Social worker unprofessional

[J4190]

Ive been asking for meeting minutes off a meeting i couldn't attend, ive asked 3 or 4 times and even confirmed my email address, are they allowed to do this , they haven't told me im not aloud them , what are my options

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Johnson4190

Welcome to the parents’ discussion board. Thank you for your post. My name is Suzie. I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser.

I am sorry to hear about the difficult experience you are having with children’s services. You explain that you have requested minutes of a meeting that you were unable to attend. It is understandable that you want to know what was discussed and decided at the meeting. Although you have made several requests, the social worker has not yet sent you the minutes. I am sure this is very frustrating. You want to know what you can do about this and whether children’s services can do this.

You haven’t said how you are related to the child/ren involved, whether you have parental responsibility or what type of meeting you were unable to attend. This could be relevant to the advice given. It would be a good idea for you to call the advice line to speak to an experienced adviser who could clarify your exact situation and provide more targeted advice. However, I hope that the information below will help too.

There are timescales and policies which govern the distribution of minutes of certain types of meetings such as looked after children reviews (when a child is in care). Please see here for more situation if this is your situation. If the meeting was a child protection conference then the Chair of the conference is responsible for agreeing the minutes before they are circulated. There will be a local policy which sets a timeframe for distribution of conference minutes.

However, in most other situations, the social worker is responsible for taking and sending minutes to parents/carers who attended or who were unable to attend the meeting.

It is not ok that the social worker has not responded to you at all or provided an explanation for any delay or told you if there is any reason they are not able to provide you with a copy of the minutes.

As you have had no response to date then there are several options open to you. It is always best to try to resolve matter amicably if possible. Please see this guide to working with a social worker for some tips on how to address communication difficulties.

• You could contact the social worker in writing again, copying in their manager, reminding them that you are still awaiting receipt of the minutes of the meeting you missed. You could explain that you need the minutes so that you are up to date with the current plan for the child/ren and to allow you to work in partnership with children’s services. It is a good idea to ask for them to be sent to you by a set timescale and that if this is not possible or if there are any reasons why the social worker is not able to share the minutes with you that they provide those reasons in writing, referring to the relevant policy or legislation.

• If you have no response, or are unhappy with the response you receive, you can consider making a complaint, please see here for more details on how to do so. The complaint is passed back to the social worker involved and their manager at stage 1 of the complaints process to try to resolve it.

• You can make an access to records request (Data Subject Access Request) to ask children’s services to provide you with the information they hold about you and your children. If you just want a copy of the minutes (not all the information held) then say so in your request. You will need to provide some identification. They should provide you with the information in one month or provide reasons if they refuse your request. We provide guidance on how to make a request in advice sheet 6 a) accessing records held by children’s services: personal information about families.

I hope that you children’s services respond promptly and positively to your request for the minutes. You can post back or speak to an adviser if you have any queries about this or children’s services’ involvement with your family. The freephone helpline number is 0808 8010366 and lines are open from 9.30 am to 3.00 pm, Mon to Fri (except bank holidays). You can also send an enquiry via our advice enquiry form or use our webchat service.

With best wishes

Suzie

[Winter25]

Hi Johnson4190,

I've just read your post and the adviser's reply. Your frustration is completely justified. To be ignored when you are asking for vital information about your own children is not just unprofessional; it is a serious professional failure on the social worker's part.

The adviser has laid out the official routes for you (complaint, Subject Access Request), and while that information is procedurally correct, those routes are slow. A formal complaint will take weeks. A Subject Access Request (SAR) gives them a whole month to reply. You need the information now so you can understand the plan for your child and participate properly.

You need a strategy that gets you a result in days, not months.

Your Urgent Action Plan: The Formal Demand
The key is to stop asking politely and to start making a formal demand that is professional, recorded, and escalates the issue beyond the individual social worker.

You need to send an email to the social worker and, most importantly, copy in their direct Team Manager. You can usually find the manager's email on the council's website or by calling the main switchboard for children's services.

Here is a template you can adapt. This is not just a request; it is a formal letter that puts them on notice.
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Subject: FORMAL REQUEST FOR URGENT PROVISION OF MEETING MINUTES – Case of [Child's Name]

Dear [Social Worker's Name],

I am writing to formally request an unredacted copy of the minutes from the meeting held on [Date of meeting], which I was unable to attend.

I have previously asked for these minutes on [Number] occasions, on [Date(s)], and have still not received them.

Your failure to provide these minutes is preventing me from understanding the current plan for my child and is a serious barrier to the "partnership working" that is required under the Children Act 1989. As a parent, I have a right to be kept fully informed.

I require you to provide a full copy of these minutes via email within the next 48 hours.

If I do not receive them by [Date - 2 days from now], I will have no choice but to escalate this to a Stage 1 formal complaint for a failure in your professional duty, and I will be citing this email as my final attempt to resolve the matter informally.

I have copied in your team manager, [Manager's Name], to ensure they are aware of this unacceptable delay.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Name]
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Why This Works
It creates a formal record: An email is evidence you can't deny.

It escalates immediately: Copying in the manager means the social worker cannot simply ignore it. Managers hate having easily solvable problems land on their desk.

It sets a tight, reasonable deadline: 48 hours is more than enough time for them to press "send" on an email.

It shows you are serious: It clearly states the consequence (a formal complaint) if they fail to act.

You are not just a passive bystander in this process. You have a right to be informed and involved. Sometimes, you have to be firm and professional to make them remember that.
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For full transparency, I am not an official adviser for this forum. I am a parent who has been through a long and successful legal battle with a local authority, and I am here to offer supportive, strategic advice based on my own lived experience. The information I share is for guidance, and it is always up to each parent to decide what is right for their own situation.