The Child Minder

I couldn't agree more: thanks to the web, this is the age of the often ill-informed "citizen" journalists and commentators and it is vital that the misinformation and worse for which many of them are responsible is countered by informed voices of reason.

As a journalist writing about the ongoing campaign against child protection professionals in the UK, I have had several comments from doctors and social workers who have wanted to comment on material I have written, either on the Guardian Comment is Free site, or on the British Medical Journal's online Rapid Response columns, but who were put off by (and I quote) the"madness" they encountered there.

I do appreciate their point - and the legal difficulties for those involved in child protection - but the endless stream of clearly one-sided "baby snatcher" stories drip-fed to the media has to be countered, if only in the interests of children. If nobody challenges this stuff, it becomes the "truth". All of these sites are Googled and when journalists and others search for key words it is not helpful if all they unearth is unchallenged fiction.

Take John Hemming's repeated claim that he knows of cases where babies have been taken from mothers solely because there was a chance they might suffer from post-natal depression. Now, I think this is rubbish and would love to be able to prove it. When I asked Hemming for his evidence all he gave me was the following link to an (entirely one-sided) article in a Welsh newspaper:

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=autistic-mum--8217-s-baby-taken-into-care&method=full&objectid=19418874&siteid=50082-name_page.html

I would be grateful for any comments and can be contacted through my website at www.gornall.info

I think it is vital that people who know about these things speak out when they see such rubbish in print and I agree with Maria: talking to Community Care would be a very good start.

Jonathan Gornall as usual tells part of the story. I am prevented by the FP(4) regulations from talking about details.

I have often had a excellent relationship with all the social workers I have worked with. The issue is this, social workers involved in child protection work have a very difficult task. That task is made more difficult by MPs who remain critical of their hard work. Funding across the health and social services is poor. In the end, social workers have a duty of care to protect the child.

Having been involved in issues of child protection ( from a adult psychiatry point of view), I know the social workers I dealt with were highly professional and were people who placed the child first.

Mr Hemming is not in the front line and has no idea of the trials and tribulations faced by social workers. I have often been extremely grateful for the help they have offered in terms of communication with me in child protection issues.

The voice of the social workers should be heard before Mr Hemming alienates the public against them.

I have often had a excellent relationship with all the social workers I have worked with. The issue is this, social workers involved in child protection work have a very difficult task. That task is made more difficult by MPs who remain critical of their hard work. Funding across the health and social services is poor. In the end, social workers have a duty of care to protect the child.

Having been involved in issues of child protection ( from a adult psychiatry point of view), I know the social workers I dealt with were highly professional and were people who placed the child first.

Mr Hemming is not in the front line and has no idea of the trials and tribulations faced by social workers. I have often been extremely grateful for the help they have offered in terms of communication with me in child protection issues.

The voice of the social workers should be heard before Mr Hemming alienates the public against them.

Apologies for the duplicate content above.

Social Workers may wish to read this

http://blogs.24dash.com/ritapal/2007/08/14/social-workers-do-a-fantastic-job/

They also have to believe that no member of parliament has the right to railroad their hard work or their reputation. It is therefore always important to fight back.

Best Wishes

Dr Rita Pal

The Child Minder - Examining the policies, decisions and events affecting the lives of the UK’s most venerable Children?

Examining the policies affecting the lives of the UK’s most venerable Children
Jonathan Gornall – “I think it is vital that people who know about these things speak out when they see such rubbish in print”
http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,,1732966,00.html

Examining the decisions affecting the lives of the UK’s most venerable Children
Dr Rita Pal – “In the end, social workers have a duty of care to protect the child.”
http://www.fassit.co.uk/the_young_victims.htm

Examining the Events affecting the lives of the UK’s most venerable Children
Maria Ahmed – “I always ask the question to social workers face-to-face, only to be met with a shrug and further sigh, accompanied by excuses of confidentiality”
http://www.fassit.co.uk/family_courts_secret_prisons.htm

If any social worker could point to a media story where Social Workers have apologised or admitted to acting on false information or making positive action which was a mistake I would be surprised. The lack of credibility is down to an arrogance about how social services present themselves to the media. Journalists and the general public are quite astute at smelling a rat when the same old PR cliches present themselves. Sometimes it is not an individuals fault when it all goes wrong, but decisions made by individuals sometimes leads to serious consequences for families and children, particularly when the social worker has been lazy or inept or overworked. The Public need to know when it goes wrong so the mistakes can be learnt from.

I have twenty years experience of social services and the care system and I can say with qualifaction care and social workers do FAIL children. I was repeatedly moved through the care system and suffered abuse and wittnessed the abuse of children AND their families. Social Workers and the system do not and can not protect children. I did suffer a negligent child hood, but my lord once I was recieved into care what i suffered was horrific. Doctors are failing children, they are not recognising abuse nor are the police, I'm shocked to discover in the news recently that in cases where a child has suffered abuse then it will be ommited from court and media records...disgusting. Open up the courts and prosecute those who commit purgury and those wh fail to follow proceedure, that goes for all involved in child protection.
Amanda