Conflict of interest

[juniper]

This is quite a complicated issue but I'll try to keep it very brief for clarity.

My daughter, who has been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, has had a nightmare 18 months with her ex partner (the father of her two children, 5 and 7 years old) and social services.

They are the subject of a safe guarding order (emotional harm) which has now been raised to a PLO.

There are two main points here (within a multitude of others).....

1> If he (the father) get's custody, God forbid, he will hurt them both emotionally and physically (this is already happening during his three access visits per week)

2> The social worker's bias and complete lack of impartiality is staggering. She 'spins' every transgression he makes to the point of incredulity.

....ourselves, my daughters extended family, her support network and even some of this social workers co-workers (edge of care worker, family conference facilitator etc) have expressed
surprise and disbelief at some of her decisions.

I made a formal complaint to her team manager, the LA complaints officer and even the head of childrens services at the LA. All I received was a scripted response which basically informed
me that as I do not have parental rights with the children I should shut up.

Now the kicker.....it has come to light that this social worker, when directly questioned by her team manager, has confirmed that she and the father were both part of the same 'social group'
in the recent past.

No other information was forthcoming, they're trying to play it down. 'Social group' isn't defined nor the timeline not the nature of the relationship.

My question is, is this not a serious conflict of interest? Why was this information not voluntarily disclosed at the outset??

Thank you for any advice offered.

Juniper

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Juniper,

Welcome to the parents' board and thank you for your post.

You say in your post that your daughter has 2 children who are subject to the PLO process. You have concerns about the children's father and say that he is an emotional and physical risk to the children. He is currently having contact three times a week. You say that you are concerned about the social worker's conduct and lack of impartiality. You have made a formal complaint but have been told but are not satisfied with the response. You are also concerned that the social worker has disclosed that she was recently part of the the same social group as the father. You would like to know whether this is a conflict of interest and why this was not disclosed.

Firstly, in relation to the formal complaint you made - whilst you may not have parental responsibility, you do have a right to make a complaint if children’s services consider you have a ‘sufficient interest’ in the child’s welfare. For more information about making a formal complaint, please see here.

It is difficult for me to advise on the extent to which the social worker's past interactions with the father may amount to a conflict of interest. Social workers are held to a capabilities framework, standards and code of ethics, which demand transparency and integrity. Therefore, any potential conflicts of interests should be disclosed. I would advise that your daughter request in writing, from the team manager, a copy of the local authority's policy on conflict of interests; why this was not disclosed sooner; what decision has been made going forward and the reasons for this.

If your daughter is not satisfied with the response she receives, I would advise that she make a formal complaint.

Best wishes,

Suzie.

[juniper]

Thank you so much Suzie for not only this but also all the hard work you put in here!

Best regards

Juniper