A senior social services official has said that it would not matter if a child was killed after their case was closed because it would not be the council's responsibility. The remark was secretly recorded by a colleague as part of an undercover investigation into Britain's child protection system.
The findings have exposed numerous failings which, experts said, could be putting lives at risk.
Despite a shake-up of social services across the country in the wake of the death of Baby Peter Connelly, the recordings reveal a disturbing picture of Surrey social services.
The most serious findings show:
- social workers prepared to allow a child to sleep on a park bench;
- inexperienced staff assigned to complex jobs; and
- an admission from a social workers that child protection is "p*** poor".
In the most alarming insight, a manager in the department advises that it is important to close cases quickly so that social services will not be blamed if a child subsequently dies.
"If there's a Baby P on a closed case there will never, ever be a problem," she tells the reporter during a private conversation in council offices.
"If it's closed and we closed it with good reasons at the time and it's shown in the closing summary that the reasons were good, then it won't matter."
It was reported last November that Surrey had closed 500 children's social services cases, around one in ten of its total, in an attempt to focus on higher-priority cases. The council experienced a surge in referrals after news of the Baby P case broke in November 2008.
The manager, who does not realise her words are being recorded, adds: "The real problem is the case sitting at the back of your draw that isn't being dealt with, but is technically open to you.
"If one of those goes off on you, God help you. Those are awful."
Her comments follow a survey by the Association of Directors of Children's Services in April which found the number of children deemed at risk has increased by a third since the Baby P scandal.
The Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, to be shown tomorrow, singled out Surrey for investigation because there have been several known child deaths as a result of abuse or neglect in the county in the past five years.
The council's child protection arrangements were said to be "inadequate" by inspectors in 2008, but last year Ofsted found that the situation had improved.
In the programme, a reporter who had previously worked as a family support worker obtained a job at Surrey social services.
Even though he had not worked in a child protection unit for six years, he was given two highly-sensitive cases on his first day in the job without any training.
One case involved him visiting a home where a convicted murderer had regular access, and had recently been violent, to assess whether it was safe for a child to continue living there.
In addition, the undercover reporter was given work that government guidelines state should only be given to qualified social workers, not less-qualified family support workers.
Other colleagues told him that they had not been given proper training, and the manager of the unit described the induction procedures as "crap".
He was also advised to warn a 15 year-old-boy looking for somewhere to stay that social services would not be able to house him, even though they were legally bound to do so.
"If we don't have a placement we can't put him anywhere," a colleague was recorded saying.
"He can sleep on a park bench."
It took more than six weeks before the child was given a placement in a residential home, during which time the reporter was told the child had threatened to commit suicide.
Summing up his findings after the filming was completed, the undercover reporter expressed concern at what he had discovered and said that social workers have an "impossible job".
"What's emerging is there's an age group from 13 up to 16 that really get forgotten," he said.
"It's just depressing."
He added: "This is a national problem. These are our most vulnerable children and if we want to look after them in an adequate way we'll have to pay for it."
Joanna Nicolas, a child protection consultant and trainer with 15 years' experience, said last night that the findings of the investigation exposed the stark reality of the challenges faced by social services across the country.
"The public will find the programme shocking, but those of us on the ground have been saying for years that the system is at breaking point," she said.
"It's buckling and that means that children are left unprotected. It's not right that we have a system where young people are left effectively homeless and without support."
A spokesman for Surrey county council said: "Child protection is our top priority and we will examine the findings of this programme carefully."
The documentary, raising questions about what is being done to protect vulnerable children, follows a series of high-profile failings by social services.
Earlier this year, welfare officers at Birmingham council were criticised for failing to take seven-year-old Khyra Ishaq from her mother who starved her to death.
Lord Laming recommended a complete overhaul of child protection policies following the death of Victoria Climbie in 2000, who was also starved to death after social workers, police and the NHS failed to raise the alarm.
*Dispatches: Undercover Social Worker is broadcast tomorrow [MON] at 8pm on Channel 4
3 comments:
Perjury by both David Arthur & Greg Zoeller helps Director of Child Services James Payne to commit perjury in this federal case, stating James Payne had no involvement of the case spoke of 1:07-cv-xxxx- lJM-DML.
(One of many statements of perjury regarding James Payne & his staff)
James Payne in fact was extensively involved.
State of Indiana has tendency of committing perjury & mockery of our judicial system.
Below is James Payne notification that he in fact had EXTENSIVE INVOLVEMENT OF THE CASE.
— On Tue, , Payne, James W wrote:
From: Payne, James W
Subject:
To:
Dear Ms. xxxxxxx:
Your communication to Senator Bayh has been referred to this office for a response. As you know, I have had extensive discussions with you, I have followed this case closely, and at this point I continue to affirm the actions of the Department in this matter.
You have an attorney and you should continue to work through that attorney to advance your cause and to make your positions known. You have a remedy and assistance through your attorney in that Court and those issues can be presented directly to the Court hearing this matter.
While I regret that we disagree on the process in this matter, I hope you understand that our responsibility is to protect children and to take information, assess that and proceed accordingly. Having reviewed everything and been involved with this almost from the beginning, I concur with the agency’s action in this matter.
cc: The Honorable Evan Bayh
James W. Payne
Director
Indiana Department of Child Services
402 W. Washington Street
Room W392
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Children are taken from innocent parents, parents refused right to expose the lies of DCS, children are alienated from their loving families only to be abused, raped, and die at hands of strangers, but DCS condones.
Children in foster and up for sale by human trafficking adoptions. Many have loving parents and family. The destruction of DCS in Indiana & lies of James Payne.
Child Protection Services, is the largest governmental agency in the United States, that has NO oversight, has no accountability, no responsibility, and allowed to commit perjury and falsification in any and all court rooms, without penalty. Children have become tokens of profit to the governmental agency for the states.
The US government does not audit, ask questions, ignore complaints from citizens, and continue to pay billions of dollars to remove children without cause with bogus allegations, then place most children into danger for abuse, molestation, rape, or death, at the hands of strangers. Many children are never seen again, as CPS has no knowledge of where over 34 % of the removed children are currently.
No one is held accountable for the children’ deaths, as foster parents are given a paid legal aide service to protect them from what happens to the children under their care.
Judges fail to honor their oath taken by never mandating CPS to validate with evidence of the bogus words and false allegations. Secrecy and conspiracy within the walls of CPS has caused a mofia type behavior of corrupt activity, of which is killing our precious innocent children, mentally and physically, that tax payers are paying to do.
Try to beg for help from the prosecutor and police of the crimes, threats, coersion, and violation of judical laws of perjury, or a child in danger, beaten with skull caved in, to be ignored and told nothing can be done. Or for the IAG to ignore cries for help and say they have no jurisdiction over CPS. Yet, when a citizen attempts to be heard in federal court, the IAG is there to help commit perjury for the director of CPS/ DCS. Though Governor Mitch Daniels, is fully aware and is ultimately responsible, he could careless and ignores the deaths of children at the hands of the state, in Indiana.
More abuse occurs to children under the negligence of CPS. But ask President Obama if he knows the mis-utilization of funds freely allowed by this non-oversighted, arrogant, and corrupt governmental agency that violates every law, right, and judical statutes ever written, to hear him utter, “Huh?”. Too bad the wasteful use of funds are freely flowing to states, such as Indiana, to harm the children that are to be protected.
Obama could save billions if he only knew facts, rather than the lies and shown colorful meaningless charts developed by CPS. Many do not know that CPS does NOT keep accurate records of children abused, molested, raped, and killed, under state care by fosters or institutional care. But CPS does keep records of abuse and deaths of children at the hands of parents.
No oversight, no accountability, no protection of the children who are abused by the largest governmental agency, who functions outside the realm of civil, constitutional, and human rights. NO ONE can stop them, as they are the god against our nation’s precious innocent children. Especially, in Indiana.
Children in the United States are tokens for abuse, molestation, death, and human trafficking. Think President Obama could care? NOT. Has anyone viewed the videos of victims on http://www.honkforkids.com or http://www.honkforkids.com/videoindex.htm ? Indiana children are alos abused by Dept of Children. Children in Indiana are removed from safe homes without cause, only to be placed into danger or death. Children abused by foster parents are protected by DCS, and the police are never called to prosecute the abusers of children. Indiana children are taken for federal profit & fund the agency of DCS, that is never accountable. But you already know that many children in foster care are there not for protection, but for federal funding to profit state. Man bashes in infant’s head, results with brain trauma, DCS worker refused medical care, but James Payne condones.
Human trafficking for profit of state, children alienated from blood relatives, perjury committed without care by DCS. Even Carl Brizzi’s office laughs at a woman beaten in her car, with witnesses the police failed to note, but the Bi-polar, manic depressive, self mutilator, drug abuser, abuser, is just what kind of person DCS will hand an infant to as woman flees from the abuse to safety. DCS doesn’t want the infant to be safe, just beaten to gain federal funding of medical life long care. There is no protection of children, just protection to fund and protect DCS. Many children you adopt to strangers were removed from loving homes and innocent parents refused judical rights to expose the crimes of DCS. But you already know this too. Childern are nothing but like mere cattle to be sold for profit. Do you know the number of children that are killed under DCS, but are never vendicated or the killer prosecuted? It is a secret.
Indiana state officials commit perjury to a federal judge, Larry J McKinney. Why can DCS staff stand before a judge to commit perjury and falsification of court records to make a mockery of our judical system? Does Indiana have a true judical system? Why is the abuse of children condoned by James Payne & why isn’t child abuse reported to the police, rather than allow DCS to hide the crimed done? Do all Indiana officials commit perjury to protect themselves, than to honor their position to serve the people? What are people to do for safety and rights, if not even state leaders can speak in truth? Why do the judges ignore & refuse to listen to the GAL recommendations & refuse to follow the court’s own court order? The good ol’ boy of Indiana, even federal judges partake.
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