The Roscommon Child Care Report

Fittle

I don't know how to articulate how I feel, having read this report. I find it utterly appalling that these 6 children could have been treated in this manner, when so many neighbours and relatives reported the parents, to the HSE.

As a parent, I cannot comprehend how these parents treated their children this way. As a human being, I am angered and annoyed that this state could have allowed this to go on for such a long period of time, ruining 6 childrens lives in the process.

Read it and weep..


http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1027/hse_childcarecase.pdf

deisemum

The sad and sickening thing is the HSE are still ignoring people who are trying to report child abuse. Some of my neighbours and myself are blue in the face phoning up social workers plus Barnardos to report the open abuse that we've witnessed. They just don't want to know or care.

implausible

I've just read the report and knowing some of the detail, I don't know whether to cry or scream at someone.

Some of the mistakes made are so obvious, you'd love to have shook some of the social workers. There were so many agencies and workers involved in the case that local people assumed that something would be done to help those kids. Instead, each person only looked at his/her remit e.g. childcare workers didn't comment on the squalor of the house as it wasn't their job. The one social worker who insisted on seeing the whole house and who reported on its condition grew so frustrated with the lack of action that he left. No-one seemed to know how to use the law to the advantage of the children, but the mysterious 'outside agency' did, to the advantage of the parents. There was no joined up thinking and each detail that wasn't reported, each visit that wasn't made, each missed appointment and fobbing off by the parents allowed these children to exist in this unspeakably horrific situation for 15 years.

How those children survived physically and psychologically is beyond me.

Fittle

I agree Deemark.

It reminds me of the bureacracy of the 'civil service' - jo public thinks there's a 'Government Computer' and that similar departments are linked in some way
(revenue and SW for example - how much easier it would be if these two depts WERE linked, to detect welfare fraud) when in fact, there's no joined thinking in any of those departments either.

It's like all the social workers just did their eight hours each day, and the case began again for each new social worker assigned, or each new meeting taking place about this family.

Well done to social worker number three - at least he finally saw what was actually there.

Mary Harney will come out with her excuses no doubt, it's what she's best at.

smelltheglove

Well said deemark.

It is an horrific case and shocking that it was allowed to go so far. I worked in a job long ago where I had details of many social welfare cases. At 19 and daily going through the ins and outs of some of those cases I couldnt handle it and left so Im not surprised one of the care workers may have left. There are so many loopholes, so many cases where the abused kids are given back to 'rehabilitated' parents only to be abused again and again. The whole system is a shambles and needs a complete overhaul so kids who suffer are taken away from their abusers for good.

deisemum

There has to be accountability and consequences for those who fail to do their job effectively. A bit of cop on would help. The HSE are going to run workshops for staff to make them more accountable in future.

Fittle

One of the social workers, who wouldn't 'come forward' and be interviewed, has lost their job.

Apparently, a few more will be interviewed, and may also lose their jobs.

But we have to remember that these children were taken into care finally, in 2004. This report was only published now, 6yrs later and these social workers have all been working on similar cases or the past 6yrs!!! I hope to God there aren't similar cases that might come out of the woodwork.

Whilst I believe the system in it's entirety is at fault, these social workers, who were apparently 'doing their job', MUST be held accountable.

Reminders of the debacle that is our church, and the priests who claim to have acted according to canon law. (not the abusers, the ones who moved them from church to church - the facilitators)

These social workers claim to have been covering their own remit with no joint thinking whatsoever. What about their morals? What about the fact that they walked away from that house on many, many occasions and left those children living in squalor...I don't know how they can sleep.

CrazyRabbit

I was speaking to someone from the HSE a few months back about some unacceptable/illegal behaviour I seen from a local parent. The guy spoke broken english and didn't really understand what I was talking about.

Makes me wonder what the requirements are for employment as a social worker in the HSE...

deisemum

This is the religious nut job that backed the parents.

Mina Bean Ui Chruibin representing a right-wing Catholic group, Ograchas Naoimh Papain, based in Santry supported the parents.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/religious-activist-tried-to-help-house-of-horrors-mother-1611637.html

Fittle

But HOW could one letter from a right wing nut job, possibly have ensured these children stayed in that home? Having been in the services of the HSE for years previous...how could a judge have allowed them to stay there? It beggars belief

Hellrazer

Fittle wrote: »

these social workers, who were apparently 'doing their job', MUST be held accountable.

Agreed 100%
Myself and my wife deal with social workers on a weekly basis and its my honest belief that some if not all of these "newly qualified" social workers should not be in that job.
Most of the "bad ones" are aged 19-23 and have little or no life experience and as such I dont believe that they have what it takes to put a childs best interests at heart and Id say that this family probably fobbed them off and the social workers didnt have the necessary experience to speak up and either investigate further or see through the parents lies.Life experience would have helped them to see through the parents lies.

There are a few lets say maturer social workers who are absolutely brilliant at what they do and are well up on how children should be treated and I believe that these social workers life experience has helped them immensely.
I firmly believe that you should not be put in a position of child care unless you have the relevant life experience to deal with what could happen.

I could list examples of what we`ve been through with these but lets say my 2 year old could better organise what one in particular cant do four months later.

These social workers claim to have been covering their own remit with no joint thinking whatsoever.

That also true.They dont communicate with each other and as such you have to explain everything 2 or 3 times to different people.And then the paperwork goes missing and you have to start from scratch again---Ridiculous behaviour altogether.

/Rant over.

implausible

Fittle wrote: »

But HOW could one letter from a right wing nut job, possibly have ensured these children stayed in that home?

It wasn't so much the letter as the legal advice that was availed of by the family. That was bad enough but the social work team didn't appear to know their arse from their elbow when it came to the legalities of care orders. I would've thought that expertise in the relevant legislation was a basic requirement of anyone who works in this area:rolleyes:.

Hellrazer wrote: »

its my honest belief that some if not all of these "newly qualified" social workers should not be in that job.
Most of the "bad ones" are aged 19-23 and have little or no life experience and as such I dont believe that they have what it takes to put a childs best interests at heart and Id say that this family probably fobbed them off and the social workers didnt have the necessary experience to speak up

I firmly believe that you should not be put in a position of child care unless you have the relevant life experience to deal with what could happen.

They dont communicate with each other and as such you have to explain everything 2 or 3 times to different people.And then the paperwork goes missing and you have to start from scratch again

I'd agree. There should be a minimum age to practise social work. Before that you should be shadowing or working with a more experienced one.
This is scary that things are still the same. In this technological age, a database of reports, accessible only to people with clearance, would not be difficult to set up.

deisemum

deemark wrote: »

It wasn't so much the letter as the legal advice that was availed of by the family. That was bad enough but the social work team didn't appear to know their arse from their elbow when it came to the legalities of care orders. I would've thought that expertise in the relevant legislation was a basic requirement of anyone who works in this area:rolleyes:.



I'd agree. There should be a minimum age to practise social work. Before that you should be shadowing or working with a more experienced one.
This is scary that things are still the same. In this technological age, a database of reports, accessible only to people with clearance, would not be difficult to set up.

Thing is most normal people with a bit of cop on would soon notice that things were seriously wrong but when the so called professionals who are trained to notice things are inept or just cannot be bothered to do their job it beggars belief.

In my area it is extremely difficult to report suspicions or allegations of child abuse because the social workers and principal social worker refuse to return calls, they just don't want to know.

metrovelvet

Who sold the children alcohol? Why weren't they investigated? Why weren't they charged?

This is not just the fault of social workers and communities should take a good look at themselves on how they contribute to these tragedies.

Social work can be horrible and depressing...i do think someone very young and who is newly qualified needs a lot of mentoring and support and should not have to deal with complex cases.

In Ireland there is too much emphases on the academic in the area of social work...for example social policy.....there needs to more emphases on the vocational aspect of the training.

But as a society we have to accept that even with the best help and support some people will never be able to parents their children.

padr81

Fittle wrote: »

One of the social workers, who wouldn't 'come forward' and be interviewed, has lost their job.

Apparently, a few more will be interviewed, and may also lose their jobs.

But we have to remember that these children were taken into care finally, in 2004. This report was only published now, 6yrs later and these social workers have all been working on similar cases or the past 6yrs!!! I hope to God there aren't similar cases that might come out of the woodwork.

Whilst I believe the system in it's entirety is at fault, these social workers, who were apparently 'doing their job', MUST be held accountable.

Reminders of the debacle that is our church, and the priests who claim to have acted according to canon law. (not the abusers, the ones who moved them from church to church - the facilitators)

These social workers claim to have been covering their own remit with no joint thinking whatsoever. What about their morals? What about the fact that they walked away from that house on many, many occasions and left those children living in squalor...I don't know how they can sleep.

Delighted to read this. People should be sacked for negligence in these roles. Peoples lives depend on these people doing their job. Failure to do it is far costlier than failure in alot of other jobs. Sackings all around imho and the head of that section should step down. I heard one guy on the news saying you don't hear about all the good they do and this is a once off (as if...). One mistake is one too many and nothing but laziness is to blame for what happened in Roscommon.

deisemum

padr81 wrote: »

Delighted to read this. People should be sacked for negligence in these roles. Peoples lives depend on these people doing their job. Failure to do it is far costlier than failure in alot of other jobs. Sackings all around imho and the head of that section should step down. I heard one guy on the news saying you don't hear about all the good they do and this is a once off (as if...). One mistake is one too many and nothing but laziness is to blame for what happened in Roscommon.

I don't for 1 minute believe it's a once off, it's been happening on my doorstep all summer and the social worker and her principal social worker will not speak with myself and other neighbours who are trying to report abuse.

gaeilgegrinds1

For six years we have been reporting a particular family in the school where I teach. And it started long before I got involved. I was tutor to one of their children and it is the saddest case I have ever seen. I've been at case conferences, one had 16 individuals involved, the children were still left in their parent's care. It'll without doubt be in the papers as this now is but we have done everything we can. It just starts getting you down after a few years. I see the problem as being two-fold, firstly, the book gets passed around so much people lose sight of the real problem. Secondly, personel change far too often.

Billiejo

Different prospective not emotive but pragmatic.
No surprises. The whole HSE system is a total shambles for this century.
The HSE dosent even have to reinvent the wheel. There are proven examples & standards available from other developed countries to protect children.

Instead of waiting for 'someone' to report a child cruilty or neglect case after the fact to a Social Worker, why are SW and community nurses not working together.
Based in every Health Centre Irish Community nurses / Public Health nurses, have access to familys / children from birth in their homes, where the remit is to simply conduct year on year development assessments based on a medical model from the 1920 'old' British NHS model.
At least 6-7 nurses in every Health Centre & a salary of 50-90 Euros PA providing an outdated service where there is no 'Evidence Based' need. And the HSE has no money? Or no one with the skills to evaluate and manage this delapated and outdated system effectively.
Mothers, other family members and school teachers know when children may have a developmental problem and when to seek assistance if a need exists, in addition to the initial contacts with every family/new birth, namely doctors and midwives.

What an opportunity lost to holistically assess and monitor a child /children in their social environment so that any pointers to potential harm can be acted upon and prevented. SAD.

LeoB

This is a sickening episode for the children and family but I am not so sure we should take out our anger just on social workers. I deal with social workers every week and I must say they have a hugely depressing job. I also am not sure about having an age limit on Social workers. We had a social worker who was quite young and she was superb. Really on the ball and could spot a problem a mile away with access. I would propose that we need more early intervention teams to support families at risk and this is not happening.

This whole Roscommon case highlights a complete sysstem failure, an area which is largely under resoursed and under funded and this is not the fault of the Social worker but managment and managment must be held accountable. Social workers are sitting with massive case loads on their desks and in some cases it will be six months before anything gets done.

Some of these at risk families dont need someone who spent 4 or 5 years at college they need very basic support and structures to help them cope. This support can be done by a wide variety of people and would benefit not only the "At Risk" families but the wider community.