Misconduct of Social Workers - Cafcass / GSCC

LS Palmer made this Freedom of Information request to Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman,

For the years 2005 to 2010 inclusive, please could you provide statistics for the number of complaints you received regarding:

1. CAFCASS
2. GSCC

Of the complaints made please could you state how many were upheld compared to how many were dismissed.

Please could you state whether the complaints related to:

1. False reporting by Social Workers
2. Failure to investigate children being abused 'in care'.
3. Social workers failing to abide by the Law.
4. Social Workers failing to abide by Codes of Conduct.

Yours faithfully,

LS Palmer

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

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foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

1 Attachment

Dear L S Palmer
 
Please find enclosed my response to your information request.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Roberta Coleman
Freedom of Information/Data Protection Officer
 
 

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All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure
Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve
the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK
Government quality mark initiative for information security products and
services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

Dear foiofficer,

Thank you for your response. I am unclear as to why the numbers do not add up. For example regarding complaints made about CAFCASS in 2009/2010 you have stated that you received 148 complaints about CAFCASS and declined 120 for investigation and accepted 1 case for investigation but upheld 0. Are you able to explain what happened to the other 27 complaints?

I will take more time looking through your response and devise further questions which I will ask as a separate request. In the meantime please assist me in understanding why the numbers do not add up.

Yours sincerely,

LS Palmer

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Thank you for your e-mail to the Parliamentary and Health Service
Ombudsman. This return e-mail shows that we have received your
correspondence.

show quoted sections

All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure
Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve
the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK
Government quality mark initiative for information security products and
services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

Dear foiofficer,

Do you make a record as to why a complaint has been denied an investigation? ie. Not referred by an MP, not completed the complaints process.

Other than the reasons given above what other reasons do you deny an investigation into a complaint?

Are you able to explain why in 2005/2006 71% of complaints re CAFCASS were investigated but the following year less than 10% of complaints were investigated and recently less than 1% of complaints have been investigated. Has this been due to a change in a procedure or just a reluctance for the Ombudsman to hold social workers accountable for their misconduct?

Of those complaints that have been upheld since 2005 please could you state what the complaint was regarding.

Yours sincerely,

LS Palmer

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Thank you for your e-mail to the Parliamentary and Health Service
Ombudsman. This return e-mail shows that we have received your
correspondence.

show quoted sections

All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure
Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve
the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK
Government quality mark initiative for information security products and
services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

George Cant left an annotation ()

This has an interest to me.

I have been studying the link ( or lack of it ) between cafcas ( court welfare |), social services and application of recommendations, the law.

foiofficer, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Palmer
 
Please find attached, our response to your emails of 19 January 2011. 
 
Yours sincerely
 
The Freedom of Information and Data Protection Team
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

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All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure
Intranet, and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
legal purposes.
The MessageLabs Anti Virus Service is the first managed service to achieve
the CSIA Claims Tested Mark (CCTM Certificate Number 2006/04/0007), the UK
Government quality mark initiative for information security products and
services. For more information about this please visit www.cctmark.gov.uk

Stuart Maskery left an annotation ()

I suspect this is more to do with CAFCASS than that Ombudsman, in my Case (one of the rare investigated and upheld ones) I had a lot of trouble getting the formal letter from CAFCASS that proves their complaints procedure is exhausted