There's a suprise......

Now there is a suprise.

Even in the few weeks since it was all over the papers, there has been a marked increase in applications for care orders.

And here comes the truth of social care, the cost of applying for a care order had recently been bumped up. There were lots fewer applications. The perceived wisdom was it was better not to intefere in familly life and leave children at home.

All of a sudden there are lots more kids coming into care.

Now dear reader note the timing, it is 18 months since the unfortunate death of baby P. So that cannot explain the increase.

It is a while since the interim report into events surrounding baby P's death. So that cannot explain the increase either.

It is a while since the court case that found the three guilty. So we can safely rule that out too.

No the increase has kicked in since the current bun and daily mail set their sights firmly on the social work profession.

That shows how inexact a science this whole field is, just a knee jerk reaction to media covereage. A desire not to be the next council with egg on it's face in the press. Note: just because a child is dead is not a reason to change practice, but bad press works every time.

That said, there is not some mysterious formula that says a given situation is harmful enough to require intervention. It sometimes feels like a lottery.

We have read case note catalogues of neglect where we were simply staggered that the children were left in the household, the SW only eventually deciding to act when there were concerns about the family dog, and yes she took the dog first then went back for the children!

Then we have read the case of a family where the kids were fending for themselves, and doing really well at it too. All going to school, all clean, all well fed. The eldest popped into the family centre and asked for a bit of help getting her sibs to school so she could do her GCE's and they were all whisked off into care on the day, just like that. Oh and she didn't get to do her GCE's as they moved her completely out of the area bang in the middle of them.

SW decision making can appear peverse at times.

Neither is outcome easy to predict. The children involved in the two scenarios above are reasonably well adjusted adults who work and have their own houses. So it's dificult often to see how SW does anything useful.

Mind you, I bet a few of those councillors who have been so busy making sure the leisure centre is open and the street lights work have suddenly found they are interested in child protection....


R