Child protection

Better shortcut.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/speakout/child-protection-consultation

Signed. Those of us who have worked in child protection across the country are busily lobbying Michael Gove. Profit has no place in child protection!

Signed. me too what a terrible thought, profit making companies who have already suspect track records, 'providing' child-care services.

Anyone not signed this or any other petition?
The consultation ends today.

I signed, and several people I know have responded to the consultation. How can anyone believe it's an improvement to put out safeguarding work for tender, to the cheapest profit making organisation. Gove is on track to leave a terrible legacy, something whoever follows him will have real difficulty getting back on track

I am not sure. It depends what the contract says and what the supervision is. Just because something is done by a company does not make it wrong in the same way as it being done by the public sector does not mean it will be good. Outsourcing is not in itself wrong, it is the way it is done which makes it good or bad. Presumably everyone employed by the outsourced company would have to be qualified in the same way as now.

I don't think anyone would claim that the current system works well. I have a neighbour who is a social worker and she is not happy with the situation as it is now and my own experience is that a case gets passed from one SW to another and another in the space of a very short time. I would hope that at least any SW employed by either would be able to write enough English to ensure their report makes sense. This is not the case at the moment. I also think that they need to be told that not all fathers are evil and not all mothers are truthful.

Yes, sent from the heart.

Nonnie I share your concerns about the latter points, but these are issues to do with sw training and would continue whoever was in charge of delivering services.

The following link for anyone who is interested explains what has gone wrong since fostering and residential services were outsourced. There are some excellent 'not for profit' agencies but while ever there is the opportunity for organisations to make profits from vulnerable children there will be many that do so. These services are not always better and in many cases are a great deal worse than what went before. We have seen this in adult care homes which many on here have experience of. Not only are services a lottery, but we have to ask where the profits are coming from. The answer must be from all of us, as taxpayers.

notsobigsociety.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/children-in-care-are-big-business/