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aiting to happen
child abuse: frontline battle to provide support
I worked a neglect case three months ago, which I considered to be extremely serious. Two children under three years of age were living in appalling home conditions, with no access to health or education services due to the closure of a state-funded nursery. One parent has mild learning difficulties, the other has alcohol dependency issues. The family have been known to services since the birth of the first child. The family recently had a house fire and, if not for the vigilance of neighbours, would not have come out of it alive. I am on a duty team and completed a core assessment with the recommendation that this case should proceed to initial child protection case conference. However, my recommendation was rejected. I was advised this was a level two family support case, which are currently being stacked, therefore are unallocated until crisis point. It was subsequently closed a week later by the family support team and re-referred. I escalated my concerns to management and was advised to attend one family support meeting with the health visitor and someone from housing and then close the case. It is absolutely appalling, my local authoritys thresholds have gone through the roof. One young person was believed to be suffering from physical abuse from his mother and brother. The young boy was 10-years-old and regularly stated that he was tied to a chair and hit with a belt. This young boy displayed disturbing behaviour at school, for example, rubbing his faeces on the classroom wall. He physically attacked teachers and would abscond from home on a regular basis. Since mum denied this, the category of physical abuse was changed to neglect with a view to remove him from the child protection register within six months.

children

In one family there has been sexual abuse to several of the children by a family friend, However, the case has been downgraded to a team-around-the-child case even though there are very complex, ongoing issues such as the mother having the cognitive ability of a five-yearold and the effect of the sexual abuse to the children not being managed well enough. The family is still living in the massively overcrowded house where the sexual abuse took place. This is impacting on the childrens self care; the children dont want to enter the bathroom, where the abuse took place, so hygiene is now becoming an issue. It appears to me that rather than deal with the complexities as child protection concerns they are being seen as welfare concerns instead.

A lack of staffing on the assessment team meant a high-level, historic neglect case was reallocated to a newly qualified social worker. They closed the case and requested a common assessment framework instead. The family did not engage and there was clearly an inadequate assessment. Numerous complaints were made to managers to review the case. It was re-opened, reallocated and it is now in court proceedings to remove all the children.

I recently returned a 14-year-old to the care of her aunt after she had sustained injuries after being beaten with a bamboo shoot. It was not just the injuries that concerned me, but the overall treatment this child had received emotionally. She was treated as an outsider, expected to babysit her cousins all the time and afforded no leisure time. The childs self-confidence is at rock bottom and all she needs is proper care. But it was not viewed as a protection issue in light of her age.
ALAMY

14 April 2011 www.communitycare.co.uk

COM_140411_018 019 19

11/4/11 16:59:08