Family and Friends Forum

Does anyone feel like they have the worst social worker ever?

Small is on a CIN, due to assessment team social worker saying it was the only way I could access support from SS.

Referred onto the actual social worker and oh my god. Firstly, it's been 2 months since we've been on her caseload and she doesn't seem to have done anything other than a few half assed Google searches and 2 badly organised meetings. The CIN review meeting was meant to have all professionals present, but she booked the meeting before asking if they could attend, so no officer in charge, no health visitor, not even her supervisor, just the social worker and us in a meeting room. She said she'd spoken to them, but didn't even bring a printout of their email, just read what they said in the referral report from 6 weeks prior and ad-libbed. She didn't bring any notes from the safety plan family meeting we had. Had no idea what a SHPO was, turned up 10 minutes late, her phone vibrated with a text and she said 'oh bugger off!' and slammed it face down on the table.

She's only just qualified and it feels like she's like 'I have my first proper case as a fully qualified social worker and its a juicy one! I'm so important' and completely ignoring the fact that this is our LIVES and she's meant to be there for smalls wellbeing, and my wellbeing, and she's just making it worse! The first time I met her she said 'Oh it's so much worse than teenagers. *I* heard he(my ex and father of small) had a video of a NINE year old' Completely ignoring the absolute tailspin hearing that information out of the blue sent me into. I was nearly sick and spent the whole rest of the day disassociating. Considering the CIN report states my mental health because of the stress of the situation is as much a concern as the nature of ex's arrest; it just feels like a blatant disregard of our wellbeing in order to make herself feel important.

I'm planning on ringing the Family Rights Group tomorrow because I don't know who else to go to, is there anything else I can do?

Update: Last week she insisted on telling the nursery. I asked for documents that stated she had to tell them. She sent two, both were general emphasising the importance of communication between agencies, and how important it was for all workers involved in children's care (nursery, school, etc staff) to have safeguarding training, and that they shouldn't hesitate to report it forwards to social services. I raised the point with her that social services were already involved, so they were already monitoring, that the nursery staff didn't need to know what his dad was arrested for because they had all had safeguarding training anyway. I've already agreed with nursery that ex isn't to step foot onto the nursery, and ex has agreed. At the minute I supervise all contact. The first time I met her I told her that my biggest fear was the lifelong impact this would have on our child, and then last week I told her that by telling nursery, she was setting off a chain of events where nursery knew, primary school would know, secondary school would know, and my child would have it hanging over his whole childhood. She said "well school will know anyway" but that's 4 years away!

Last week she said she wouldnt do anything until meeting me to discuss because she wanted to make sure I was happy with what she told nursery. Today she said "well legally I have to tell them" and I told her to show me in the law where it said that. She ended the meeting by saying she'd consult her supervisor and update me before doing anything.

Just had a text that she's already told the nursery. I am fuming. There are no words to explain how angry I am.