Patrick Butler (Star Hobson case raises more questions over burden on children’s services, 14 December) noted that Bradford, where 16-month-old Star Hobson was horrifically killed, is “not the only council struggling to keep its child protection department afloat and working effectively”. I fear that it is about to get worse.
This week, it was reported that social workers have been threatened, attacked and spat on. There are consequences from the media coverage that this case has received, which will make children less safe and less protected.
Experienced social workers, heath visitors, community paediatricians and others – already overwhelmed by the extent and nature of their workloads – will be more difficult to retain. It will escalate the current difficulties of a less experienced and less stable workforce, and a dependence on short-term agency workers, driving big profits for employment agencies and taking funding out of children’s services.
What families will see is more delay and disruption, and more churn and change in who makes contact with them – helpful if you want to disguise what is happening to children as no one builds up the picture of concerns over time.
Dr Ray Jones
Earlswood, Monmouthshire
• Patrick Butler is right to identify the contribution of contextual factors in individual child abuse cases, but societal inequalities also have a major impact on the day-to-day work of children’s services. There is extensive evidence showing the negative impact of poverty on children’s wellbeing, including a causal association with children needing help and coming into care.
Since 2011, this has contributed to a 125% increase in child protection inquiries and a 24% rise in the number of children in care.
Both the strengthening of child protection and the transformation of children’s services promised by the review of children’s social care, due to report early next year, will have to build on a foundation of equality – as well as reversing the legacy of cuts to services.
Prof Mike Stein
University of York
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