The Improvement of Social Worker Services - Case Study Example

Child Protection Introduction: The tragic deaths of Victoria Climbe and Caleb Ness have initiated public inquiries into such deaths. Caleb Ness was an 11 week old infant who died of hemorrhage in the brain caused by violent shaking1. The mother was a drug addict and the father pleaded guilty to homicide. The Inquiry reached the conclusion that the death was an avoidable one and that neither parent should have been allowed unsupervised care of the child. In the case of Victoria Climbe, the child was murdered by her great aunt Marie-Therese Kouao and her boy friend Carl Manning. The government set up a statutory inquiry led by Lord Laming, into the events that surrounded her death’ (Laming, 2003) and reached the conclusion that the tragedy could have been prevented if there had been intervention early enough2. The Victoria Climbie Report also corroborated the findings on earlier inquiries that showed a failure to intervene early enough. Notably, the Report identified the following weaknesses in service: “poor co-ordination; a failure to share information; the absence of anyone with a strong sense of accountability; and frontline workers trying to cope with staff vacancies, poor management and a lack of effective training…”3 These reports have highlighted the need for better levels of children’s services in order to prevent such deaths and abuse of children. Social worker services: There has been strong opposition to the system of child protection in the UK, questioning the extent to which intervention by practitioners can be ascribed legitimacy, therefore the system operational within the UK was classified as a residual model with fierce public opposition to intervention.4 As a result, social workers and early years practitioners tended to focus upon actual cases of abuse rather than adopting a preventive stand to protect children, which led to a limited intervention policy. On the other side of the coin, there was outrage at the tragic deaths of children, where “ineffectual intervention by incompetent social workers”5 was perceived to be the cause of failure to provide adequate protection to children. This resulted in an increased focus on the identification and prevention of child abuse and neglect, which has shifted the focus of the debate on highlighting the needs of children. Legislation in favour of children: In the UK, the Children Act of 1989 states that in any provision or decision made by the Courts, “the child’s welfare shall be the Court’s paramount consideration.”6 This Act places the responsibility on Councils with Social Service Responsibilities (CSSR) to safeguard the welfare of children in their area.7 In Scotland, a similar degree of importance has been attached to the ascertainment of the child’s views, wherever possible.8 The Children Act (Scotland) regulates family relationships and also clearly sets out the duties and powers of local authorities and other agencies in regard to child welfare and protection. UK’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, prevention of abuse and assistance in recover; together with making the child’s interests paramount, have become a primary consideration for Scottish society9. An integrated approach to Child assessment In bringing about a more effective child protection network, responsibility cannot be placed exclusively upon social workers or one particular agency. National child protection guidance in Scotland includes guidelines for all agencies on cooperation between agencies, as well as specific guidelines for health professionals and education departments. Guidelines exist at the national, local and inter agency levels.10 There is also provision for any person to make a referral if they are concerned about a child’s welfare or suspect the child is being abused; for example it could be a teacher, a health worker, a relative, a friend or concerned adult. A referral can also be made if the parent is in financial need or is on some form of substance abuse, because it could impact upon the child’s needs. Investigations must be mandatorily carried out by case workers and this is to be followed by case conferences and hearings to determine the welfare of the child.11 Lord Laming’s12 inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie has led to the development of the Every Child Matters Program13. This program stresses an integrated services approach that is free of discrimination and offers practical support. It also proposes that a separate Children’s Commissioner be appointed in order to watch out for and put forward their views. This Program has also supported an interactive approach where information is shared between all public authorities, including medical and social service personnel to provide the most effective framework for coping with the problems faced by children. The Children Act of 2004 also has some significant provisions that are specially geared towards protecting children and ensuring their welfare, by emphasized an integrated approach whereby there is coordination between various public organizations and an obligation placed upon local authorities to work in coordination to ensure that desirable outcomes are achieved for the welfare of the child.14 In addition, every area is to have a Local Safeguarding Children Board and a range of organizations are expected to participate and provide assistance to children.15 The Government has also drafted the Children and Adoption Bill of 2005. The basic premise of this bill is that where the rights of parents are considered, this will only be to the extent that it is necessary in the consideration of the welfare of the child. This bill contains several far reaching provisions, such as allowing for adoption in cases where parents are unable to provide necessary care or where physical, mental or emotional harm is being caused to the children by one or both of the parents. The “Working together to safeguard children”16 guideline provides information and guidelines on how individuals and agencies can work together to safeguard the welfare of children. These guidelines are addressed to all practitioners and senior managers in organizations which have a responsibility for ensuring the welfare of children. The guidelines include a set of outcomes to train social workers and other practitioners in providing safeguarding services, as well as examples of local protocol to work successfully with sexually active children under 18 years of age. They also spell out clearly the various kinds of advisory, support and legal services that are to be provided through a coordinated inter-agency approach in order to safeguard children. Conclusions: Sustained emotional abuse affects a child’s mental health, behavior and self esteem. Violence and conflict between parents is often a cause of emotional deprivation and neglect, which impacts upon the ability of children to form attachments, hindering growth, intellectual, social and educational development. In many such poor families, there is no wage earner and the problems of poverty may be exacerbated by drug or alcohol abuse, all of which can lead to depression and lack of care for children, who are forced to living in unsanitary, overcrowded conditions, poor diets, low immunity to diseases and lack of educational and other opportunities17. In addressing the needs of these children, the major emphasis of the research in the field of child protection therefore needs to be shifted away from the current assessment of risk and the need to protect18 towards a more interactive service, where it is not only public bodies and organizations that work together for the welfare of the child – but also through the incorporate parental perspectives and a focus upon bringing about change within the family network itself, for long lasting solutions and prevent exclusion and discrimination It is important to adopt an integrated approach in providing care. It is necessary for all professionals to maintain a close watch on the children they serve and to spot signs of abuse. Adults interacting with children also need to be vigilant for any indications of abuse, so that it can be immediately reported to the authorities. There is a delicate balance between ensuring the child’s safety while also preserving and protecting the privacy of the family. As a result, effective policy guidelines can help professionals to carry out the necessary investigations and intervene only in cases where it is deemed necessary in order to protect the welfare of the child. The provision for case conferences where all adults who are concerned about the welfare of the child may participate, is a good option to ensure that the child’s interests are served. However, as highlighted by the Children’s Act, the primary consideration is to determine the wishes of the child so far as possible, in deciding upon its welfare, hence it is important to make the child a part of these hearings and allow the child to express his or her own views. Policy and Practice must be better coordinated and integrated and new structures such as preventive services and children’s trusts must be considered and integrated into the local service systems19. Proposals have been mooted for the independent evaluation of children’s trusts over the course of the next three years20. Provision of social and child protection services needs to be refined according to regional needs, in order to make it more effective and to identify troubling issues as quickly as possible21. There is also a need to introduce and successfully implement anti discriminatory child care policies in order to ensure that maximum protection is provided to children through an understanding of the various contexts within which child abuse occurs. Bibliography * Children’s Act of 2004 * Children (Scotland) Act of 1995 * Children Act of 1989 * DfES, 2003. “Every Child matters” [online] available at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/everychildmatters * HM Government, 2005. Working together to safeguard children: A Guide to inter agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children” * http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/ AE53C8F9D7AEB1B23E403514A6C1B17D.pdf * Laming, H (2003) The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, London: HMSO, * Parton N (1985). The politics of child abuse. New York: Macmillan * Report of the Caleb ness Inquiry” Executive Summary and recommendations. Retrieved October 31, 2007 from: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Attachments/Internet/Council/Council_Business/Council_publications/Social%20care%20publications/Caleb_Ness_Summary * Scottish Executive (2002) Its everyones job to make sure Im alright (Scottish Executive) Retrieved October 31, 2007 from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/11/15820/14025 * Whitaker, D, S and Archer, J, L (1989), Study 9, Research by Social Workers. Capitalizing on Experience, London: General Council for Education and Training. * Woodcock, J (2003) “The Social Work Assessment of Parenting: An Exploration”, British Journal of Social Work: 33, 87-106. Read More