Welcome to another week.
Following the launch of The Good Social Worker, a directory featuring the names of social work professionals recommended by families and children, we thought it would be useful to take a look at whether or not service users can actually ask for a specific social worker.
Local authorities have to allocate a social worker to every child protection case they handle, and as such the initial selection is usually always made by them. However, you have the right to ask for a specific social worker, if she or he is working at the council and assists on similar kinds of cases to yours.
While families and children don’t have a right to demand that they are given a specific or different social worker, there are several grounds you can raise, which the council must consider before turning down your request:
- The communication between you and your current social worker has broken down
- Your social worker is behaving unprofessionally
- Your child does not feel he or she can be open with the social worker
- There is a social worker at the council that has been recommended to you and you would like to work with him or her
- You have made a complaint about your current social worker
In all of these situations, if you are actively engaged with a current social worker, setting out your intention in writing (so that the request is recorded), is a good idea. The letter should be written to the social worker’s manager. In the letter or email, you can set out your reasons for wanting a change (which we would suggest is done diplomatically and as civilly as possible to ensure the most positive response), who you would like to work with, and why you feel this would be better for you and your child.
Where communication has broken down, you should explain why the lack of engagement is problematic. It sounds like an obvious point, but explaining that the breakdown is due to a lack of trust or personal connection and that it is preventing you from working with the council, is an important way of signalling that you are willing to engage with the services on offer, but not with someone who makes you feel uncomfortable.
If your social worker is behaving unprofessionally, gathering evidence of poor conduct is advisable, so that you can show a lack of response to emails, or missed appointments, for example. More serious issues like falsifying records or writing negative assessments without proof of any alleged neglect or abuse should wherever possible, be backed up with evidence and attached to your letter or email. And always keep a record of everything you write, and share.
The most important people here are the kids, so if your child is not connecting with the social worker, or with their own social worker, that should also be mentioned in your letter. Depending on the age of the child involved in the proceedings, we would also recommend finding a child advocate whom you feel confident will amplify your child’s concerns, if you can. Attaching a letter or report from a child advocate where the advocate agrees a change of social worker is needed, will also help to show the social work manager that your request is in your child’s best interests.
If you know that you’re going to engage with your council over a child protection matter, getting your request in right at the start could help to increase the chances of the request being successful. As always, a polite ask combined with a reason (i.e. X social worker has been recommended by Y and I would love to work with him or her), is a good approach.
Making a complaint about your social worker signals clearly that something isn’t right. While we don’t recommend making a complaint for the sake of it, as this can lead to more tensions and the chance of families being penalised in the process, where a social worker is clearly part of the problem and not the solution, a complaint is a compelling way to make the point that a new social worker is needed. It is at that point, (i.e. while the complaint is being made), that you could ask for your preferred social worker.
If your request is not granted, do ask for a written explanation on why your request has been turned down.
The bottom line is, families can’t insist on a social worker and requests don’t have to be granted, but they must be considered, and backing them up with logical, clear and child welfare focused reasons will give your request weight and maximise your chances of success. It also makes the family court aware of issues that can get swept under the carpet.
You have the right to ask, so don’t be shy.
We would like to say a very big thank you to the brilliant Jane Doe, who inspired us to write this post.
Ian Josephs said:
Choose hanging or the electric chair????????
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Dr. Manhattan. said:
Ian you sound just as angry as the parents who have had their children stolen.
have you had a bad experience with the SS yourself ?
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Ian Josephs said:
Never ! But when I see them snatch babies at birth from mothers who have never had so much as a parking ticket ! Well then I know how to produce the necessary striking phrase !
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[Name Withheld] said:
parents who lost their children shouldnt be angry!!! how DARE they!!!
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Dr. Manhattan. said:
Its a good idea but in reality it doesnt work.
LAs will come up with all the usual reasons why you cant have a new one and thats that.
they always win as their legal team do all the thinking for them.thats what they are paid for.
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Natasha said:
I’ve worked with families where social workers have been changed out. It does happen.
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Dr. Manhattan. said:
it must be rare thats for shure.
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Natasha said:
Yes, that’s true, but not everyone who asks follows the steps in the post. I wanted to help families bolster their requests.
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jane said:
no use making a complaint standard response is as there are ongoing court procedures we can not investigate i do think stating you can change sw following these steps misleading as it never happens as said above ss have an agenda they hardly gonna let you have new sw who will maybe look at things in new light as they will then lose case have to pay costs and then admit they got it wrong in first place IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN if it did and there are GOOD sw’s they would surely be whistleblowing on bad practice ?
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tummum said:
‘If you know that you’re going to engage with your council over a child protection matter, getting your request in right at the start could help to increase the chances of the request being successful. As always, a polite ask combined with a reason (i.e. X social worker has been recommended by Y and I would love to work with him or her), is a good approach.’
This should be mandatory, all parents and children should be informed of their rights in writing first. I don’t recall seeing any guidance before on who is a good social worker and who isn’t, so its been left down to who other parents recommend (which is no good for ones who don’t own/can’t operate a computer or afford one) and now the good social worker guide by others experience.
It’s too late for many of us, but it’s a step in the right direction to help create positive change for both families and good social workers where up until now we’ve only mainly heard about the bad ones.
This blog post today, follows on perfectly from yesterday’s, for ones who say they cannot just choose their social worker. Now their chances will be improved, which is better than before not knowing how to go about it just risking getting a bad one.
Is it a case of behind every good social worker, there is a good manager/ess. With this research/directory (‘The good social worker’) only time will tell. xx
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Pingback: Can I Choose My Social Worker? | tummum's Blog
tummum said:
‘What defines a good social worker’ would be a great follow up post 🙂 xx
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Ian Josephs said:
A good social worker would be someone who took the mother’s side in court and got her baby returned to her ! Has anybody met one like that? Anyone got a name of the SW plus the name of the mother and the child she saved?
No their “good deeds are kept just as secret as the others if indeed they exist at all……
Maggie Mellon comes closest to being a good social worker because she is calling for reform .She was the vice chair of their association so could not be easily attacked and now I believe she has retired.
No Dr M I NEVER GET ANGRY even when I should but I do believe I have a certain gift with words that can arouse anger in others.especially those I target !
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[Name Withheld] said:
MY NURSING BABY WAS TAKEN FROM ME &ADOPTED WHEN I DID NOTHING 2MY BABY! I HAD NO DRUG USE NO RECORD OF ANY KIND! NO DRINK!BECAUSE WE (PARENTS)WERE POOR &I WAS NOT BRITISH I COULDNT GET HELP AND WE AGRGUED&THEY LABELLED IT AS DV WEN IT WASNT! MY CRIME WAS POVERTY
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[Name Withheld] said:
this is exactly what happened 2 me! over arguments! his family were Muslim and didnt support me bei g with Jim and he depended on him! they labelled it DC and then accused me of minimizing! I did NOTHING to my baby! this is EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED 2 ME
forcedadoption says:
Lord Dyson is Master of the Rolls (what are Rolls?) NOT President of the Family Division as that office is occupied by Sir James Munby !I have read the
judgemenf B-S (children) and despite the lofty sentiments therein referring to proportionality and adoption as a last resort the reality is somewhat
different……. A more accurate summing up comes from Thorpe .L.J when he said ““There is nothing more serious than a removal hearing, because the
parents are so prejudiced in proceedings thereafter.” ie the parents have literally no chance ! ;actually 1 in 400 as that is the number of care applications refused (judicial statistics ).
In thousands of cases domestic violence (often confined to noisy shouting) leads to foster care followed by adoption even when the mother has split from her husband/partner several months beforehand. Grandparents are turned down as alternative carers as “too old in their fifties” or” too friendly with the mother” . In none of the cases in which I have been involved has the judge carefully weighed up all the alternatives to adoption and given reasons for discarding them as decibed in the newly published judgement B–S(children).It just does not happen except in special cases cherrypicked by appeal judges to fool the world into believing that parents and children receive justice in our appalling family courts…………In the vast majority of cases parents and their children suffer “punishment without crime” ,and the worst punishment of all “forced adoption” is dished out to parents who have committed no crimes against children or anyone else for that matter! In 40 years time or thereabouts a shamefaced British Prime Minister will I predict make a fulsome apology for the outrageous cruelties that are now perpetrated in our family (kangaroo) courts but as usual it will for most be far too late……….
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Ian Josephs said:
I was going to congratulate you “name witheld” on a perfect summing up of the situation ! I then realised you were actually quoting me !!
You are so correct in any case .Sadly you lost your child like so many mothers
;Unfortunately social workers make their living taking children and they have “scorecards” to see who can take the most………..
Never take their advice ,never sign anything ,never go to their meetings,never let them in your house unless accompanied by police .IGNORE THEM as they have NO authority
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[Name Withheld] said:
And Ian that is what they are doing, or done in my case sent police. I wouldn’t let them in. Came with battering ram. My daughter opened door in end. Apparently there was only two (according to SAR) at least I would say 20. Arrested me for neglect. There was none kept me on bail (no unsupervised contact with Children under 16) until SS managed to get court order. Solicitor at police station said this is family law gave me number of family solicitor. The LA contacted solicitor or him them arranged a meeting for me to sign a section 20 with 7 days notice. Been set up from start to finish. I even sacked this solicitor without this knowledge as my gut feeling was something was wrong..he still had the cheek to turn up at next fc proceedings!
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Ian Josephs said:
Aways let the police into your house or flat but never let the social workers in unless they are with the police !Never sign a section 20 or anything else given to you ! Only sign for something you want to rent or but or similar .
Luckily a section 20 is voluntary care and you can take back your daughter whenever you like WITHOUT notice .You say there was a court order but if so why did they need a section 20?Represent yourself in court to avoid being gagged.
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[Name withheld] said:
I will never be possible to have good social worker s ever impossible unless they leave and change there career as with cuts budgets scared of losing there jobs meetings targets and most important of all comman nolige life experience that normally will only come with age good direction.this does not happen sw come from university straight into sw with a text book little suit smiley silly face given complex cases that they could never fairly without making mistakes be in charge of which is way beyond there nolige of life the book is ok to pas digree but above all is word nolige that can only be earned by life hummanerty is the key word.open mind don’t judge just because someone has learning difficulties.ie doesn’t make them less as a mother nor incompetent.so we go back to fresh young social workers this has damaged family s how dare they put these young people in charge of making such life changeing decision s contact I’ve seen my beautiful loved with every breath I take in mind every minute of the day more worry no than I ever did I can onisly say I think I could possibly die of a broken heart 💔 I’m in so much pain and to be told go get antidepressants will they stop me thinking 🤔 of my grandchildren will they sto0 the pain and heal the crying 😢 all day every day passing the school nursery park haveing his birthday pass her dession no calls because she’s in charge up to her she says every year I’ve put a paty made a cake bought presents of my choice im of kleen cariter yet I my grandchildren have no human rights how do these people sleep at night Nan what a world I haven’t been called that in 5munths and the way it is never again do you no the pain of that little thing the word Nan I actually thought I heard my grandchildren call me in supermarket other day I’m looking and I realised that a sw decided to tell lies on myself Evan thow I prove this wrong they don’t care so maneger s don’t care sw don’t care they will realise they make there own law if they want to disingage avoid no communication they can and do as there is nowhere to walk in phone 📞 that’s it so sorry there will never be good s was while money is king budgets cut you are not fit for purpose you are not social services definitely not services providers as there is no service communication deliberately avoided assessment s put in to court s nowing full well incorrect no legal aid so no defence they sw noes this they can’t lose how could a decunt human being work in that conclusion no good social work maybe good intentions but that don’t save family s
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Ian Josephs said:
I will I repeat believe there does exist at least one good social worker if anyone can tell me the name of any social worker who defied their local authority and testified in court for a parent thus helping them to sucessfully recover their baby or young child (previously marked down for fostering or adoption.
Has anyone, anywhere heard of such a person??
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Natasha said:
Yes, they’re on The Good Social Worker, and the reviews section has some feedback with users’ names where the users have given us permission to add them. We only share names if users give their consent.
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Ian Josephs said:
Well, when I get détails of court cases where the “good social worker” (named) sides with the family (named) against the local authority(named)(Once court proceedings have finished name can be released !)
I will apologise for my scepticism ! Until then I shall regard the “good social worker” as a myth !
There are of course many examples of bad social workers on multiple sights up an down the country !
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Dr. Manhattan. said:
Not i.
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[Name Withheld] said:
How can I change my caseworker I need info on change my caseworker
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Natasha said:
Hi, thank you for your comment. The post above explains how you can go about requesting a different social worker.
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[Name withheld] said:
Hello our assigned social worker for my mother in law [edited] is called [edited] not sure if the spelling
Not very happy with her approach and would like to arrange for a different social worker ideally Jason Johnson
On speaking to the on duty social
Worker [edited] he engaged really well with all my concerns
Jason was both informative and very honest
I breathed a huge sigh of relief after our conversation
I really don’t want to speak to [edited] again
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[Name withheld] said:
My social worker has lied about things in my perenting assessment saying my daughter wants to leave with her not the fact that she holds her hand out asking if she wants to go home with her then saying that she has to stay with mummy I am heverly pregnant with twins and I feel as if am being bullied
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