Why should I engage with my child’s social worker?
Your child’s allocated social worker’s role is to ensure your child is protected from risk of harm, the social worker must therefore investigate all concerns raised with the local authority by individuals and professional agencies, such as, schools and GPs. The social worker has an important and difficult job to do as they have a high level of involvement with your family, and may consequently have to tell you things that you do not want to hear, but your social worker will help guide your family through this difficult time and make the necessary referrals to ensure your family is getting support.
It is beneficial for you, as a parent, to engage with the social worker and build a positive working relationship with them. This will make it easier for you to address and reduce the concerns. If you are unable to do this, it may cause the concerns to increase because the social worker is unable to see the work you are doing to address the concerns, this may mean the level of intervention needs to be stepped up and the local authority may make an application to take the matter to Court.
Therefore, it is very important to engage with your social worker to achieve the best possible outcome for your family. At Mander Cruickshank Solicitors, we represent parents going through this challenging time by providing representation at social care meetings and conferences, providing you with expert legal advice and communicating with social care on your behalf. Please do not hesitate to contact us on 01530 510666 to discuss further.
Written by Emily Stewart
