The trouble I've found with most "managers" is they may well be able to deal with the processes and procedures, but rarely have any great knowledge in how to deal with "people" in terms of incentivising them to give of their best, or deal with " people " when THEY need help.
Is this really about being a good or a bad manager? If a report is made to anyone in the managerial chain that a child is being abused, then not processing it by either escalating it or directly dealing with it (as the escalation can only go so far can't it, before action is necessary - but dealing with it - and knowing how is the best way to deal with it - may be beyond a certain grade) is not down to good or bad management is it? - ignoring it is wilful and beyond incompetence. Ignoring child abuse reports is not about being a bad manager, but more an uncaring human being.
Is this really about being a good or a bad manager? If a report is made to anyone in the managerial chain that a child is being abused, then not processing it by either escalating it or directly dealing with it (as the escalation can only go so far can't it, before action is necessary - but dealing with it - and knowing how is the best way to deal with it - may be beyond a certain grade) is not down to good or bad management is it? - ignoring it is wilful and beyond incompetence. Ignoring child abuse reports is not about being a bad manager, but more an uncaring human being.
I was thinking of managers I've dealt with not, in that particular case.
It's not about ignoring it ... it's about not being able to do the impossible, and having to make the most invidious of choices ...
My experience of working in Children's Social Services is of social workers working many hours of unpaid overtime, day after day, week after week, in tears in the office because they are exhausted and are having to decide whether to visit a child who might be being abused, or a child they know is being abused ... they only have the time to visit one of them and are already working way past going home time and their own children are with childminders ... Their manager has no one else available ... and nowhere to place the child if they do remove them ... all foster placements are full so what are you going to do? By the way, very often they don't claim the overtime hours 'because there's no budget for it.'
The team working to recruit new foster carers are short of funding, and anyway it's not advisable to place an abused child with newly trained but inexperienced foster carers, and the local authority pays its foster carers far less than Barnardos or similar so it's harder to recruit.
How many couples here feel inclined to apply to foster abused children ... think very hard about the risks to yourselves and your own children ... it's not something I would choose to do ... and I've seen it from the coal face.
Children who have been abused need mental health support ........ have you ever tried to get mental health support for an abused child? There are waiting lists for waiting lists. And that's before you get to the discussions about who's responsible to fund it ... the child comes from Norfolk and was placed with Norfolk foster parents who've now moved some 100 miles away because of the husband's job. Either the psychologist who was working with the child and has established trust has to travel to the child, or should a new psychologist nearer to the child's new home be appointed and have to start all over again? All these things have to be negotiated with the budget holder who is further up the management hierarchy and who decides priorities ... all this takes time out of the social worker's day.
Emergency Duty Teams are mainly staffed by newly qualified social workers ... older more experienced workers are emotionally burnt out after a few years of working in Child Protection ... the newly qualified workers are young and enthusiastic ... but totally inexperienced in life let alone in the sort of things they're going to come across ... they know the theory, but they're not experienced enough to be tough and cynical ... that's not their fault ... they do their best.
I didn't start work in that field until my own children were grown up, and I have no grandchildren. I could never have done the work I did or contemplate the things I came across, had I young children in my family ... I could never have slept at night.
So don't blame the social workers ............. it's not them who are abusing children.
How many people voted to elect politicians and councillors who promised to put taxes up to pay for more social workers, more foster carers and more mental health workers and therapists?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The frustration yesterday (and with a similar report on BBC Six O'clock news) - borne of my eternally simplistic views on life - was that the 'inaction' was being partly justified on ongoing disputes between the local and central governments. And the discussion here goes toward whether loc gov managers are good or bad - or doing a 'good job'. All of which totally detracts from what happened to the kids in care. There was a human responsibility to the kids in care that was just abjugated.
I cannot print the words my hubby said after hearing about Lambeth on the news last night. Am with you Hosta, nearly all my managers were only interested in covering their own a****s. Hubby went back to his old company yesterday,(,new manager last year,about 10 years old,no managers experience) EVERY SINGLE person is job hunting. Several have requested to speak to HR,which is at the head office. One right old middle age,tough nut is off due to stress,caused by bullying,from new manager. They were given new contract,told to sign them straight away without reading. One new item, buried in said contract,they will be expected to work alternate Saturday WITHOUT pay
How many people voted to elect politicians and councillors who promised to put taxes up to pay for more social workers, more foster carers and more mental health workers and therapists?
I'd go further. How many people have ever contacted their MP to say " I'm more than happy to pay more tax to cover the cost of "more social workers, more foster carers and more mental health workers and therapists, doctors, nurses ,teachers etc etc" ?
Paedophiles are very devious people ... they've learned to lie to themselves and to others ... they are experts at sounding plausible. I'm automatically suspicious of anyone who wants to work with children ... I find it hard to believe why anyone would want to work in a children's home ... awful hours, insulting pay rates, exhausting work, huge responsibilities, and the possibility of being investigated and worse because of unfounded allegations by children who have learned from their abusers how to manipulate situations.
Anyone from here going to apply to work in a children's home or encourage their family members to do so?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Lambeth situation is more complex than local vs national government. Did you hear that one investigation was run by a police officer or ex officer who had a management investment with one of those involved?
I think this is just corruption allowing abuse. It's also a symptom of the historical view that you cannot take a child's word without an adult backing them up.
I was born in the early 70s and even I know of a serial abuser in the first years of education at my primary school. We all did, the kids that is. We knew all about that teacher, her style/technique for abuse, her selection method and even her private life problems that adults used to excuse it happening to other people's kids. Any parent complained and the head threatened them with ruining their kids' chances by marking them out as trouble makers throughout their school life. Most parents had more than one child at that school so that's a threat that worked.
Whilst that's physical and psychological abuse it wasn't sexual abuse which means it's not considered as serious. I tend to agree with that but it's still a serious matter. It was wholly a result of the time. Authority was still held by teachers. Plus it was still a fact then that teachers look after each other over the kids? Harsh? It's what I saw at school. All the parents (and a lot of the kids) in the surrounding villages who had kids there knew about it. Being so well known it makes it institutionalised abuse due to the blind eye being turned by all!
That's what we're talking about. Children were always considered not credible witnesses. I think it has only been more recent incidents that has created the environment where authority listen to kids who have been abused. I think it happened about the time of me too campaign. That to me is very positive for the future.
BTW there's a newly qualified social worker in our extended family. She's proving to be very well suited for the work. There are people who can do it and do it without burning out. Once knew another. She was a psychology graduate who went into social services and ended up chairing meetings where they decided whether to carry out interventions to remove children from parents (often without any prospect of then going back). Her role was something that had an average of 9 months before people moved on. She was nearly 2 years doing it!
The issue is funding now as always but back then a culture perfectly designed for abusers. Even if caught they could expect to be protected by a cover up. We are not in today times as much, not that it cannot still happen.
One last point. People often point to social services not being up to the job. There is not just one picture here. There's truly good social services out there. They support their people, train them well and overall as a result of their best practice protect kids in their area very well. Leeds has possibly one of the best departments. The issue is there isn't best practice everywhere. Whether that's lack of funding by the county council or incompetence of the bosses. We need, sorry kids need, all council social services to be run like Leeds run theirs. Best practice protects kids and the people working there.
Posts
My experience of working in Children's Social Services is of social workers working many hours of unpaid overtime, day after day, week after week, in tears in the office because they are exhausted and are having to decide whether to visit a child who might be being abused, or a child they know is being abused ... they only have the time to visit one of them and are already working way past going home time and their own children are with childminders ... Their manager has no one else available ... and nowhere to place the child if they do remove them ... all foster placements are full so what are you going to do? By the way, very often they don't claim the overtime hours 'because there's no budget for it.'
The team working to recruit new foster carers are short of funding, and anyway it's not advisable to place an abused child with newly trained but inexperienced foster carers, and the local authority pays its foster carers far less than Barnardos or similar so it's harder to recruit.
How many couples here feel inclined to apply to foster abused children ... think very hard about the risks to yourselves and your own children ... it's not something I would choose to do ... and I've seen it from the coal face.
Children who have been abused need mental health support ........ have you ever tried to get mental health support for an abused child? There are waiting lists for waiting lists. And that's before you get to the discussions about who's responsible to fund it ... the child comes from Norfolk and was placed with Norfolk foster parents who've now moved some 100 miles away because of the husband's job. Either the psychologist who was working with the child and has established trust has to travel to the child, or should a new psychologist nearer to the child's new home be appointed and have to start all over again? All these things have to be negotiated with the budget holder who is further up the management hierarchy and who decides priorities ... all this takes time out of the social worker's day.
Emergency Duty Teams are mainly staffed by newly qualified social workers ... older more experienced workers are emotionally burnt out after a few years of working in Child Protection ... the newly qualified workers are young and enthusiastic ... but totally inexperienced in life let alone in the sort of things they're going to come across ... they know the theory, but they're not experienced enough to be tough and cynical ... that's not their fault ... they do their best.
I didn't start work in that field until my own children were grown up, and I have no grandchildren. I could never have done the work I did or contemplate the things I came across, had I young children in my family ... I could never have slept at night.
So don't blame the social workers ............. it's not them who are abusing children.
How many people voted to elect politicians and councillors who promised to put taxes up to pay for more social workers, more foster carers and more mental health workers and therapists?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Anyone from here going to apply to work in a children's home or encourage their family members to do so?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I think this is just corruption allowing abuse. It's also a symptom of the historical view that you cannot take a child's word without an adult backing them up.
I was born in the early 70s and even I know of a serial abuser in the first years of education at my primary school. We all did, the kids that is. We knew all about that teacher, her style/technique for abuse, her selection method and even her private life problems that adults used to excuse it happening to other people's kids. Any parent complained and the head threatened them with ruining their kids' chances by marking them out as trouble makers throughout their school life. Most parents had more than one child at that school so that's a threat that worked.
Whilst that's physical and psychological abuse it wasn't sexual abuse which means it's not considered as serious. I tend to agree with that but it's still a serious matter. It was wholly a result of the time. Authority was still held by teachers. Plus it was still a fact then that teachers look after each other over the kids? Harsh? It's what I saw at school. All the parents (and a lot of the kids) in the surrounding villages who had kids there knew about it. Being so well known it makes it institutionalised abuse due to the blind eye being turned by all!
That's what we're talking about. Children were always considered not credible witnesses. I think it has only been more recent incidents that has created the environment where authority listen to kids who have been abused. I think it happened about the time of me too campaign. That to me is very positive for the future.
BTW there's a newly qualified social worker in our extended family. She's proving to be very well suited for the work. There are people who can do it and do it without burning out. Once knew another. She was a psychology graduate who went into social services and ended up chairing meetings where they decided whether to carry out interventions to remove children from parents (often without any prospect of then going back). Her role was something that had an average of 9 months before people moved on. She was nearly 2 years doing it!
The issue is funding now as always but back then a culture perfectly designed for abusers. Even if caught they could expect to be protected by a cover up. We are not in today times as much, not that it cannot still happen.
One last point. People often point to social services not being up to the job. There is not just one picture here. There's truly good social services out there. They support their people, train them well and overall as a result of their best practice protect kids in their area very well. Leeds has possibly one of the best departments. The issue is there isn't best practice everywhere. Whether that's lack of funding by the county council or incompetence of the bosses. We need, sorry kids need, all council social services to be run like Leeds run theirs. Best practice protects kids and the people working there.