Social workers don’t decide to remove a child

IN recent weeks a number of comments have been made in the Irish media in relation to the nature of the social work profession and its lack of accountability.

This has given a very negative impression of social workers. Those employed by the children and family section of the Health Service Executive (HSE) are guided by legislation and guidelines, eg, Child Care Act 1991, Children Act 2001 and Children’s First guidelines.

These emphasise supporting the child within his/her own family as the preferred option at all times. This legislation also lays down strict criteria for the way social workers can intervene in families.

If there are serious concerns about the welfare of a child, the decision about this child is never the responsibility of one person or one profession. These cases are carefully monitored. Decisions are made within a multi-disciplinary forum, ie, a case conference, which is attended by those concerned with the child and family. If the concerns about the child’s safety are serious enough and the decision is taken to apply to the court to remove the child from the care of his or her parents, the social worker needs to present the reason for this to a judge in the District Court. It is the judge, not the social worker, who decides whether that child can be removed. A short-term order can be made in an emergency and this has to be returned to the court within eight days, where once again the judge will decide whether or not to continue that order.

The aim of social workers is to prevent family breakdown.

Unfortunately, as a result of cutbacks and Government-imposed staff ceilings, there has been more emphasis in recent times on the crisis end of the work and less funding has been available for prevention of family breakdown.

This balance needs to be addressed urgently.

Resources should then be made available to social workers and others working with families to provide the support that will enable families to remain together and prevent the distress and difficulties that arise when children have to be taken from their families.

Monica Egan,

Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW)

114-116 Pearse Street

Dublin 2