The Children's Services Blog

£1.2m fund for girl gang rape and sexual exploitation victims

2012-02-10T10:19:00Z

The government is to provide £1.2m of funding to help girls involved with gangs who are raped or sexually exploited by male members, the Home Office announced today. More detail here.

If you're worried a child or young person you're working with has been, or could be, sexually exploited, try our free interactive tool to help you identify key warning signs and action plans.

You might also find this helpful: CC Inform guide to safeguarding children and young people from sexual exploitation: Identification; response and prevention

ITV's This Morning discusses social work issues today

2012-02-10T10:12:06Z

Just heard ITV1's This Morning is going to be discussing social work issues today - following the rise in care applications - with BASW's Nushra Mansuri on the show.

Apparently it's on at 11:30am and the item is being called 'social services question time' (or something like that). If you're not lucky enough to be by a TV with your feet up you can watch here instead. Do let us know what you think if you catch the programme...

Youth justice board plans "unacceptable" says Howard League

2012-02-09T14:21:39Z

Custodial decisions for children should be based on safety and evidence of their efficacy, rather than costs, according to a briefing by the Howard League.

Published today, Future Insecure, follows the deaths of two children in custody and news that the Youth Justice Board is to decommission a total of 17 beds in secure children's homes.

In an open letter to YJB chair Frances Done, Howard League chief Frances Crook appealed to the board to retain the use of beds in secure children's homes.

Crook said it was "unacceptable that nearly 2,000 children are to be left languishing in young offender institutions and secure training centres".

Is 'Baby P effect' behind record care applications?

2012-02-09T12:47:01Z

The news that care applications hit a record high last month has been picked up widely today, as has the (much-speculated about) connection with the Baby P case - that social workers are more risk averse following the death of Peter Connelly (pictured).

That's one of the reasons explored on the BBC Today programme this morning, but not the only one. Listen here for the full discussion, with contributions from social worker Anne Farmer, ADCS president Matt Dunkley and Anthony Douglas, chief executive of family courts body Cafcass here.

Whatever the reason, social workers have warned that the referrals spike - without extra resources - is having a disastrous affect on their stress levels and ability to provide good child protection services.

Government's "nonsensical" family justice plans will set social workers up to fail

2012-02-08T13:22:25Z

Nushra Mansuri, professional officer for the British Association of Social Workers, on why she believes the government's plans for a six-month time limit on care cases are "nonsensical" and likely to set social workers up to fail.

The government's response to the family justice review recognises (on page six) that the current system is "under strain" with substantial increases in case volumes - a 10% increase in public law cases over a 12 month period and a doubling of cases since 2008.

It is therefore incredulous that, in a climate of austerity where the mantra is 'more for less', we are expecting an already overstretched and beleaguered workforce to somehow work miracles in reducing delays in cases. It is nonsensical. But worse than that, this will set practitioners up to fail and will lead to more children being let down rather than protected.

It also seems a million miles away from the Munro report which espouses a learning culture, as opposed to a blame culture, and the removal of arbitrary and unnecessary targets that curtail practice rather than empower it to effect positive change.

This is not good news for the social work profession where people are already working around the clock to do the best job they can in difficult circumstances. Even the chair of the review panel David Norgrove said, in one of the regional seminars, that he recognised things were going to get worse before they get better. That's a powerful statement.

Norgrove also repeated the government's promise of there being no more money in the light of any reviews and we know the current agenda is all about so-called 'efficiencies'. Efficient for who I wonder? I am not aware of children being the beneficiaries of such measures.

The trend for government consultations is to carry out impact assessments. I would like to know if anyone has sat down and counted the cost of these proposals to some of the most vulnerable children in the country.

Perhaps it is poignant, that this week we celebrated the bi-centenary year of Charles Dickens' birth. If he was alive today, what would one of this country's greatest campaigners for children's rights make of such reforms? Reach for his quill no doubt and offer some social commentary to this sad state of affairs.

Protecting Our Children: Social worker Annie responds to your reactions and comments

2012-02-08T12:53:54Z

Annie Semphill, the social worker seen in Monday's episode of Protecting Our Children, responds to comments and questions from viewers, including those who took part in Community Care's live panel debate.

I couldn't quite bring myself to read all the reaction online as the programme was aired, but I got a good choice selection from my husband throughout the evening.

I feel really honoured by the praise and appreciation shown for our work, but we were really just doing our jobs. I'd like to share some of the warm words that were posted online with all the social workers in Bristol. It was very encouraging, if also a bit embarrassing.

One of the surprising areas of interest was a fascination with the security guards who accompanied me on visits to Shaun and Marva. Because of our long history with the couple I knew Shaun could be unpredictable with a tendency for violence. It did make me feel safe to have two large uniformed men standing behind me as I approached their front door.

I was less worried by the dog as I felt Shaun could keep control of him and wouldn't risk using him in a dangerous way.

Many Community Care readers wondered why I was off sick towards the end of the case, shown in the film, and asked if this was because of the emotional burden the case had on me. I wasn't off due to stress - I had quite a serious virus - but I think the case did exhaust me and made my recovery longer than it might otherwise have been.

I think the film successfully showed the supportive atmosphere in which I was working. Emotional turmoil comes with the territory when you're a social worker but I did feel it more in this case. We'd had such a long involvement with Marva and I really did have some cautious hope for her this time as the experience of dealing with the family had improved enormously.

There was much legal discussion behind the scenes on this case. It might not have been the focus of the programme, but there was a lot of preparation with colleagues to ensure that if we did need to move to care proceedings it could be done smoothly without delays.

The BBC filmed with me, Arthur, Shaun, Marva and all the other supporting colleagues for a good seven months to produce an hour's worth of television. I think it did convey the complexity of the decisions involved and was emotionally sympathetic - both to my profession and Shaun and Marva.

I am heartened to see the number of comments from social work students online who are now further encouraged to qualify.

The final episode of Protecting Our Children is on Monday Feb 13, BBC2, 9pm.

Protecting Our Children episode 2: Your views

2012-02-07T12:31:15Z

Last night's episode of the BBC series Protecting Our Children seemed to provoke an even more positive online reaction than the first - even winning over some of the first film's critics.

In particular, there was huge praise on Twitter and our live debate for the empathetic and calm-headed approach of social worker Annie (pictured) - seen supporting young couple Shaun and Marva during their fourth pregnancy - and her manager Arthur.

There was animated discussion, and some amusement, at the sight of Annie flanked by two burly security guards during home visits. (The security guards, like the social workers, were employed by Bristol Council for all the viewers who asked last night).

There was debate around the role of adult services in child protection cases, to support parents with mental health and substance misuse problems - as we saw last night. And of course there was the all-important question of whether the series will improve the public perception of social work. (Most viewers said they were hopeful but not quite convinced yet.)

Here's a quick round-up of views, thoughts and reflections from the web (more to follow soon):

@VjLupton (via Twitter)
Even more sure I'm doing right by getting my degree after #protectingourchildren amazing people making a difference.

@CathyAshley Family Rights Group (via Twitter)
Very moving #protectingourchildren. Sympathetic portrayal of all involved. Complete respect for social worker & her manager.

@mwilliamsthomas (via Twitter)
Half way through prog- very impressed so far - Annie a credit to the profession @ComCareChildren #protectingourchildren"

@mrspentleton (via Twitter)
#protectingourchildren. Massive respect 2 the SW. Massive respect 2 the foster carer. Everyone should watch this. Pay attention media!

@SteveDonnan (via Twitter)
Social workers get such a bad rap, I think they do an incredibly difficult and dangerous job. Takes great strength #protectingourchildren

@BASW_UK British Association of Social Workers (via Twitter)
Social worker showing great resilience & empathy, lets hope her other 14 cases are not as challenging!

And you can replay our debate from last night here:

Protecting Our Children: Episode 2 live chat

Protecting Our Children episode 2: Lessons for social work

2012-02-07T09:00:00Z

by Dr Lucy Rai, senior social work lecturer at the Open University

In the second episode of the BBC series Protecting Our Children we followed the pregnancy of a young couple, Marva and Shaun.

The pair had already had three babies removed from them and posed a significant risk to their unborn child, due to their chaotic lifestyle and severe alcohol abuse. We saw Annie, their social worker, trying to engage with them to minimise the harm to their unborn child. This episode also provides a number of valuable lessons for social work.

Assessing the safety of an unborn child

The risk to Marva and Shaun's baby began before birth. The level of alcohol Marva was drinking, together with her overdoses and lack of personal care, placed the unborn baby at considerable risk. Intervention at this stage could only focus on supporting Marva to prioritise her health and self care, which was no easy task when her self-harming behaviour was driven by depression and her relationship with Shaun.

Meeting the needs of children is so often only possible through meeting the needs of parents. Marva came heartbreakingly close to letting go of her destructive relationship with Shaun in order to prioritise her own health and that of her baby.

Managing emotional work

Last night's episode illustrated very poignantly that recognising and working with emotions is a central part of social work. As Annie said at the end of the programme, the time to stop working in child protection is when you stop feeling.

Annie could only build a working relationship with Shaun and Marva by acknowledging their feelings of loss, anger and anxiety. Arthur, Annie's team manager, also showed during supervision how important it was for Annie to express her changing feelings about the work.

The pain in this story, tempered only with occasional moments of hope and exhilaration, provides an important lesson about the importance of keeping feelings at the centre of good social work practice.

Harsh decisions

The decision to separate Marva from her baby affected everyone involved in the case profoundly. It illustrated the kind of social work recommendations that keep children alive.

Responsibility for such decisions remains with the court. In this case, the court will have taken into account the vulnerability of such a tiny baby and the level of risk posed by the child being in the sole care of parents with a history of extreme alcohol misuse, overdoses and, in Shaun's case, violence.

In this context, to wait until harm has actually taken place may well be too late.

The Open University co-produced Protecting Our Children, in partnership with the BBC. Dr Rai provided expert input into the development of the series.

Government responds to Family Justice Review

2012-02-06T15:53:10Z

The government has finally published its formal response to David Norgrove's family justice review - and it's not without controversy.

Although it accepts almost all the review's recommendations, Norgrove has already criticised the government's announcement on shared parenting following divorce or separation. (He said don't do it. Ministers look like they might.)

For social workers and children's guardians, the biggest news is probably the confirmation that the government will introduce a statutory six-month limit on care cases by 2013. (But this shouldn't come as a huge surprise given the government's position on this back in November.)

Those I've spoken to have mixed feelings about the deadline. Some feel confident it will speed up decisions and reduce delay (some children wait 55 weeks for their case to be completed), while others are adamant the deadline will only heap more pressure on a struggling system.

One guardian said: "We could see some poor practice if people are just desperately trying to meet deadlines." Nushra Mansuri, professional officer at the British Association of Social Workers, previously told me: "It won't help reduce delay. Most social workers don't have the resources to complete care cases in six months so this could just be setting them up to fail."

Barnardo's chief Anne Marie Carrie said the deadline would reduce delay, but acknowledged the difficulties of meeting it. "We must not underestimate the challenge in achieving this, with record numbers of care applications having been received in the last half of 2011," she said.

Maggie Atkinson, children's commissioner for England, said she recognised the challenge "in ensuring that all essential evidence is placed before the court within this timeframe".

The government also announced plans to implement the review's recommendation for a co-ordinated family justice system, including a single family court across England and Wales, and a Family Justice Board.
Family courts body Cafcass will move from the Department for Education into the Ministry of Justice by 2015, to "bring court social work functions closer to the court process". And courts will be expected to rely less upon expert evidence - another controversial reform.

BBC Protecting Our Children director: How the programme was made

2012-02-03T13:16:21Z

by Sacha Mirzoeff, series director of the BBC's documentary series Protecting Our Children

Find out all you need to know about Protecting Our Children and take part in a live chat with experts during the screening.

There are some areas of society where it's said to be impossible to make morally responsible films. Typically the media has chosen to cover social work by going undercover and making investigative programmes. Sadly the end results are often sensationalist films that demonstrate a lack of understanding of the complexity of the work.

And so the bandwagon of poor media coverage of social work trundles on...

I feel that there is a way of approaching any issue in a documentary as long as there is a clear understanding from all about what is being tackled and how best to do it.

The director of children's services at Bristol council, Annie Hudson, was open to our approach to show the day-to-day complexities of child protection work. It took months of effort and negotiation to draw up a working protocol that ensured the welfare of children, families and social workers was protected.

We finished with a working protocol, written up by the council's legal department and ratified by the senior family court judge in Bristol. It worked for everyone. On the one hand, it was tougher than the Children Act in terms of identifying children in the public domain during and after proceedings. But on the other hand, it gave the BBC freedom to be able to continue filming during proceedings - as long as everyone was in agreement that it was fine to do so.

Each social worker was given the choice about whether to participate in the series. Understandably only a small number came forward at first. For those that did, we went through their cases together and discussed the families that might be suitable to approach. Of course even smaller numbers of families agreed to take part. It took months of patient asking before we had enough material to start making the films.

Even with a protocol, how could we at the BBC tell if we were doing the right thing? We ended up doing the opposite of what many filmmakers strive to do. We rescinded control rather than holding on tight. As many of our contributors are extremely vulnerable, we used a system of rolling consent whereby they, or any of the professionals working with them, could pull out right up until transmission.

After showing the practically finished films to everyone involved we listened and reacted to their comments. Lawyers, court-appointed guardians, council solicitors, council heads and area managers, our legal advice, editorial policy, our own childcare consultant, the seniors in the BBC and most importantly of all, the families and social workers we filmed, all had their say. It took a long time but we could then rest safe in the knowledge that the end result was balanced, accurate and fair.

Protecting Our Children is on Monday February 6, BBC2, 9pm.

Campaigners disheartened following child benefit defeat

2012-02-02T10:41:19Z

Yesterday morning campaigners were desperately hoping for a reprieve on child benefit cuts -and were even feeling cautiously optimistic - after peers and bishops voted decisively against the measures, contained in the government's Welfare Reform Bill.

By yesterday afternoon that had all changed. MPs had overturned the Lords' defeats, with David Cameron even deploying a controversial parliamentary tactic, according to reports.

Enver Solomon, policy director at The Children's Society, no doubt reflected the views of many campaigners when he said: "The government has today made life more difficult for some of the poorest and most vulnerable children in the country."

He added: "The vote to include child benefit when calculating the benefit cap means that more than 220,000 children have an uncertain future as they and their families will struggle to pay for fuel bills, basic essentials or, in some cases, the roof over their heads.

"It is particularly disheartening the government has voted through cuts of up to £1,400 a year for as many as 100,000 disabled children. This will have a significant impact on day-to-day living for families with disabled children, including buying essentials like food and clothes."

BBC Protecting Our Children: NQSW has her say

2012-02-01T12:11:58Z

As if taking on your first social work case wasn't nerve-wracking enough, imagine doing it in front a BBC film crew and, a year later, having your practice scrutinised by people all over the country. Susanne, the NQSW seen on the BBC's Protecting Our Children, has her say here and reacts to viewers' comments.

"I'm quite relieved that my episode has now gone out.

After many months of filming (you can see the changes in the weather), attending the official BBC screening and doing pre-publicity press interviews, I can now reflect on the experience.

"Most of the commentary I've seen across Twitter, various blogs and the Community Care pages has been positive about what we were trying to achieve with Mike and Tiffany - the couple whose care of three-year-old Toby was in question.

"It's interesting to see how black and white views have been and that a lot of people are sympathetic to Mike and Tiffany's situation, as well as to what I and my managers were looking to achieve for Toby.

"I've also seen a lot of commentary from professionals about the various steps and interventions they think should have been attempted with Tiffany in particular.

"While I can't go into detail about their family life, beyond what you see in the programmes, I would like to reassure the social work community that there were many strategies attempted with the family before Tiffany makes her decision about adoption. This did not happen quickly without many opportunities for reflection. As I am on the community team I only take cases that would have seen around three months worth of work from my colleagues in duty.

"There were also several comments about what my caseloads might be. So for those who are still curious, Toby was my first major case, allocated on my second day. During the months I was filmed I was dealing with between 11 and 17 other cases.

"Now I am looking forward to watching my colleagues in episodes 2 and 3."

BBC Protecting Our Children: Your views

2012-01-31T13:17:51Z

Toby is three. He does not talk, he still wears nappies and he has frequent violent tantrums. He lives in a cramped flat in Bristol with parents who love him but are failing to meet even his most basic needs.

Dad Mike is utterly bewildered by fatherhood, yet convinced of his right to parent. Mum Tiffany is loving, but depressed and overwhelmed. Their relationship is volatile. Bruises and two large fingerprint marks have recently appeared on Toby's skin.

So what would you do if you were a newly qualified social worker and this was your first case? That was the unenviable predicament facing Susanne (pictured right) during the first episode of the much-anticipated BBC documentary series Protecting Our Children.

A huge buzz has been building about the series and, as expected, the programme provoked debate and excitement. For a profession dogged by criticism and misunderstanding, this was a rare chance to see a more accurate picture of social work in the national media.

Around 1,000 viewers participated in a live Community Care debate during last night's film, while supportive messages - and inevitably, some less so - flashed up on social media sites.

Here's a round-up of some of your views and reactions:

Dgorky (via CareSpace): "A powerful documentary. It will be the basis for training in child protection. The programme is a reminder of the ethical dilemmas of social work: protecting the vulnerable people like Toby and respecting the the parents' wishes."

BASW_UK (via Twitter): "Well done to Bristol children's services for opening their doors."

@jb_barrister (via Twitter): "My analysis was that it was quite balanced and showed a reality in Britain seldom seen on TV"

@Linda1892 (via Twitter): "Good insight into the dilemmas faced by social workers of ensuring child's needs are met....and the pain for everyone"

@hopeandbelieve (via Twitter): "Love is NOT enough #protectingourchildren such a difficult case for all"

Natalie Wyatt, social worker (via Community Care debate): "I'm pleased it features neglect - not as 'sensational' as the other forms of abuse, difficult to evidence but a huge part of the job... Excellent to see more experienced staff supporting Bristol's NQSWs."

Yvalia Febrer, social worker (via Community Care debate): "Putting oneself in this child's shoes is very upsetting, but very illuminating."

RP (via Community Care debate): "It was very good to show that Social Workers cannot remove children by themselves."

And if you want to see all the comments from our live debate for yourself - you can replay the whole event using the box below.

Protecting Our Children: Live discussion

BBC Protecting Our Children: Valuable lessons for social work

2012-01-31T13:11:29Z

by Dr Lucy Rai, senior social work lecturer at the Open University

The first episode of the BBC social work series Protecting our Children, screened last night, vividly confronted viewers with some of the classic challenges of child protection.

Mike and Tiffany's care of three-year-old Toby was in question due to bruises found on his arm. But, more significantly, we saw signs of generalised neglect and developmental delay. Newly qualified social worker Susanne, with the support of her manager and team, had to assess the harm posed by the chaotic and emotionally volatile environment in which Toby lived.

As professionals, we can take valuable lessons and insight from the cases, methods and outcomes shown in this episode, Damned If They Do, Damned If They Don't.

Assessing and acting upon neglect:
Assessing and acting on neglect has always been challenging. It involves not only appraising parental capacity and willingness to change, but also judgements about the degree of harm caused by the physical and emotional care provided to a child. The complexity of teasing out environmental, genetic and generational parenting capacity will be familiar to many childcare professionals, as will the agony of waiting for evidence to emerge while a child fails to thrive. In last night's episode we saw that, as in many neglect cases, gathering information for a fair assessment takes time and can be complicated by crises or changes in events.

Poor generational parenting capacity:
The painful consequences of poor generational parenting capacity were portrayed particularly well in this programme. Tiffany and Mike were not cruel or uncaring parents, but neither grew up with the emotional care and cognitive stimulation that would have enabled them to meet Toby's needs. But although their unhappy childhoods explained the source of their incapacity as parents, this did not enable them to provide safely for Toby.

Building relationships with families:
The process of assessment and separation - when Toby is taken into foster care - did, however, lead Tiffany to the agonising decision that both Toby and his newborn sister should be adopted. Tiffany's actions are not typical but highlight the importance of building relationships with parents to enable them, where possible, to act in the best interests of their children, even if this ultimately means separation.

Collaborative working and supervision:
Social work is so often portrayed through parents and practitioners in conflict over children's welfare. Last night's episode was a rare opportunity to see the benefits of genuine collaborative working, but achieving this was by no means easy. Mike was confrontational and evasive, Tiffany demonstrated empty compliance and Susanne was initially anxious and inexperienced. However, the programme illustrates the strength of effective professional supervision and teamwork which supported Susanne through the anxious months of initial assessment and, eventually, legal intervention. Such supervisory and team discussions are vital for social workers to reach safe judgements which are appropriately guided by a complex mix of professional knowledge, emotion and moral sensibilities.

Moral dilemmas:
Moral dilemmas are clear when confronted with chaotic homes such as Mike and Tiffany's. We saw the social workers involved reacting with different degrees of concern to the unsanitary conditions. Through shared observation, discussion and a clear focus on the child's welfare, the decision was made that not only were conditions unacceptably poor, but change was unlikely .

The Open University co-produced Protecting Our Children, in partnership with the BBC. Dr Rai provided expert input into the development of the series.

Protecting Our Children social work director: we have a duty to be more open

2012-01-30T16:27:08Z

BBC documentary Protecting Our Children followed a team of Bristol child protection social workers for two years. Despite the obvious risk the series has a crucial role to play in raising public awareness, writes Annie Hudson, the council's director of children's services

Find out more about the programme and take part in a live debate about the issues raised

It would be strange indeed if I said I never had an anxious moment about the prospect of Bristol's social workers appearing on national TV.

But although there were obvious risks involved, we believed the series would help to raise public awareness of the intrinsically invisible and private activity of social workers.

It offered the chance to show some of the daunting situations faced by social workers and their managers, as well as the wide repertoire of skills and the fine judgements needed to make difficult decisions.

I also believe we have a duty to be more open about what we are doing, thus encouraging more informed debate about the issues which social workers grapple with on a daily basis.

It helped that Bristol had already worked with the BBC on a similar series seven years ago, called 'Someone to Watch Over Me'.

Critical to our agreement to participate was our confidence that the programme makers were not looking to make 'quick fire' documentaries about 'shocking' stories, but instead were committed to following events and relationships unfold over a longer period.

Establishing the 'rules' for consent was crucial and included some groundbreaking work with local courts. Our overriding concern has been that filming should not undermine children's' interests or get in the way of the work needing to be done.

I have huge admiration for the courage of social workers, families and other professionals in agreeing to be filmed. The experience to date has been largely positive and there is a real emerging sense of pride in having participated amongst staff, both those filmed and others.

The programmes cannot and do not show child care social work in its entirety; nor do I expect public or professional consensus about the practice issues shown. What I hope is that they give the general public a flavour of both the challenges of child protection work and professional integrity of practitioners.

The litmus test will be whether the films contribute to a better public understanding of the realities of childcare social work, thereby undermining the dire stereotypes that are often the currency of public debate.