Making a complaint
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Social services have been awful during this whole process but what gets me is this:
my child (teen) is additional support needs (autism) now my child is in mainstream school with some support and is excelling in all subjects. It's mainly the social side of things that are a struggle. Now, the SW has always spoke to my child as if they do not understand a word being said. When asked about what they know about the charges they told the SW everything (I have kept my kids up to date. They are both teenagers and fully understand everything. Especially as they were at home when the knock happened) The first SW told my child they were not allowed another adult with them when he attended the school to speak my child. This new SW is just as bad. She has recently told me that she will need to have an age appropriate discussion with my kids about the charges so they know what it is. When I said they already know I was asked did my ASN child really understand given the autism could make it hard for child to understand. You can imagine my anger at this comment.
my question is this, can I make a complaint for discrimination against a protected characteristic? Has anyone else made a complaint against SS and had a positive outcome?
my child (teen) is additional support needs (autism) now my child is in mainstream school with some support and is excelling in all subjects. It's mainly the social side of things that are a struggle. Now, the SW has always spoke to my child as if they do not understand a word being said. When asked about what they know about the charges they told the SW everything (I have kept my kids up to date. They are both teenagers and fully understand everything. Especially as they were at home when the knock happened) The first SW told my child they were not allowed another adult with them when he attended the school to speak my child. This new SW is just as bad. She has recently told me that she will need to have an age appropriate discussion with my kids about the charges so they know what it is. When I said they already know I was asked did my ASN child really understand given the autism could make it hard for child to understand. You can imagine my anger at this comment.
my question is this, can I make a complaint for discrimination against a protected characteristic? Has anyone else made a complaint against SS and had a positive outcome?
Hi,
I can understand your anger and frustration that she would question your child's understanding. I don't think this would fall into discrimination unless she had said something like your other child can have unsupervised contact but your autistic child can't because of their additional needs.
You should be able to find guidance about how and when to make a complaint on your local authority website. If you don't feel like the sw is working with your family towards the goals that you and your children want then you could either put in a complaint or request a change of sw. Have they done any assessments or recommended any work to be done in order to satisfy them that your children are safe? xxx
I can understand your anger and frustration that she would question your child's understanding. I don't think this would fall into discrimination unless she had said something like your other child can have unsupervised contact but your autistic child can't because of their additional needs.
You should be able to find guidance about how and when to make a complaint on your local authority website. If you don't feel like the sw is working with your family towards the goals that you and your children want then you could either put in a complaint or request a change of sw. Have they done any assessments or recommended any work to be done in order to satisfy them that your children are safe? xxx
I'm not a solicitor by any stretch but yes they are breaking laws if they discriminate against a disability which is a protected characteristic: Its the equality Act 2010.
and you can also look at breaking their own codes of conduct:
Professional Standards:Social Work England's professional standards include a requirement for social workers to act with professional integrity and to ensure their work does not disadvantage individuals on the basis of protected characteristics. This means they must not discriminate against people based on disability or any other protected characteristic.
and you can also look at breaking their own codes of conduct:
Professional Standards:Social Work England's professional standards include a requirement for social workers to act with professional integrity and to ensure their work does not disadvantage individuals on the basis of protected characteristics. This means they must not discriminate against people based on disability or any other protected characteristic.
I gave them a very detailed safety plan back in January. They were happy with that. Now he's going to court tomorrow they have changed their mind.
background: he was sent iioc amongst adult photos. It's been proven he didn't ask for or look for the images. His lawyer said to plead guilty as the images exist and it ends things quicker.
SW talks to my child like they are a little child all the time. It's awful. My child is very articulate but she seems to overlook that.
SW has also lied. Told me she contacted CAMHS regarding getting my child help as been on waiting list years. Advised me to call and say she had been in contact to be told no one from SS has ever contacted them.
She said my other child had not been at school the day she went in. I called the school and child had been in every class that day.
Her latest lie is saying my husband had said he was pleading not guilty and that his lawyer said he will get away with it. She said this in front of the CJSW. The look on my face said everything. I have been here every time she's come out and that was never ever said.
background: he was sent iioc amongst adult photos. It's been proven he didn't ask for or look for the images. His lawyer said to plead guilty as the images exist and it ends things quicker.
SW talks to my child like they are a little child all the time. It's awful. My child is very articulate but she seems to overlook that.
SW has also lied. Told me she contacted CAMHS regarding getting my child help as been on waiting list years. Advised me to call and say she had been in contact to be told no one from SS has ever contacted them.
She said my other child had not been at school the day she went in. I called the school and child had been in every class that day.
Her latest lie is saying my husband had said he was pleading not guilty and that his lawyer said he will get away with it. She said this in front of the CJSW. The look on my face said everything. I have been here every time she's come out and that was never ever said.
Keep a diary of all meetings and all conversations. Ideally have some of your other family support there at the meetings as witnesses, make your own notes so you can refer back to exact dates. Our information was incorrect and they kept making mistakes and forgetting details or not bothering to provide updates. However our case is now closed and after my first experience of querying or pushing back against something I did not believe was in my child's interest (and was proven right when they had a meltdown and cried hysterically about it) was not good. Our case was escalated because I wasn't "engaging" by disputing their advice. So I haven't complained at risk of them coming back into our lives. If I could complain anonymously without them knowing it was me....I would have enough to write a damning novel length report.
I always had an open mind about social services (despite consensus from everyone I know that their CAHMS support is woeful). But now I've been on this side of it my personal experience is VERY different. I won't write what I really think but it's a long list of really long negative words.
I always had an open mind about social services (despite consensus from everyone I know that their CAHMS support is woeful). But now I've been on this side of it my personal experience is VERY different. I won't write what I really think but it's a long list of really long negative words.
Whilst I have no experience of complaints against SS. I have found the formal complaints procedure to be the only way to get a response out of our police force, I'm currently on my third complaint along with reporting them to the information commissioner office and my partner currently has a complaint which has been escalated to the professional standards department, and were only six months in.