Community Care is calling for accurate, balanced and accountable reporting of social work in the media. To get the ball rolling we're going to hold the media to account by keeping tabs of coverage on TV news and programmes, radio, and local and national newspapers. We'll recognise the best examples of good coverage and name and shame those responsible for bad coverage. If you see a good or bad article or TV show, share it with us below - particularly examples from your local media.
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this was posted on here in a different forum
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/carespace/forums/bristol-mum-told-she-cannot-keep-baby-because-she-3576.aspx
Good and about time too
Yes lets praise the few good stories
It's hard I know ...but you have to try.....go on
Thanks for this minimin - keep them coming as we only have six weeks before the awards are announced!
Here's one that is making my blood boil as I type because I have actually been involved in a very similar situation myself. Firstly, there is no way on earth that a magistrate would grant a warrant without good reason. Magistrates can refuse requests for warrants and they do. Second - the 'snatching' would be under a Guardianship or Mental Health Act power that would need to have doctors involved as well.
It is a plain false account of a situation as we can hardly go in and 'snatch' people without having exhausted all possibilities and being acutely aware of any other possible alternative. Especially against family advice.
The situation I encountered was, as I say, quite similar to the one described and the woman in question was in immediate risk. I would be surprised if that wasn't the case in this situation.
Thanks to cb for posting a link to the Daily Mail article. I'm going to write a letter from ComCare and send it to the Mail and the other publishers that are running similar stories.
cb has kindly said that it's ok for me to draw from the above post. Does anyone else have observations/corrections to add? If so post here or email me so I can include them.
Also see this comment about the Mail story on the Fighting Monsters blog.
I've added a few points as we know from a local newspaper that they were actually removing Mrs Figg to assess her in a place of safety under the Mental Health Act.
Things that don't fit together:
An IMCA can only be appointed if there is a family member if there is good reason to believe that the family member would not be acting in the patient's best interests.
Court granted a warrant
The decision to assess would be made in a multi-disciplinary team led by a consultant
The doctor must have been present along with the social worker
This is nothing to do with 'social services' as the social worker - acting as an AMHP - has to act independently.
I keep thinking of more things as I go!
Any thoughts on this latest offering from the Telegraph?
I'd say let her go full on for legal action because then at least we'd have a better idea of what happened - but if they used the mental health act then it isn't social services who would be defendents but rather the mental health trust.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/105909/EXCLUSIVE-Social-workers-stole-my-children
this is something that hotbox found and posted in another thread and after reading it i was so incensed i hd to post it here, what a pile of tripe......
try this link here
Thanks - I'm going to take a look now. HotBox2009 suggests that Community Care and all our readers should write letters of complaint to the Express. I think that's a great idea. I'll post a link to Community Care's letter when it is done.
By way of an antidote to all the negative stories... Community Care has been working with leading real-life magazine Take a Break and today it has done a really positive article looking at the difference social workers make. It's in the edition out today - well worth picking up a copy if you get the chance.
Our article about it is here.
kymb21 noticed another positive piece about social workers on the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/jun/23/residential-care-social-workers-listowel
Doesn't fit with the title of this thread, obviously, but I do think it is nice to celebrate the positive as well as the negative.
Daily Mail 27.06.09 Headline: Toddler kicked to death by babysitter, Social Workers knew she was in danger but did nothing.
Sorry don't know how to do a link but it's about a mother who is a heroin user who left her 3 year old in the care of a 15 year old for a few hours while she collected her benefits. The 'babysitter' had a history of violent offences and killed the toddler whilst she was in his care.
Children's Services are blamed for failing to place this child on the 'at risk' register (when will the media get this right - subject to a Child Protection Plan) due to the fact the that the mother was a heroin addict and there had been reports of domestic violence albeit not from the 15 year old (at least this is my interpretation from the article).
Social Workers, slated once again!
There's an article here (not sure if it's been shown or discussed anywhere) by the Guardian focusing on getting rid of social works blame culture, allowing social workers to make complaints without being sacked and eliminating the fear of social workers making mistakes in practice.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/jun/25/social-work-baby-p-victoria-climbie
Article in the Telegraph here . Don't read the comments unless you have a strong stomach!
Here's one I've just been having a look at. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1197703/Social-workers-betrayed-reveals-foster-mother-says-failed-mention-teenagers-violent-past.html
I'm pleading for some positive stories. I'm really tired of reading these stories which knock social workers down.
It is sad how members of the public think of social workers that way. However a lot of people I speak to have the utmost respect for social workers. I think it's about time the positive stories come out. What's important is that the vast majority of social workers are brilliant at their jobs and deserve to be praised.
Just read this article on Bromley News page where social workers have talked about how the negative images of social work. It goes into detail about the work they do, their success and how the media has damaged the image of social workers. So something positive:
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/4466686.BROMLEY__Top_social_worker_attacks_negative_image/
Has anyone wrote to their local newspaper? On the article a social worker has written anonymously also which may encourage social workers to step forward, whether speaking anonymously or not.
cb: Here's one that is making my blood boil as I type because I have actually been involved in a very similar situation myself. Firstly, there is no way on earth that a magistrate would grant a warrant without good reason. Magistrates can refuse requests for warrants and they do. Second - the 'snatching' would be under a Guardianship or Mental Health Act power that would need to have doctors involved as well. It is a plain false account of a situation as we can hardly go in and 'snatch' people without having exhausted all possibilities and being acutely aware of any other possible alternative. Especially against family advice. The situation I encountered was, as I say, quite similar to the one described and the woman in question was in immediate risk. I would be surprised if that wasn't the case in this situation.
Was highly amused to find one of the comments was that Social Workers don't live in the real world. This came from a Mail reader!
I would suggest that if you want to find balanced, or even vaguely intelligent reporting on any subject the Mail may not necessarily be the best place to look.
EmmaM: By way of an antidote to all the negative stories... Community Care has been working with leading real-life magazine Take a Break and today it has done a really positive article looking at the difference social workers make. It's in the edition out today - well worth picking up a copy if you get the chance. Our article about it is here.
I think that inadvertently you have put your finger on why there is not unbiased reporting in the media. Each publication has it's own agenda, as usually do their rich and powerful owners.
If we are to call on the media generally to be fair and balanced I think there has to be some lead given. It is great that a trashy magazine would veer away from comparing how much body fat various odious celebreties may or may not have, but 'leading real life magazine' - who says, and based on what criteria?
I would think there would be many magazines which cover a whole range of topics with a better claim to that accolade.