Social worker has left me gobsmacked

mrs_overall | 18:58 Mon 23rd Apr 2012 | ChatterBank

37 Answers

I won't bore you with the whole story, but a vunerable person is being led astray by a certain man. I managed to find out this man's name and address AND found a photo of him in an on-line edition of his local newspaper. Last week I gave this info to the social worker in the case. I bumped into him today and asked him if he had located the man from the info I supplied. His reply was:
"I cannot use the information or access the photo as it will be an invasion of his privacy under Data Protection"
Twaddle or what?

I would like to hear ABers views on this.

what's an 'Owl'...

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mrs_overall

Question Author

Im going to find out first why a social worker is allegedly not allowed to look at an on line newspaper and take it from there
I think he is using it as a cop out

mrs_overall

Question Author

Who mentioned a paedophile??????
I am talking abaout a vunerable adult

ttfn

Contact a county councillor first then. The local Social Services Committee will be interested, I am sure. A search on the local Council's website will give you someone's name serving in that capacity.

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emmie

can the police help in any way?

mrs_overall

Question Author

I guess people jumping to conclusions is my fault for not telling the whole story.
It is a middle aged mildly mentally handicapped lady who has been "befriended" by this man. There is no suggestion of any abuse but he is slowly persuading her to drop contact with neighbours and friends who keep an eye on her and we think his motives are suspicious, although there is no evidence of a crime being committed...yet

mrs_overall

Question Author

Who was the muppet who had his/her answers removed?

emmie

the councils social adult care could get involved, Age UK pehaps, and indeed the police, because this could be heading for a bad ending and better to nip it totally in the bud. You are a good person for caring, so go for it.

ttfn

It is laudable that people are concerned for the lady's welfare. An enquiry can be made, without malice, so the situation may be properly assessed. I see no value in the authorities being wise after a possible event.

ttfn

No idea who it was, mrs_o.

emmie

whoever it was, wasn't worth bothering over i suspect

NOX

I think the problem might be here Mrs O that as you say no crime has been committed. social services have a tighrope wire to walk with regards to vulnerable adults wherby they have to balance looking out for the individual's welfare and the rights of that person to have a private life and make their own decisions. thos decisions are frequently not perhaps the best but what would you like them to do? What are you hoping can happen, and how do you envisage it ending in your ideal scenario?

humbersloop

Hi mrs o,

The social worker is talking carp. Each Local Authority has an Adult Safeguarding Board, who deal with vulnerable adults, and the buck stops with them, though there may be limits - although unpalatable to us - to what they can do at this point.

There should be a direct contact number for them on your LA website: you should go through to the Safeguarding Board Manager and insist that you want to make a formal report of the facts as you know them. Don't be fobbed off by them asking you to fill in a form and sending it in, insist they take the report directly from you. You should also record your concerns about the initial response you received from the (named) socail worker too.

You may also want to write to the LA Head of Adult Services and explain what's happened, copying it to whoever's the councillor with the Adult Services portfolio. It's up to them then.