Thursday, February 14, 2013

Proposed Family Bill - SW no longer required to promote contact with Parents of Looked After Children

Social workers no longer obliged to promote contact with birth parents

The government hopes new legislation will prevent birth parents from having unregulated contact with adopted and looked-after children
Picture credit: Isopix/Rex Features (Picture posed by model)
Picture credit: Isopix/Rex Features (Picture posed by model)
Friday 08 February 2013 16:52
Social workers will no longer have a duty to promote contact between birth parents and children in care under new measures in the children and families bill, which was laid before parliament this week.
Instead social workers will be obliged to ensure contact arrangements have “clear purpose”, as set out in the child’s care plan. Contact will be subject to the social worker’s duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child, and legislation will specify areas social workers should consider when deciding on contact arrangements.

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However, the government decided not to go ahead with its initial proposal of a presumption of 'no contact' once children have been taken into care.
The bill will also toughen up contact arrangements for adopted children. Social workers will be able to ask courts for a ‘no contact’ order when they apply for an adoption order. It would only take effect once an adoption order has been made.
Once adoption has been decided as the plan for a child, birth parents will have to ask courts for permission to apply for contact and must meet tougher criteria to do so.
BAAF: Legislation 'too crude an instrument'
The changes are intended to prevent birth parents from using social media to have unregulated contact with adopted and looked-after children.
However, John Simmonds, director of policy, research and development at the British Association of Adoption and Fostering, said he felt legislation is too crude an instrument to tackle this issue.
“How do you police it? Is it going to become a criminal offence if birth parents try to do this? I’m not sure these changes will make a lot of difference. What we need is more high quality support for birth parents, adoptive parents and social workers to navigate these complex issues,” he said.
However, he agreed the current duty to promote contact sometimes allows birth parents to intimidate social workers into allowing contact, even if it's not right for the child.
The government also included an annexe to its response to the consultation, which included the various recommendations for social worker training and practice from those consulted. It has promised to work with the sector to improve practice.
'Insult to social workers'
Nushra Mansuri, professional officer for the British Association of Social Workers, said it was a little insulting to imply that many of the problems came down to social worker training.
“Contact forms a large part of the social worker decision making process and we already spend a lot of time and thought on this. What would be more helpful is to allow social workers more time and opportunity to update themselves on the latest research and think about it in relation to their current practice.”
Related articles
Government announces major reforms in children and families bill
Life inside a modern adoption team
- See more at: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/articles/08/02/2013/118901/social-workers-no-longer-obliged-to-promote-contact-with-birth-parents.htm#sthash.eSrsfviw.dpuf

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Shropshire Star Reports Shropshire child case worker is struck off

February 9, 2013 10:59
A Shropshire social worker accused of a string of failures to conduct or complete assessments and to keep accurate records has voluntarily struck himself off his professional register.

As a result disciplinary proceedings against William Goodwillie, who worked for Telford & Wrekin Council, have been dropped by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).

The withdrawn allegations claimed he was guilty of misconduct and by reason of ‘misconduct and/or lack of competence’ his fitness to practise was impaired.

It was alleged he had failed to conduct an initial assessment on a two-year-old child who had a repeated pattern of head injuries.

In its decision to withdraw allegations the HCPC says it has acted ‘on the basis Mr Goodwillie wishes to be removed from the HCPC Register voluntarily’.

An HCPC spokesman said: “Mr Goodwillie has admitted the allegation in full and has undertaken not to practise as a social worker.”

To view this article directly from the Shropshire Star News [online] click on the hyperlink below: (if the link does not automatically open, you can manually enter the URL in your address bar)

http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2013/02/09/shropshire-child-case-worker-is-struck-off/


Tuesday, February 05, 2013

From News Archives | 1997, March 8th | SS Chief Jailed for 20 Yrs

Social Services Chief jailed for 20 years' abuse Judge condemns 'perverted lusts' By MATTHEW BRACE | INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER | Saturday 08 March 1997

A "career paedophile" was jailed for 18 years yesterday for a string of sexual assaults against children in care. Several of the men and women he abused over a 20-year period clapped and cheered from the public gallery of Chester Crown Court as Keith Laverack, a former senior social services manager, was sentenced.

Passing sentence, Judge Huw Daniel summarised two decades of horrific
abuse dealt out by Laverack, saying it was unquestionably the most serious case of its kind he could remember and that it would cause tremendous public outrage.

The 52-year-old had denied 20 charges of sexually assaulting young people during a career of more than 20 years as a teacher and headmaster at children's homes in Cheshire and Cambridgeshire. However, the jury of eight women and four men found him guilty of 15 of the charges - 11 of buggery and four of indecent assault.

Laverack stood with his head bowed in the dock, occasionally closing his eyes as Judge Daniel passed sentence. The judge told him he had taken advantage of damaged children to satisfy his "perverted lusts", knowing full well all his victims wanted was love, affection and security.

"None of those young children you buggered consented to what happened
to them. They were raped, many of them, by you with violence and force. They submitted through fear of violence," said Judge Daniel, adding that there was little else the children could do, and they were humiliated and oppressed in their own minds by what happened to them. "They had to live with it for years, locking it away, trying not to think of the appalling things you did to them," he said. "You made them go through the ordeal of having to recall what happened to them and suffer what many of them regard as public humiliation by having to go through the whole thing in public in giving evidence.

"You were merciless to them at the time and you showed no mercy when you were found out. You abused your position of power, the position of trust in which you were, in the worst possible way." Judge Daniel told Laverack he had abused the children at every available opportunity.

"You were confident you could get away with it because the system
allowed you to get away with it and you ensured the silence of these children by threats and sweet talk, confident in the knowledge that if these children did complain they would not be believed," he said.
"It is worthy of note that your career paedophilia started the moment you
became a master, the first permanent appointment you had at Greystone
Heath [approved school in Warrington, Cheshire] at the age of 21 or 22 and behaved that way until 1987 or thereabouts - a period in excess of 20
years." The judge said there had been three distinct periods of abuse on boys and girls at the three children's homes, and there had to be consecutive jail
sentences of six years on the buggery charges relating to each home. He
said while there had been gaps in between where Laverack appeared to
have controlled his urges to an extent, he had reverted to child abuse on every occasion.

When the applause from the public gallery died down after Laverack was taken away, Judge Daniel told the abuse victims in court: "I hope this has brought some substantial consolation to those who suffered at this man's hands." The court once more erupted into applause.

Sunday, February 03, 2013

The Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005 effect on Children Act 1989

The Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005 effect on Children Act 1989

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