An open letter to Children and Families Under Secretary Nadhim Zahawi published on 4th September, and signed by 50 leading child welfare and social work organisations in the UK, urges the government to withdraw several statements it has made in a guide on the care system.
The letter was posted on child rights charity, Article 39’s website and has been sent to Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Isabelle Trowler; National Director for Social Care, Ofsted, Yvette Stanley and HM Chief Inspector of Probation, Dame Glenys Stacey.
The guide, which was published on the government’s Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme microsite, in June, features several interpretations and recommendations on current statutory guidance with a view to improving good practice and outcomes for families and children, which the government says have been checked by lawyers and policy makers.
Social work bodies, child welfare charities, child rights focused law firms and criminal justice organisations who signed the letter, are concerned that the guide is inconsistent with the law relating to the care system and that it exposes more councils to judicial review cases.
The organisations involved have highlighted seven questions thrown up by the guide, which they say have been incorrectly answered by the government:
- Can we have one social worker for children and foster carers when a child is in a stable, long term placement?
- Can a Personal Adviser take on the role of the supervising social worker for foster carers, where the young person is staying put?
- Can supervising social workers visit less frequently in stable and long term placements?
- Can social workers visit less frequently than the normal six weekly basis in stable and long term placements?
- Do we always have to conduct an independent return home interview?
- Can we integrate the Youth Offending Team assessments within a looked after child remand assessment?
- Does an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) have to chair Child Protection conferences where their looked after children’s situation is being assessed?
Significantly, much of the criticism seems to stem around what appears to be a government sanctioned reduction in professional involvement, which would directly impact the engagement and interests of many of the bodies and individuals who have signed the open letter. The letter’s closing remarks also don’t inspire much confidence that this latest development is about the welfare of children involved, with some references to how the guide might impact children poorly as a result of the government’s recommendations in the body of the letter, but no emphasis at all on child welfare in its concluding paragraph.
The full list of signatories is added below:
The Aire Centre
Article 39
Association of Independent Visitors and Consultants to Child Care Services
Association of Lawyers for Children
Association of Professors of Social Work
Association of Youth Offending Team Managers
Become
British Association of Social Workers England
The Care Leavers’ Association
Children England
Child Rights International Network
Coram Children’s Legal Centre
Coram Voice
ECPAT UK
Family Action
The Fostering Network
Howard League for Penal Reform
Independent Children’s Homes Association
Just for Kids Law
The MAC Project (Central England Law Centre and the Astraea Project)
Nagalro, Professional Association of Children’s Guardians, Family Court Advisers and Independent Social Workers
National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC)
National Association for Youth Justice
National Association of Independent Reviewing Officers
National IRO Managers Partnership
NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service)
Parents Of Traumatised Adopted Teens Organisation (The Potato Group)
Refugee Council
Social Workers Union
Social Workers Without Borders
Southwark Law Centre
UNISON
Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England 2010-2015
Sir Al Aynsley-Green, first Children’s Commissioner for England 2005-10; now visiting Professor of Advocacy for Children and Childhood, Nottingham Trent University
Wendy Bannerman, Director of Right Resolution CIC
Jay Barlow, Napo National Vice-Chair
Liz Davies Emeritus Professor of Social Work, London Metropolitan University
Anna Gupta, Professor of Social Work, Royal Holloway University of London
Pam Hibbert OBE
Ray Jones, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, Kingston University and St George’s, University of London
John Kemmis, former Chief Executive Voice, NAIRO Patron and Article 39 Expert Panel member
Dr Mark Kerr, Managing Partner, The Centre for Outcomes of Care
Jenny Molloy, Author, Adviser and Trainer
David Palmer, Lecturer in Criminal Justice Services, University of Northampton
Peter Saunders, Founder NAPAC
Mike Stein, Emeritus Professor, University of York
June Thoburn CBE, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, University of East Anglia
Dr Nigel Thomas, Professor Emeritus of Childhood and Youth, University of Central Lancashire
Judith Timms OBE, Founder and Trustee of the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) and a Vice President of the Family Mediators Association
Jane Tunstill, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, Royal Holloway, London University
Researching Reform 
I Don’t Know What They Are Moaning About ? They Should Do Their Jobs Properly That’s My Opinion Anyway If I’m Wrong I’m Sorry
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Oood morning Derick i totally agree they are worried they have been caught out its time now they need to cocentrate on the childeren/ Babies and parents and working with them and giving them supporr tats their main job title.not on crystal ball method.
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“Government’s Social Care Guide Riddled With Serious Errors”.
that comes as no real surprise.
the structure of childrens social care has been Seriously flawed for many years resulting in significant damage to parents and children not just psychologically but also Socially and financially.
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So simple,so simple ! Abolish social workers and with all the money saved engage extra police to deal with child cruelty or negligence .The essential difference between police and social workers is that police only act if there has been a crime whilst social workers take children when they claim that parents are likely to abuse or neglect their children at some time in the future ! Breaking families up purely on guesswork really should stop but it won’t as long as millions of £s are being made by adoption agencies and special schools !
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Reblogged this on tummum's Blog and commented:
Social work bodies, child welfare charities, child rights focused law firms and criminal justice organisations who signed the letter, are concerned that the guide is inconsistent with the law relating to the care system and that it exposes more councils to judicial review cases.
The organisations involved have highlighted seven questions thrown up by the guide, which they say have been incorrectly answered by the government:
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7 PATHETIC QUESTIONS that are not worth asking or answering !
The organisations involved have highlighted seven questions thrown up by the guide, which they say have been incorrectly answered by the government:
1.Can we have one social worker for children and foster carers when a child is in a stable, long term placement? WHO CARES,???
2.Can a Personal Adviser take on the role of the supervising social worker for foster carers, where the young person is staying put? WHO CARES ??
3.Can supervising social workers visit less frequently in stable and long term placements? WHO CARES??
4.Can social workers visit less frequently than the normal six weekly basis in stable and long term placements? WHO CARES?
5.Do we always have to conduct an independent return home interview? WHO CARES ??
6.Can we integrate the Youth Offending Team assessments within a looked after child remand assessment? WHO CARES??
7.Does an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) have to chair Child Protection WHO CARES??
All that law abiding mothers whose children have been snatched for “Risk” care about is recovering their children
One question therefore to replace the useless 7 above !
When can we stop children being taken from hitherto blameless parents for future risk ????
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Yes, this latter should be all that matters. We should never have been forced into a place which turns us mother into detective. It’s one huge mess of a maze although thousands of us have been left with no choice unless we give up xx
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Indeed, the Government’s Social Care Guide may be a many-splendoured thing but is already riddled with serious errors. I would have hoped that by now lessons would have been learned and some real expert advice and experience would have been brought to bear on a subject that will reverberate for years to come as it echoes through future generations.
Why do I get the impression of a hard-nosed team of civil-servants, some well-passed their sell-by dates, sitting round a table and hag-riding this subject? The outcome may well be as much of a waste of time as was the advisory group convened to consider the modus operandi for the much lauded and highly costly appointment of an Older People’s Commissioner in Wales.
Yes, older people were consulted and we were positive in stating our considered parameters – and though printed in black and white, the appointee deliberately chose to ignore them claiming that she could not deal with individual cases – which was a specific point that I know had been inserted. We had all been aware that every case would be on an individual basis, and although similar patterns might emerge, each person’s case would have to be treated as an individual item. Perhaps that was the reason she was not re-appointed, but also why the role seems to have disappeared off the radar. If only those in the driving-seat could realise that although many case are similar – no two cases are identical. We cannot be squeezed into little boxes – some of us just won’t fit.
As is so often the case, many words are spoken – they fall easily off the tongue, and sound-bites make good publicity for politicians, but translating words into deeds take more effort as well as time – and time is what these children do not have. Their formative years pass too quickly and the harm done to them is likely to colour the rest of their lives. They cannot be made the scapegoats for political correctness and experimentation any longer – the time for experimentation has long passed – we need positive, well-planned action that will stand the test of time.
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