Do you have the right to refuse a social worker or court welfare?
officer. I did I told them I did not want them involved in my case. I would never let one in my home. I think we need to know more about them and you should write a letter to the authority asking if they are married or living with anyone? and have they any children of their own before they start telling other people how to look after their children. They have hardly any training and as the court always said I was a good mother I did not think I needed one, what do you think?
Answers:
To qualify as a social worker you need to have a degree in Social Care and will generally do 2-3 years training before fully qualifying, so I think that your comment that they have no training is more a sweeping generalisation than based on any fact.
If they feel that their presence is needed then you have no rights to turn them away. If you do so and become obstructive you will make matters worse for yourself. They will view you as been uncooperative and unreasonable and will take that as a reflection on the relationship that you have with your children.
The best way to get rid of them is to cooperate, do as they ask and then if they see that you have a happy and loving family home, they will leave you and your family alone.
I so agree. With all the bad publicity they get I think we should have a right to view their profiles before they are allowed to even judge our lives.
In the interest of the courts though, they may think that you have something to hide. You may be able to request a child welfare officer to visit and interview you, they seem nicer and less evasive than social workers and they have experience in courts everyday so they know what the judges are looking for. You can interrogate them about their work too and they have to answer you!
I know of someone who phoned the social worker to report that a child was not being properly looked after and that the child was not being fed and washed. The social workers just said that it happens, it's not a cause for concern!!
Generally, whether you have a case, or are involved in a case, these people may enter your home only with a search warrant or under court order. If they have been ordered to visit your home and have served you with a copy of the proper document authorizing it, refusing entry constitutes obstructin governmental administration, or some similar charge.
You do not get to pick who comes there if this is an adversarial visit. If you are asking for help, you should be able to get someone to whom you can relate.
yes you do need one its not for you its for the children i had one with my case and they actually said i was a very good mother and very capable you are lucky if they want to come to your house . if you dont except them then its harder for the judge to make a decission on what facts he has . these people may want alot of information to do with you and your children but it will only help with your case good luck and please dont refuse cafcass there on the kids side and they will need them
My health visitor referred me to social services after a recent domestic violence incident (I have an 8 month old baby and my partner had hit me ) and I was told that I did not have the right to refuse social services because it was for my baby not for me.
I found them fairly helpful but was very careful of everything I said to them. I do not trust them to be honest and I've heard too many horror stories of children being unfairly taken away by bungling social workers, or children who ARE being abused not being taken away and ending up being killed!
I found it was totally pointless to send this social worker around but I suppose they have to investigate. I was very very careful what I said to her though and emphasised that my partner and I have sorted things out.
Let me get this right if you havent had a baby you cant be a mid wife or doctor,a therapist cant treat people unless he has had the same problems,a judge cant sentence someone if he hasn't broken the law himself you have an odd way of thinking and I think you should speak to your social worker because contrary to what you believe they are trained and educated and if you really didn't need one they would have been happy to tell you after assessing your case has they are already completely overwhelmed with referrals.
Social workers do have training. As others have already pointed out, the social worker or court welfare officer is there to look after your child's interests, not yours. As an individual, you have a right to refuse services for yourself but your rights to refuse them on your child's behalf are much more limited.
You do not need to know more about the worker specifically though it would not hurt you to know more about their profession and the standards they are expected to attain and maintain. Contact British Association of Social Work for more information and hopefully you will get information to set your mind at rest about their competence and intentions.
If you have a complaint about a specific worker, you have a right to complain to their employer in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with how your complaint is handled, there are other avenues to follow details of which you would be given at the relevant time.
The answers post by the user, for information only, FreeLawAnswer.com does not guarantee the right.
Answer question:
More Law Questions and Answers: