’s getting worse.
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Lady Portia, you almost had me there! The trouble is, there is an element of truth in what you say. Social workers are in a powerful position and it goes to their head! It wasn’t so long ago that figures of 1 in 20 were being cited for the UK population having a personality disorder and social workers as a group must have a higher percentage as they are always claiming they are so stressed!
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/p/personality-disorders
Mothers with personality disorders often have their children taken from them after being diagnosed by the family court expert psychiatrist or psychologists. Notwithstanding how a diagnosis can be factual after only a 4 hour interveiw, how many of those doing the diagnosis are mentally well themslves? A high percentage of mental illness is known in that sector too!
Judges have their issues, not confined to mental illness. A Rotten Judiciary.
http://www.bentlaywersandcops.com/a_rotten_judiciary.htm
Critical thinking skills are supposed to be a prerequisite skill for a judge but they certainly lack any common sense or compassion
.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-love-wisdom/201509/powerful-letter-family-court-judges
Some Judges certainly become jaded and lazy, simply rubberstamping social worker reports without applying logic and querying the absence of any evidence.
There are no independent checks on cases going through the courts nor on the social worker care plans for the child after the child is taken into care. Are those plans adhering to the Children’s Act? Parents would argue they do not!
I have also noticed a lack of family involvement in care plans. The family appear to being ousted in favour of the foster carer. It is forgotten, or ignored, how much the child benefits when family is involved. The fact that family contact dwindles once a child is in care is a clear indication of social worker’s misuse of power! There is a presumption in the family courts that contact is beneficial to the child so why is this ignored by social workers?
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The longest meeting we ever had was 35 minutes when we first met ISW PAID BY LOCAL Authorities THEN SAT NEXT TO THEM IN FAMILY COURT PROCEEDINGS …
No doctors reports,no other professionals involvement just local authorities and a Magistrate judge had to step in,due to injury to the original judge who first heard case)”bearing in mind local authorities went to court 3 times before we were partied to the case for now we found out they got a ICO/section 31/CPO and said mum signed a section 20. ,transferred baby after lies telling us first day before birth she wouldn’t make it /to went to foster care at 3 hrs old not to attend birth as mum wasn’t cooperating…
Finds out 22 months later in fact in 5 days,went to court without telling dad or mum and was well on her way at 3 months old when we first met her and partied in on 19th week
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Sorry Lady P, schadenfreude really exists! I had to look it up! Is it really only 70% of social workers afflicted?
I have only met about a dozen social workers but they all had one thing in common, their faces were set with a smirk-smile and despite their youth, they had dead eyes that looked through you as if you were not there! They spoke quietly, which belied their authority, and were in agreement to your face but when alone would write up reports that bore no resemblance to what you spoke of only minutes before. I had thought of them as sociopaths, leaning towards smug cruelty, as they knew their reports would be accepted in court and your statements would be ignored. They knew they would be taking your child from you.
Others must have met them as I have read their accounts and they are all remarkably similar. Mike, I thought we were in the same court and had the same social workers & Judge for a moment there, so alike were your reminiscences about lying social workers, which in my case, had the Judge justifying her lies, stating “social workers do a difficult job and cannot always get it right!”. I nearly fell off my pew! That was not the half of the court fiasco! My Judge has retired now, so cannot do any more damage to families! The original social workers too, have all moved on to different areas, departments and different families as new social workers take over, to carry on where they left off. The only constant is the child in care!
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we are fighting social services to get our little girl back home as they falsely accused me of abuse , something i would never do as i have been through it myself by an ex so there is no way on this planet i would put my child through that , the social workers didnt even do an investigation plus they checked my little girl out for bruiess illigally with out consent and threatened to arrest me if i didnt leave the hospital when they took me and my little girl their .. they have admitted they had no real reason to take her as they changed their stories 8/9 times my little girl fell off her bike and landed on the handle bars of her bike but social services accused me of it instead but i wear rings on all my fingurs and not one of those bruises matched
SOCIAL SERVICES ARE JUST SICK AND TWISTED ALL THEY WANT IS THE MONEY NOTHING MORE they even LIED in court to get what they wanted
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Thank you for your comment, I’m so sorry to hear this. I’ve had to remove your name due to reporting restrictions, so I’ll hope you’ll forgive that.
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These points of opinions are very interesting,in case anyone has forgotten it takes two people to have a child….again no mentions of the father which is very sad as every child deserves to know where they came from..
again I will stress the importance
Of two parents being on the birth certificate once a DNA has been done as the father is often forgotten about and the mother can challenge this but not a father!! Please it’s 2017 ,we’re no longer in the dark ages,I’ve witnessed and seen things in a case that would make some people physically and emotionally sick. The lengths these people go to to get the rubber stamp. We’ve never been through family courts and local authorities,I raised my children by myself sadly,but I done it because I am there mother and love them unconditionally. In the last 23 months I have never had to know about family courts and adoptions/placements.(even though I thought of fostering a child many years ago,it wouldn’t have been fair on the child mainly. To cut a long story short we had a call out of the blue saying a baby would be born in a few hours told son not to attend hospital as the baby’s surviving was very poor (I had a baby 17 years ago,he died at birth and I had to bury him,something that I will never forget till my dying day)I didn’t want my son to have this memory,also said mum wasn’t cooperating.this was his first child the local authorities said she went to foster care at 3 hours old and settled we were confused…we were left dangling not days/weeks,but 3 months..3 months of hell.we finally met her at 3 months old,the most beautiful baby,big blue eyes starring up at the man in a uniform.we were told a hour contact,when dad asked when more contact with his baby as he wanted her home. The nursery was all done,everything had been ready nearly 4 months we panicked,thinking she would be home with dad and her family well before this. At 18 weeks old she sustained a head injury,her dad was crying asking what had happened why wasn’t he informed about this,hospital etc and the male foster carer said don’t worry dad all babies gets bumps and bruises..I couldn’t believe what I was hearing her dad said I’m taking her to hospital,they threatened if you leave the contact centre we will ring the police as its kidnapping?? How can it be kidnap when they denied her medical treatment he wants to take her to hospital….the hour soon went and she was taken home to foster care,made complaints went to children’s commissioner,police,MPs. A few days later he was told to get a solicitor if he wanted to challenge adoption,we asked why she was being adopted they said the plan was always adoption from when getting involved with the mum at 20 weeks gestation,he said nobody is adopting her she has me and my family she wouldn’t want for anything.we weren’t told anything,that was on the 19th week he was partied for first time (we had xmas and new year holidays and up in court 11/1/16,so less than 3 weeks,no papers to look at as everyone was off till 3/1/16…when he did have papers we seen they had already been to court 3 times after the birth,intrum care order,section 31,and placement order,we didn’t have a clue no calls no papers no conversation. We read further where they helped mum in hospital out of area(concealed the pregnancy…)we took everything from bags of nappies,clothes,vests,dresses,baby gros,coats,swing,car seat,monitors..the amount could have kitted most her age in the system.we didn’t want anyone to provide for her,he was never offered support or anything (that would have been more helpful,showing that rumours wasn’t true,we were blinded)over the months we tried revoking the order 8 times,we were refused. They said dad had a criminal record and we contacted the police and they contacted the local authorities telling the police at no time have ever said he’d been in trouble,warning NOTHING AT ALL NOT EVEN A COMPLAINT!!! Told January/June 2016 but never ever amended papers,in a lac review they kept referring to her as a baby boy and had to be reminded.(solicitors misrepresented dad and only acted 2 times for him before being sacked after the judge said option A,B,C nothing was to keep his baby all options were adoption..(we’ve had to buy transcripts of hearings) we could not believe how much paperwork was there…again in a viability assessment apparently DAD GAVE BIRTH TO 7 Children THE OLDEST ONE BEING A YEAR OLDER THAN HIMSELF… we now know these children to be looked after children by the local authorities,the mum was pregnant again by someone else at this time too…in this viability assessment they said how they assessed mum in Tesco car park and she wasn’t interested only by asking people for cigarettes,also I noticed my sons name was in these reports the one who died at child birth…apparently he was on the child protection register and my other 2 oldest weren’t,,how could he be in reports he died at birth 17 years ago but local authorities said this and was also allowed through the family court and crown.may 2016 baby sustained another another head injury all this was allowed too where again she was denied a GP,doctors and hospital!!! We said we were taking her after the foster carers went for me aggressively in contact in front of my granddaughter and son,begging them to stop shouting,he was physically escorted off the premises by S.i.B staff as they had opened new contact centres up where we live a English company.. the trainee was told of many things but failed to report them and the manager and social worker (they were removed off casebeing 5 removed in 8months) more lies submitted to family courts we challenged all and cafcass reports….I asked the judge to Debra down for allowing misleading and inaccurate information to be submitted to the family courts and crown,he refused and 1 minute and 10 seconds in £170 order he refused point blank..(takes more time to order a coffee,this is a child and dads life a family. An independent social worker came out the day before hearing and in her reports that would score dad!!!! Said because my children had never suffered abuse mainly sexual abuse he wouldn’t know when bathing her if he was abusing her,and if dad lifted her under her arms to put her to bed that could be sexual abuse. This was all in future harm mind…. nobody can predict the future they stamped all over him hoping the nastier the reports (these was on assumptions basis only what they thought might happen.trying to make him feel he wasn’t good enough using long words because he had dyslexia.(but he’d finished military training 5 months previously was A straight a student with high grades in school and college!!!! We asked police to arrest us as we couldn’t understand why they were taking her,police said because nothing has happened in the past/nothing happening now and certainly can’t predict the future…..so how were these reports allowed through a family court for goodness sake..yes I’m upset and angry because of lies submitted by so called professionals including the guardian..she was no angel and she has done many cases weve since found out of adoption with same legal reps as well.a trainee submitted the Test a section 47(5) when I thought they couldn’t sink any lower,he had to listen to reports even though the guardian had no idea the local authorities placed her with potential adopters Aug 2016,she should never have been placed she Told the judge:sorry sir I’ve only just heard today the baby has been placed this was 11 weeks after placement she said in her report how they had a meeting etc, when dad pointed out the report was lies the judge had a go at dad??? Trying to dress the story up and couldn’t justify it. (By this time they knew 303 errors had been made,sustained 3 injuries altogether denying her medical treatment,concealed the pregnancy,went to court without telling either parent and thought he was going to roll over and let this happen.weve lost our jobs,paid £7.000 pounds in legal fees…the test was set far to high, I helped him with confusing long words if he struggled. The section 47(5) is the forever loving family/HOME this is to be used as guild lines only if research done…. he had to listen how the new mummy and daddy loved his daughter so much and settling well in the new forever family,(it was brutal,no person should ever have to listen to this)how she loved her new brother who was adopted by the couple a few years previously,she was in a routine and went to the park twice a week and enjoyed playing and would be looking around for them… I can’t continue the rest I’m sorry it kills me to think about it,(please look it up on the national adoption website) word for word…. we are still fighting and told there is a case to answer she was stamped for adoption 6/3/17, dad is praying she will be returned,he’s said he don’t believe she’s with a family due to so many lies being allowed to be told and false statements..he had many questions to ask and witnesses but wasn’t allowed these were foster carers,police and professional people who the local authorities said they had spoken to but hadn’t. Dad also says he believes she’s jammed in the system with 400,000 children.when that baby was murdered this year that was the worst 3 hours waiting for a call back by police to confirm it wasn’t her same age she was taken across the country last year…we also found out she was transferred to another hospital and was there 5 days (we were told 3 hrs old she went to foster carers.) dad was also told to sterlize dummy in boiling water at family centre and the foster care parents put it in there mouths then her passing 100% germs. It’s one rule for them keep parents in the dark at all times and sadly the child doesn’t come first we had to work around there routines and could pick only a Tuesday or a Thursday for 1 HOUR CONTACT COSTING £40 in taxi and often returned in same one where baby wouldn’t be at contact centre.no history on the mothers side was ever looked up,as mum threatened to abduct her this wasn’t reported until we rang after 48 hours and the reason they knew where the foster parents lived was because,,,5 children belonged to one auntie who had been adopted after birth including twins,one child out of 5 was won back in a successful hearing 7th child because born with lung problems hasn’t even darkened the path….dad was warned if he had more children in future they would be taken,this has put him of children for life if I’m honest and only wants his daughter home safe with him.its heartbreaking watching a broken man not knowing how you can help fighting lies and tearing families apart,he tried keeping mums new baby (number 2,by different dad together)we were told to let her go as we would loose the case.. what a dreadful thing to have to do but you can’t put a price on a child’s life,there’s no room for error and mistakes this is a child not a piece of meat or land. She went for adoption soon after birth,waiting for mum to give birth to baby number 3. We will never believe in exepsional circumstances ever,that public apology ment nothing only difference is the year,at no time did he have shared PR IF HE DID HE COULD HAVE GOTTEN HER TREATMENT FOR INJURIES AND WHERE HER HAIR WASNT GROWING PROPERLY LAYING DOWN FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME.,,the nursery remains as it was all her stuff remains.we can’t bring ourselves to donate it all, its far to small for her even though clothing are up to 2 years everything is bnwt,bnib.weve had social workers telling us outside councils that they dint do all those years of training for it to be like this,also we can’t say all social work are the same because some are genuine people who work with families but also said there removing children for all the wrong reasons. Something has to change for the children’s sake,it’s going to be in 10 years maybe where siblings are not going to know if there related then that will be a enormous problem then.its going to get worse as they start as care workers and not qualified dads girlfriend who he been with 2 an half years (women only pregnant 42 weeks) and had a higher degree of child care than all put together and still wasn’t good enough.
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For 2 years social services have been in our lives. Saying we did this and done that. All not true. Now a year ago I put my son aged 10 onto temporary foster care and they said to put a care plan in place. They failed to do so. And said he’s not coming back till he’s 18. Without actually telling us properly. Now it’s actually in court and social services keep lying to the courts. I have a mental health problem there using my illness as an excuse to keep my son now age 11 in care. He wants to come home so much and there stopping him from doing this. He runs off from care only cause social services have emotional abuses him. They supposed to put another support plan in place again by the courts and they failed to do so. So there lying to the courts and getting away with this behaviour. They have also emotional abuses us as parents. I sit up most nights wandering what I done wrong. Sitting crying for my son. My son cried too all he wants is to be reunited with his mum and dad .And brothers. Why are the social services from Beverley east Yorkshire doing this . They say we have to do all the courses going like family therapy CBT and dbt. It’s just not on. I put my son into foster care as he was failed with being diagnosed with a mental health problem which was violent towards us. Just to have his behaviour to calm down. Which was for 9 months now it’s stirred up by running away so if it happened on my care and the foster carers care. Why Isent cahms doing anything about it. Which I think it’s odd. Opposite defiant disorder. I told the social services this 2 years ago but they wouldn’t listen. And still Isent now. We want to help our son if comes back home to know how to handle him for the future. Not sit through family therapy. It’s just not on. And with going to see him at children centre supervised it’s like we are criminals. Which we are not. I’ve still my other 2 boys at home too and we do a fab job with them. It’s totally unfair. Which they placed my two boys on child protection. They used my children to keep my other son who’s on care. Where’s the justice in that. [Edited] my son who’s in care got tooken off the child protection that’s not right at all . All I want is my son to come home that’s all I want please can you help me. My solicitor doing all she can and my husband’s solicitor too but now social services saying they want full parental responsibility I don’t want them to take my rights away from me I’m his mum not them.
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Thank you for sharing your experience, and we’re so sorry you’ve experienced all that you have. Please forgive the edits to your post, this has been done for legal reasons.
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