Investigators qualifications

[name removed] made this Freedom of Information request to Health and Care Professions Council This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Health Care Professionals Council
In line with the Health & Social Care Act 2012 on 1st August 2012 the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC) became the professional regulator for Social Workers in England.
Social Workers are most probably the only professionals who must comply not only with the HCPC’s Guidance to Confidentiality but also many other legislation, depending whether they work in the Child or Adult Care sector.
When a member of the public raises a complaint against a Social Worker it has to satisfy HCPC’s own complaints procedure, and its criteria for a complaint.
Many other circumstances and legislation must be taken into consideration when dealing with this kind of complaint. This requires not only detailed knowledge of Social Worker’s profession but also in depth understanding of all applicable legislation. In order to fully understand these, the HCPC Investigators must have relevant Social Worker and legal training and qualifications to enable them to undertake meaningful investigations.
Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 I should like to know:
What professional training and recognised qualifications such as University degrees relevant to Social Work and legal training and University law degrees do these newly appointed HCPC Investigators possess to enable them to properly assess each complaint relating to Social Workers.
I should be grateful f if you could reply within the 20 days as stipulated by the Act, or earlier, if possible.

Yours faithfully,
[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

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Health and Care Professions Council

Dear Mr [name removed]

Thank you for your request for information about HCPC investigators and
their knowledge and experience of social worker policies which was received
on 07 November 2013. We are treating this as a request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

We will deal with your request as promptly as possible and, at the latest,
within 20 working days. If you have any queries about your request please
contact us using this email address, or the address below.

The reference number for your request is FR02719.

Yours sincerely

Freedom of Information
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House, 184 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4BU
www.hcpc-uk.org

tel +44 (0)20 7840 3486 (direct dial) or +44 (0)845 3004472 (Main
switchboard)
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Health and Care Professions Council

2 Attachments

Dear Mr [name removed],

Thank you for your information request regarding the experience and
qualifications of the HCPC's Case Managers.

Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
(2000).

The HCPC's Case Managers are responsible for the management, investigation
and presentation of fitness to practise cases. Case Managers do not take
the side of either the professional or the person who makes us aware of the
concerns. The role profile and requirements of this post are attached
below.

(See attached file: CaseManagerjobprofile-Oct2013.pdf)

It should be noted that it is the responsibility of the Investigation
Committee Panel Members, who review any concerns that meet the Standard of
Acceptance, to consider the investigation documentation and decide is there
is a real prospect of proving the allegation at a final hearing. These
Panels will always have a relevant registrant Partner member within their
membership, who can provide the detailed profession specific knowledge
required in complex cases. Attached below is the guide ' how to make a
complaint' which details the investigation process and the roles involved
within in.

(See attached file: HCPCHowtoMakeaComplaint.pdf)

Internal review

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request a review by writing to:

Michael Guthrie
Director of Policy and Standards
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House
184 Kennington Park Road
London
SE11 4BU

Email: [email address]

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45 Website: www.ico.gov.uk

There is no charge for making an appeal.

Yours sincerely

Claire Gascoigne

Freedom of Information
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House, 184 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4BU
www.hcpc-uk.org

tel +44 (0)20 7840 3486 (direct dial) or +44 (0)845 3004472 (Main
switchboard)
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The material transmitted in this email is intended only for the person or legal entity to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential and privileged information. It may not be used or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been sent. If you are not the addressee or have received this email in error please notify the sender and do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on the material in this email.

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Dear Mr Guthrie
Thank you for your reply to my FOI Request.
As you have failed to answer my question, I hope this was an unfortunate oversight and misunderstanding rather than an intentional attempt to obfuscate the issue and to mislead. I have not asked about the Investigator’s Job Description or how to submit a complaint. It appears that these details were included as a diversionary tactic.
I specifically asked you about the Investigators’ qualifications, not what they do, how they do it and how they are recruited.
It is clear from page 6 of your Manager’s Job Description: Skills, Knowledge and Abilities - Essential: Educated to degree level and/or relevant knowledge and understanding, that
applicants for this post do not need any academic professional qualifications, degrees and/or licences of any sort to be considered for this post. They merely need to possess knowledge and experience. Both unquantifiable attributes. Rather scant requirements for a person who might deal with complex complaints against a Social Worker, who by the nature of his profession is obliged to comply with various guidelines, codes of practice and confidentiality and complex legislation. These become even more stringent when Child Care or HIV/AIDS are involved, with its strict confidentiality provisions relating to collection, management and disclosure of individual’s identifiable information.
You suggest that should I be unhappy with your response, I should bring my concerns to the attention of the Information Commissioner. I hope that I will not have to resort to this, as a precedent relating to academic qualifications had already been set in early-2011. I asked an employer of a Social Worker for his academic qualification relating to a specific task he had undertaken. The employer refused on the grounds of employee data confidentiality. However, the ICO decided in my favour, stating that I have the right to know qualifications of anyone, if they relate directly to their job. However, I was not entitled to know if they had any qualifications which do not relate to it as such perhaps a degree in gardening or taxidermy.

I urge you to read my question again and provide the requested information.
I should add that this website is an open forum, meaning that anyone, in this country and beyond, can access any of the FOI requests. Your openness and transparency in this case is important, as Social Workers have received much bad press and claims of not being Fit For Purpose. Let’s hope that you will not give us the opportunity to level same allegations against the regulators.

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]
14th November 2013

Health and Care Professions Council

This is an automated response - please do not reply.

Thank you for your request for information.
Your request will be evaluated as soon as possible.

When we respond in full we will tell you:

- if the information exists and it can be released to you, and any charges
relating to the supply of the information
- if the information exists but cannot be released to you (note the
Information Commissioner has a list of 13 reasons not to provide
information
- the information does not exist now due to destruction or has never
existed

You may provide more back ground information to help us find the
information you require if you wish. Please quote the "FOI Request #" in
any further correspondence concerning this request.

Best regards,

Freedom of Information team at HPC

HCPC E-mail Disclaimer:
The material transmitted in this email is intended only for the person or legal entity to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential and privileged information. It may not be used or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been sent. If you are not the addressee or have received this email in error please notify the sender and do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on the material in this email.

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Dear Health and Care Professions Council,
I should like to inform you that your response was due by 6th December 2013 latest.
I should be grateful for your compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act without any further delay.
You should appreciate that your obfuscation in providing this information may suggest, not only to me but also to the general public, that you are not adequately qualified to regulate such an important and legally complex profession as that of a Social Worker.

Yours faithfully,
[name removed] [name removed]
7th December 2013

[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

This is an automated response - please do not reply.

Thank you for your request for information.
Your request will be evaluated as soon as possible.

When we respond in full we will tell you:

- if the information exists and it can be released to you, and any charges
relating to the supply of the information
- if the information exists but cannot be released to you (note the
Information Commissioner has a list of 13 reasons not to provide
information
- the information does not exist now due to destruction or has never
existed

You may provide more back ground information to help us find the
information you require if you wish. Please quote the "FOI Request #" in
any further correspondence concerning this request.

Best regards,

Freedom of Information team at HPC

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Dear Health and Care Professions Council,
I am now obliged to remind you that your reply is now long outstanding and the delay is in contravention of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

This is an automated response - please do not reply.

Thank you for your request for information.
Your request will be evaluated as soon as possible.

When we respond in full we will tell you:

- if the information exists and it can be released to you, and any charges
relating to the supply of the information
- if the information exists but cannot be released to you (note the
Information Commissioner has a list of 13 reasons not to provide
information
- the information does not exist now due to destruction or has never
existed

You may provide more back ground information to help us find the
information you require if you wish. Please quote the "FOI Request #" in
any further correspondence concerning this request.

Best regards,

Freedom of Information team at HPC

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The material transmitted in this email is intended only for the person or legal entity to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential and privileged information. It may not be used or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been sent. If you are not the addressee or have received this email in error please notify the sender and do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on the material in this email.

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Health and Care Professions Council

1 Attachment

(See attached file: Internal review-[name removed] [name removed].pdf)

Dear Mr [name removed],

Please find attached the internal review carried out by Michael Guthrie the
Policy and Standards Director.

Kind regards,

Giba Begum

Freedom of Information
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House, 184 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4BU
www.hcpc-uk.org

tel +44 (0)20 7840 3486 (direct dial) or +44 (0)845 3004472 (Main
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From: [name removed] [name removed] <[FOI #183826 email]>
To: FOI requests at HCPC <[email address]>,
Date: 11/12/2013 08:25
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - Investigators
qualifications

Dear Health and Care Professions Council,
I am now obliged to remind you that your reply is now long outstanding and
the delay is in contravention of the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act.

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

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Dear Health and Care Professions Council,
Thank you for your reply.
I have decided to take the matter further and contact the Information Commissioner with my concerns.

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

This is an automated response - please do not reply.

Thank you for your request for information.
Your request will be evaluated as soon as possible.

When we respond in full we will tell you:

- if the information exists and it can be released to you, and any charges
relating to the supply of the information
- if the information exists but cannot be released to you (note the
Information Commissioner has a list of 13 reasons not to provide
information
- the information does not exist now due to destruction or has never
existed

You may provide more back ground information to help us find the
information you require if you wish. Please quote the "FOI Request #" in
any further correspondence concerning this request.

Best regards,

Freedom of Information team at HPC

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Dear Health and Care Professions Council,

Your reply to my FOI request state that I requested you to provide me with qualifications requirements for the position of Case Manager.
This is incorrect. I reiterate, what I asked for in my request:

What professional training and recognized qualifications such as University degrees relevant to Social Work and legal training and
University law degrees do these newly appointed HCPC Investigators possess to enable them to properly assess each complaint relating to Social Workers.

I asked what are the qualifications of already employed staff, rather than expected qualifications from new applicants for the post of a Case Manager.
These are two completely different instances.
Obviously, misunderstanding my request, you sent me a copy of a recruitment flyer,for this yet unfilled post.

As far as your comment about your employees NOT wishing their hard earned academic qualification to be disclosed to the general public raises an interesting question: Why should anyone be shy to disclose his/her academic/professional qualifications for which he/she has worked so hard. I would have imagined a disclosure would have been a statement of his/her academic/professional/social achievements, to be truly proud of. That depends, of course, if they have any qualifications to be proud of in the first instance.

Despite the fact that you have clearly misunderstood my request, whether intentionally or not, is not the case. I am proceeding with asking the ICO for guidance.

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

This is an automated response - please do not reply.

Thank you for your request for information.
Your request will be evaluated as soon as possible.

When we respond in full we will tell you:

- if the information exists and it can be released to you, and any charges
relating to the supply of the information
- if the information exists but cannot be released to you (note the
Information Commissioner has a list of 13 reasons not to provide
information
- the information does not exist now due to destruction or has never
existed

You may provide more back ground information to help us find the
information you require if you wish. Please quote the "FOI Request #" in
any further correspondence concerning this request.

Best regards,

Freedom of Information team at HPC

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The material transmitted in this email is intended only for the person or legal entity to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential and privileged information. It may not be used or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been sent. If you are not the addressee or have received this email in error please notify the sender and do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on the material in this email.

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[name removed] (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

It is interesting to note that neither of those who handled my original complaint and indeed this specific FOI request are NOT even Registrants with the HCPC. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that neither of these individuals have any professional qualifications to be able to fully comprehend my complaint and FOI Request.

Mr j morgan left an annotation ()

the lgo are a joke i have encountered the same. go to
http://howsleepingdogslie.blogspot.co.uk/
the investigators are usually ex council employees and only interested in protecting their friends at the council. the Coventry office investigators i dealt with DO NOT INVESTIGATE ANYTHING. they just cut and paste from previous Ombudsman decisions to make it fit their own agenda EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE SUPPLIED DOCUMENTS AND PROOF FOR YOUR COMPLAINT.THEY ONLY TAKE THE COUNCILS WORD.

IN MY EXPERIENCE THEIR ARE ONLY TWO KINDS OF OMBUDSMAN INVESTIGATORS,

1. THOSE THAT LIE AND KNOW THEY ARE LYING.

2. THOSE WHO HAVE LIED FOR SO LONG THAT THEY BELIEVE THEIR OWN RHETORIC AND WILL NOT CHECK WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

I FOUND NOT ONE SHRED OF DECENCY, HONESTY,FAIRNESS OR IMPARTIALITY AMONG THEM.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE HAVING A COMPLAINT DONT GO TO THE LGO AS THEY WILL WASTE YOUR TIME, AND CAUSE YOU EVEN MORE EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. THEY SHOULD BE ABOLISHED AND THE PEOPLE CHARGED FOR GO STRAIGHT TO COURT.

Mr j morgan left an annotation ()

Sorry i didnt make it clear that after following all the procedures, i did the same with the foi commissioner and it is a joke office

Dear Health and Care Professions Council,

You may be aware by now that I have submitted, as you have suggested, a formal complaint to the ICO. I am sure he will contact you when he deems it necessary.

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

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Best regards,

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Health and Care Professions Council

This message has been hidden. Personal information accidentally released; replacement response requested. If you are the requester, then you may sign in to view the message. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Health and Care Professions Council,

Dear Ms Gascoigne
Thank you for your reply dated today. It satisfies my FOI request, which I will now mark as completed satisfactorily.
Many thanks for your efforts, which are appreciated, as they will provide information in my quest to resolve the matter in hand.

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

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Dear Health and Care Professions Council,

Your reply provided a list of your Case Managers and their academic qualifications.
Impressive they are, I must say. Most possess a legal degree of sorts, yet none of those who dealt with my case, reference FTP 27859, were able to appreciate the legal relationship between your Registrant, a Social Worker and a ‘Service Manager’, possessing no social services relevant qualifications/registrations. Your Case Manager, instead of conducting his own legal enquiries, blindly believed the cleverly confectioned statement from RBKC.
This stated that the Service Manger is in some mythical way superior to the Social Worker and has the legal powers to compel him to disclose his client’s personal medical information protected by Statutory Restrictions on data handling, as defined in paragraph 46 of the NHS Confidentiality Code of Conduct, not only the Social Worker, but also his employer are obliged to follow.
I am at a loss to understand how you failed to appreciate the point that the Service Manager was in no way legally permitted to meddle in the Social Worker’s execution of his responsibilities, not only as defined in your own Guidance on Confidentiality, but also the NHS Code.

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

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Thank you for your request for information.
Your request will be evaluated as soon as possible.

When we respond in full we will tell you:

- if the information exists and it can be released to you, and any charges
relating to the supply of the information
- if the information exists but cannot be released to you (note the
Information Commissioner has a list of 13 reasons not to provide
information
- the information does not exist now due to destruction or has never
existed

You may provide more back ground information to help us find the
information you require if you wish. Please quote the "FOI Request #" in
any further correspondence concerning this request.

Best regards,

Freedom of Information team at HPC

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Dear Health and Care Professions Council,

Thank you for your response, which goes some way to satisfy my enguiry

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

This is an automated response - please do not reply.

Thank you for your request for information.
Your request will be evaluated as soon as possible.

When we respond in full we will tell you:

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relating to the supply of the information
- if the information exists but cannot be released to you (note the
Information Commissioner has a list of 13 reasons not to provide
information
- the information does not exist now due to destruction or has never
existed

You may provide more back ground information to help us find the
information you require if you wish. Please quote the "FOI Request #" in
any further correspondence concerning this request.

Best regards,

Freedom of Information team at HPC

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Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

The text of the response hidden above was:

Dear Mr Hevera,

I write in relation to your freedom of information request which you
originally submitted to the HCPC on 7 November 2013. You asked to be
provided with the details of the HCPC's case manager's qualifications.
Following a review of our original response to you, the HCPC has revaluated
the exemptions that were applied to the information and we are now able to
provide you with the data you requested.

Please find attached details of the highest level of qualification our case
managers hold;

(See attached file: FOI - Case Manager Qualifications.xlsx)

As part of our training plan we regularly require our case managers to
attend training specialist case management and investigations training
organised by external providers such as Bond Solon.

11 Case Managers are currently completing the Professional Award in
Complaints Handling and Investigations BTEC Level 5. This is qualification
is equivalent to foundation degree level and comprises 3 modules. They are
due to complete the final module and assessment in April 2014

We have 7 Case Managers who previously completed the Advanced Professional
Certificate in Investigative Practice (ACIP) BTEC Level 7. This
qualification is equivalent to postgraduate level.

Case Managers who have previously completed or part completed ACIP, as well
as Case Team Managers who have not completed the ACIP, are attending two of
the three modules which comprise the Professional Award in Complaints
Handling and Investigations but will not complete the final assessment
which leads to the award of the qualification.

I hope that you will find this information useful.

Internal review

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request a review by writing to:

Michael Guthrie
Director of Policy and Standards
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House
184 Kennington Park Road
London
SE11 4BU

Email: [email address]

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45 Website: www.ico.gov.uk

There is no charge for making an appeal.

Yours sincerely

Claire Gascoigne

Freedom of Information
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House, 184 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4BU
www.hcpc-uk.org

tel +44 (0)20 7840 9710 (direct dial) or +44 (0)845 3004472 (Main
switchboard)
[email address]

To sign up to our e-newsletter, please email [email address]

Please consider the environment before printing this email

HCPC E-mail Disclaimer:
The material transmitted in this email is intended only for the person or legal entity to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential and privileged information. It may not be used or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been sent. If you are not the addressee or have received this email in error please notify the sender and do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on the material in this email.

===

The above message was accompanied by an attachment containing the names of individual investigators along with details of their qualifications. The Health and Care Professions Council has been in touch with us to say the inclusion of individuals' names in the spreadsheet was done in error and we have agreed to remove the spreadsheet from public view on our site.

The response was removed in order to hide the attachment.

A replacement response has been requested.

--

Richard - WhatDoTheyKnow.com volunteer

Dear Health and Care Professions Council,
Thank you for your clarification, which is interesting.
Despite having all these fancy academic qualifications, none of you exercised common sense and request RBKC to provide any documentary evidence to support their claim, which, as it turned out, is nothing but unsubstantiated claptrap, designed to confuse.
Also, none of you realized that the 'Caldicott Guardian' introduced to Social Care by LAC 20002/2 should have had a very important part to play in the assessment of the LGO's request.
It is no longer the case whether I am satisfied with your replies, or not. It is now up to the NHS to consider the whole sorry mess, as they are the regulators, as per ICO, of the NHS Statutory Restrictions on data handling, which you also chose to ignore,

Yours faithfully,

[name removed] [name removed]

Health and Care Professions Council

Dear Mr [name removed],

I write in relation to your freedom of information request which you
originally submitted to the HCPC on 7 November 2013. Our previous response
has been removed due to the inclusion of personal data. You asked to be
provided with the details of the HCPC's case manager's qualifications.
Following a review of our original response to you, the HCPC has revaluated
the exemptions that were applied to the information and we are now able to
provide you with the data you requested. The following qualifications are
held by our case managers;

Graduate Diploma in Law
Bachelor of Human Services
Graduate Diploma in Legal Practise (2)
BA Law (11)
Advanced Professional Certificate in Investigative Practice
BA Law & Human Resource Management
Masters of Law (2)
Diploma in Interior Décor
Special Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours
BA (Hons) Business Studies
Masters of Research Law and Human Rights
BA Politics
Master of Arts Phonology
A Levels
Master of Arts English
BA (Hons) Geography & Economics

As part of our training plan we regularly require our case managers to
attend training specialist case management and investigations training
organised by external providers such as Bond Solon. 11 Case Managers are
currently completing the Professional Award in Complaints Handling and
Investigations BTEC Level 5. This is qualification is equivalent to
foundation degree level and comprises 3 modules. They are due to complete
the final module and assessment in April 2014

We have 7 Case Managers who previously completed the Advanced Professional
Certificate in Investigative Practice (ACIP) BTEC Level 7. This
qualification is equivalent to postgraduate level.

Case Managers who have previously completed or part completed ACIP, as well
as Case Team Managers who have not completed the ACIP, are attending two of
the three modules which comprise the Professional Award in Complaints
Handling and Investigations but will not complete the final assessment
which leads to the award of the qualification.

I hope that you will find this information useful.

Internal review

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request a review by writing to:

Michael Guthrie
Director of Policy and Standards
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House
184 Kennington Park Road
London
SE11 4BU

Email: [email address]

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45 Website: www.ico.gov.uk

There is no charge for making an appeal.

Yours sincerely

Claire Amor

Freedom of Information
Health and Care Professions Council
Park House, 184 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4BU
www.hcpc-uk.org

tel +44 (0)20 7840 9710 (direct dial) or +44 (0)845 3004472 (Main
switchboard)
[HCPC request email]

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[name removed] (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

You suggest that I should complain to the ICO. I am sorry to tell you that the underlying law, the Statutory Restrictions on data handling has nothing to do with the ICO. He advised that it is the NHS who should be made aware of any malpractice.

[name removed] (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

It is interesting to see that so many of your investigators have a tertiary education, in various subjects, including law. However, you have NOT got a single person academically qualified as a Social Worker, to provide advice relating on this very much regulated profession I am not talking about your own Code of Practice, but all the other legislation and guidelines. To get an idea of their profession, I suggest you have a read of the 13th edition of 'Law for Social Workers'. a tome of 562 pages. This textbook deals with Social Workers' legal responsibilities in the context of Social Care, towards Children and towards Adults.
Only when you have a comprehensive knowledge of these, often complex, legal responsibilities, can you get involved in regulating Social Workers and their specific responsibility in dealing with confidential medical clinical information which may come into their possession. Sometime intentionally, often by accident. You must fully understand the various Statutory Restrictions on data handling, which apply to many elements of information. This becomes very serious and complex, when information relates to a very specific clinical data, including STDs and more recently HIV/AIDS. In the latter, you must fully understand 'SPECIFICITY' of the information and how it applies to the individual. In the case of HIV/AIDS, the ONLY person who MUST know the details of this condition, is the individual himself and the medical specialist who prescribes the life-saving medication, the individual has to take for ever. Anything and everything other than this singular activity is deemed to be HIV-non specific. Therefore, the information about the individual's HIV status is not essential to know.
In fact, Social Workers are NOT entitled to know this information, because they do NOT provide any HIV-specific medical services. The same, believe it or not, also applies to the individual's GP. He is NOT entitled to know this information, for the same reason. As his medical services are deemed to be 'non-HIV specific'. Interesting, but that's how it is.
I hope that you now understand a bit about the complexity and the dilemmas Social Workers may face when at work.
And also my concerns about his intentional disclosure of my clinical information without my consent. Information, I was not even aware that was in his possession.

Philip J Measures left an annotation ()

This has highlighted the concerns that others of us have that the HCPC is not 'fit for purpose' when it comes to investigating allegations against social workers.

The GSCC, with all of its limitations, used to do a better job and social workers had far greater rights of Appeal - unlike under the HCPC where one has to risk £35 - £40k on an Appeal within just 1 month to the High Court - no wonder so few Appeals have been made (by any of the groups who have to register with the HCPC - see my own FOI requests).

The HCPC seems to make subjective and perverse decisions all too frequently which I am convinced would be overturned on Appeal to the High Court. Under the GSCC many Decisions were overturned on Appeal but now that 'natural justice' seems denied we have ended up with a draconian regulatory body which almost acts unilaterally. It is judge and jury.

[name removed] (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

I am surprised at Philip J's comment. I thought that I was the only deranged individual with an ax to grind. It now seems that HCPC as well as the LGO are in bed with local authorities, who can feed both of the 'independent' bodies whatever they wish, knowing that the outcome will be in their favour. It is now clear that HCPC does not have a single person possessing social worker qualifications and most importantly practical, on the ground experience. Valuable asset, to know what social workers encounter in their everyday work. HCPC without a social worker is as if GMC was without a doctor on their staff. Hilarious, but also very sad. Oh, in this country it is called a 'fair and democratic process', just in case you were not sure...

[name removed] (Account suspended) left an annotation ()

Baby P and Victoria Colombier cases are just waiting to happen, if proper control of social workers is not in place....