Help to complain If you’re a child in care, a child in need or a care leaver, your local council must offer you help to find an advocate who will help you to make your complaint. Meic, is an information, advice and support helpline for children and young people under 25.
If you do wish to request a change of Social Worker for your child then you should speak to the Social Worker first and then to their Team Manager. It is best to put a formal request for a change in writing, either a letter or email and you should keep a copy. Generally my advice is to cooperate with the Social Worker.
We are committed to ensuring our services are accessible. If you are unable to complete the corporate feedback and complaint form and need us to make reasonable adjustments so you can provide feedback or make a complaint, please email [email protected] or call us on 0808 196 2274.
You can contact the Local Government Ombudsman at any time about your complaint. They will usually want to see the complaint go through all three stages before they get involved. They will decide if they think we should take any further action once they have considered your complaint.
If something has gone wrong and you want to challenge a decision, try the following steps:
- Complain to the local authority by writing a letter.
- Complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.
- Ask a solicitor for help.
- Contact your MP to alert them to the problem you are having.
Some have asked ” can I tell social services to go away ” – If you tell them to go away, they won’t and you will end up in Court and there is then the risk that your children really will be removed. Be Honest. This might sometimes seem like a bad idea.
Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical ability.
Yes, you can sue social services for distress and potentially other damages too. As well as the figure that’s awarded for your psychological distress (which is known as non-material damages), you may also be eligible to receive material damages too.
What is neglect? Neglect is the ongoing failure to meet a child’s basic needs and the most common form of child abuse2. A child might be left hungry or dirty, or without proper clothing, shelter, supervision or health care. This can put children and young people in danger.
You can make a formal complaint using all the stages of the local authority complaints procedure. If you are unhappy with the outcome, you can complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman or consider a legal challenge by way of judicial review.
As soon as a child is subject to Section 47 CP enquiries, a single assessment should be started. Although there are 45 working days to complete an assessment, Section 47 CP enquiries will need to progress within a timescale that is commensurate with the identified safeguarding needs of the child.
CAFCASS is short for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. They are a public body that is completely independent of social services and the courts.
You can request a copy of any personal information that our helpline holds about you or your children. This could be information you’ve supplied or that you believe has been reported to the helpline by someone else. To make a request: email our Data Protection Officer on [email protected].
The judge is likely unless he or she considers that the evidence before the court suggests otherwise to take full account of the recommendations made by children’s services and the guardian.
In fact, unless a child is in danger, we will work hard with parents to help and support them so that the family can stay together. Of course where there is a serious issue of abuse or neglect we will protect children together with the police and other agencies.
While Social Services are expected to perform their duties to the best of their abilities, there are times when they have failed in their duty of care. If you feel that you have suffered traumatic consequences because of their negligence, you may have a right to pursue a claim against Social Services for compensation.
What are the common reasons social services would want to remove a child from a family? There are many reasons why a child could be removed from their home and placed outside of family and friends, but common reasons include abuse, neglect, illness, or abandonment.
An Emergency Protection Order can last up to 8 days, and then be extended for a further 7 days. Following this, if Social Services still believe that the children need to remain out of the care of their parents/carers they would need to apply to the Court for an interim Care Order.
Social workers assess physical aspects of the home environment. 2. This scale may appear judgmental, but workers necessarily make judgements about the safety, order and cleanliness of the place in which the child lives. The use of a list helps the objectivity of observation.
Responsibilities of a Social Worker
- Assess Your Client.
- Create and Implement A Treatment Plan.
- Secure and Refer Needed Resources.
- Evaluate and Monitor Improvement.
- Serve as a Client’s Advocate.
Other Hazards
Aside from having a clean and livable space, your social worker will also look to see if your home is free of any hazards. Make sure there is nothing that could make your home dangerous. This could mean ensuring wires are tucked away and unused outlets are covered.