Child and Family Assessments/Tools
Dear Warwickshire County Council,
Please can you provide:
- The number of Section 7 reports under the Children Act 1989 that the Council have produced for the period 1 April 2022 to date with details of how many per month over this period?
- How many safeguarding referrals to the Council have involved parental alienation for the period 1 April 2022 to date vs. the total number of safeguarding referrals?
- What tools/techniques do the Council's Children Services use to assess parental alienation where this is a factor in a safeguarding referral and/or Section 7 report? (a definition of parental alienation being 'When a child’s resistance / hostility towards one parent is not justified and is the result of psychological manipulation by the other parent'). I am after the specific tools used to ensure a holistic and robust assessment is undertaken (and not a reference to experience only)
- Do the Council use the CAFCASS 'Alienating Behaviour Tool' or similar document to conduct their assessments in circumstances where parental alienation has been raised? (https://www.cafcass.gov.uk/professionals...)
- If the Council do not use any such tool when circumstances may involve parental alienation, please explain how the Council can assure themselves that robust conclusions are determined?
- Please can the details of training provided specifically on the topic of parental alienation to Children's Social Workers be provided? (details being the slides/training content along with the compliance levels as a percentage for completion in the last 12 months of all relevant staff)
- Please can the details of training provided specifically on the topic of gender bias between Males and Females to Children's Social Workers be provided? ie. training on how to avoid bias to ensure all are treated fairly (details being the slides/training content along with the compliance levels as a percentage for completion in the last 12 months of all relevant staff)
Yours faithfully,
Gurpreet
Thankyou for your email to the Information Rights Team at Warwickshire
County Council.
If we need further information to deal with a request you are making, we
will contact you.
Please note 25-27^th December inclusive and 1^st January are public
holidays, any requests or queries that are received within these time
periods will be actioned on our return.
Kind regards
Information Rights Team
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Information request
Our reference: 9767156
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Dear Gurpreet Dulay
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Thank you for your request for information that was received on 28
December 2023. We are dealing with your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000
Under our normal statutory requirements we are required to provide you
with a response within 20 working days of the receipt of your request.
Therefore we aim to send a response by 29 January 2024.
In some case, a fee may be payable. If we decide a fee is payable, we will
send you a fee notice and we will require you to pay the fee before
proceeding with your request.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 may restrict the release of some or
all of the information you have requested. We will carry out an assessment
and if any exemptions apply to some or all of the information then we
might not provide that information to you. We will inform you if this is
the case and advise you of your right to request an internal review and to
complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
We will also advise you if we cannot provide you with the information
requested for any other reason together with the reason(s) why and details
of how you may appeal (if appropriate).
Kind regards
Jonathan Sheward
Information Rights Officer
Information Governance Team
Strategy Planning and Governance
Resources Directorate
Warwickshire County Council
Shire Hall
Warwick
CV34 4RL
Tel: 01926 413716
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
Warwickshire County Council,
20 working days have now passed. The date of reply in your response incorrectly calculates 20 days. Please provide me a response to my questions as expected as this is not the first time the Council have failed to meet expectations.
Gurpreet
Thankyou for your email to the Information Rights Team at Warwickshire
County Council.
If we need further information to deal with a request you are making, we
will contact you.
Kind regards
Information Rights Team
This transmission is intended for the named addressee(s) only and may
contain confidential, sensitive or personal information and should be
handled accordingly. Unless you are the named addressee (or authorised to
receive it for the addressee) you may not copy or use it, or disclose it
to anyone else. If you have received this transmission in error please
notify the sender immediately. All email traffic sent to or from us may be
subject to recording and/or monitoring in accordance with relevant
legislation.
Information request
Our reference: 9767156
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Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your request for information received on 28 December
2023. Please find our response to your request, and associated documents,
attached to this email.
Your email dated 27 January 2024, concerning the response date to your
request, has been noted.
Please be advised that, in line with our interpretation of the guidance
applicable to the Freedom of Information 2000, we have discounted Bank
Holidays applicable to the United Kingdom as working days when calculating
the required response date. Therefore the Bank Holiday that applies in
Scotland on 2 January 2024 has been including in our calculation, giving a
statutory response date of today's date 29 January 2024.
If you still wish to make an internal review request in respect
non-compliance with the response date for your request, please let us know
and your request will be forwarded to the council's Legal Services Team
for this to be considered.
Yours faithfully
Jonathan Sheward
Information Rights Officer
Information Governance Team
Strategy Planning and Governance
Resources Directorate
Warwickshire County Council
Shire Hall
Warwick
CV34 4RL
Tel: 01926 413716
Email: [email address]
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
Dear Warwickshire County Council,
Thank you for responding to my request. I have a few follow-up questions please:
1. You have provided evidence of training slides 'PowerPoint' document and understandably have not provided the names of all attendees. This being said, please can you provide the date of this training and more importantly, the number of attendees and if available, their grades (therefore names can be excluded so it is not personally identifiable).
2. You have provided a number of literature documents (the 'five documents' referred to). Are these documents a form of training all social workers at the Council need to read and therefore, if this is the case, can you confirm how many have confirmed they have read these (the compliance rate)? OR, whether these documents are shared for information and it is the responsibility of individuals to read/engage with the documents at their discretion?
Finally, I must make clear that it is disappointing that no training on gender bias has taken place in the last 12 months. Given this is in an area where this particular challenge often occurs, the lack of training on this is alarming. More importantly however, the Council's response to state there are no specific tools regarding parental alienation that are used to ensure consistent approaches is again of concern. Other organisations who operate in this area more frequently that the Council have tools available (in addition to experienced qualified staff) as they recognise that this can support consistency and robustness of approach.
Yours sincerely,
Gurpreet Dulay
Dear Warwickshire County Council,
I emailed to ask further questions on the FOI response provided on 03/02/24. It is now 18/02/24 and I have had no response. Please can you acknowledge the further questions and provide an estimate date of response and then provide the response accordingly.
Yours sincerely,
Gurpreet Dulay
Dear Sir/Madam,
Please accept my apology for our not replying sooner to your emails of 3
February 2024 and 18 February 2024 respectively.
I can advise that the queries you have raised, in reply to our response to
your request for information, have been forward to colleagues in the
relevant team. At this point in time I am waiting for them to reply and
advise further.
I will get back to you once I have heard further, and will contact you
again no later than next Thursday 29 February 2024 with an update if I
have been unable to respond to your questions by then.
Yours faithfully
Jonathan Sheward
Information Rights Officer
Information Governance Team
Strategy Planning and Governance
Resources Directorate
Warwickshire County Council
Shire Hall
Warwick
CV34 4RL
Tel: 01926 413716
Email: [email address]
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From: Gurpreet Dulay <[FOI #1063064 email]>
Sent: 18 February 2024 00:23
To: Info Rights <[Warwickshire County Council request email]>
Subject: Re: Information request (ref: 9767156)
Dear Warwickshire County Council,
I emailed to ask further questions on the FOI response provided on
03/02/24. It is now 18/02/24 and I have had no response. Please can you
acknowledge the further questions and provide an estimate date of response
and then provide the response accordingly.
Yours sincerely,
Gurpreet Dulay
Dear Sir/Madam,
Further to your email of 3 February 2024, further to our response to your
request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please
now see our responses to your follow up questions.
You have now enquired:
1. You have provided evidence of training slides 'PowerPoint' document and
understandably have not provided the names of all attendees. This being
said, please can you provide the date of this training and more
importantly, the number of attendees and if available, their grades
(therefore names can be excluded so it is not personally identifiable).
This training was broadcast on 21 March 2021 and went out to 200 plus
number staff in total, with precise numbers not being held. These staff
were of all grades - although again precise details are not held
In respect of the staff involved in the "Practice Discussion", of those
named in the presentation material provided these are:
John Coleman - Director of Children & Families
Calvin Smith - Head of Children's Safeguarding.
The other 5 people involved in the "Practice Discussion", whose name
details have been withheld, these are all Service Managers from the
Safeguarding Children, Children & Young Peoples Justice Team, Children's
Safeguarding & Support Team, Systemic Practice & Family Therapy Team and
the council's Legal Services (Young People) Team.
2. You have provided a number of literature documents (the 'five
documents' referred to). Are these documents a form of training all social
workers at the Council need to read and therefore, if this is the case,
can you confirm how many have confirmed they have read these (the
compliance rate)? OR, whether these documents are shared for information
and it is the responsibility of individuals to read/engage with the
documents at their discretion?
We are unable to be more specific other than we have a range of
literatures and training content materials that are provided to staff.
This is not a mandatory requirement and more suitable to certain teams
than others. We had a whole service training broadcast which was attended
by practitioners across the service. In addition teams will also self
serve tailored learning approaches within supervisions and team learning
sets which are encouraged but not counted routinely.
I trust the additional information/advice provided above is of help to
you.
However, if you are not satisfied with how your request has been dealt
with, you do still retain the right to request an internal review. Details
of how to do this are included within our original response letter.
Please be advised that any additional questions would be logged and
considered as a new request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Yours faithfully
Jonathan Sheward
Information Rights Officer
Information Governance Team
Strategy Planning and Governance
Resources Directorate
Warwickshire County Council
Shire Hall
Warwick
CV34 4RL
Tel: 01926 413716
Email: [email address]
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
From: Gurpreet Dulay <[FOI #1063064 email]>
Sent: 03 February 2024 13:04
To: Info Rights <[Warwickshire County Council request email]>
Subject: Re: Information request (ref: 9767156)
Dear Warwickshire County Council,
Thank you for responding to my request. I have a few follow-up questions
please:
1. You have provided evidence of training slides 'PowerPoint' document and
understandably have not provided the names of all attendees. This being
said, please can you provide the date of this training and more
importantly, the number of attendees and if available, their grades
(therefore names can be excluded so it is not personally identifiable).
2. You have provided a number of literature documents (the 'five
documents' referred to). Are these documents a form of training all social
workers at the Council need to read and therefore, if this is the case,
can you confirm how many have confirmed they have read these (the
compliance rate)? OR, whether these documents are shared for information
and it is the responsibility of individuals to read/engage with the
documents at their discretion?
Finally, I must make clear that it is disappointing that no training on
gender bias has taken place in the last 12 months. Given this is in an
area where this particular challenge often occurs, the lack of training on
this is alarming. More importantly however, the Council's response to
state there are no specific tools regarding parental alienation that are
used to ensure consistent approaches is again of concern. Other
organisations who operate in this area more frequently that the Council
have tools available (in addition to experienced qualified staff) as they
recognise that this can support consistency and robustness of approach.
Yours sincerely,
Gurpreet Dulay
Dear Warwickshire County Council,
Due to the non-response, I have issued a formal complaint as it is unacceptable for no reply to be provided given the continued poor communication of the Council.
Yours sincerely,
Gurpreet Dulay
Thankyou for your email to the Information Rights Team at Warwickshire
County Council.
If we need further information to deal with a request you are making, we
will contact you.
Kind regards
Information Rights Team
This transmission is intended for the named addressee(s) only and may
contain confidential, sensitive or personal information and should be
handled accordingly. Unless you are the named addressee (or authorised to
receive it for the addressee) you may not copy or use it, or disclose it
to anyone else. If you have received this transmission in error please
notify the sender immediately. All email traffic sent to or from us may be
subject to recording and/or monitoring in accordance with relevant
legislation.
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