The Social Work identification of Emotional Harm to Children – SOPs, Flow Charts, Risk Assessments, Law Enacted

SJA Grove made this Freedom of Information request to City of Edinburgh Council This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

City of Edinburgh Council did not have the information requested.

Dear City of Edinburgh Council,

Background to this FOISA 2002 request

Parents who have identified through a Data Protection Act 2018 Subject Access Request that an organisation or organisations hold false, erroneous and libellous information on them [potentially with this information being passed to the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS)] may contact the Children's Services – Children & Families Social Work Department and raise a Child Welfare Concern detailing that the lies being disseminated about that parent could emotionally harm their child/children.

In short a child could be emotionally harmed by the belief that “mum is a criminal" when that is not the case.

Such emotional harm could occur when persons closely associated with the child [e.g. resident parent, neighbours, school teachers, Independent Domestic Abuse Advocates (IDAAs)] file false police reports and Police Scotland Domestic Abuse Liaison Officers (DALOs) pass on false information to the local authority Children's Services – Children & Families Social Work Department, and this Department fails in their “fact checking obligations”.

In one case in Stirling such a Child Welfare Concern resulted in a school Head Teacher being contacted. This Head Teacher may have been a participant at a MARAC and had been involved in communications leading up to the arrest of that parent at the school (which including child welfare concerns raised by the parent who was arrested outside of the school).

Clearly “multi-agency working” can be consanguineous which could lead public sector workers to be having serious conflicts of interest, especially if their actions are a consequence of earlier failures to perform their job in a competent manner (e.g. ignoring earlier child welfare communications).

To ensure the quality of performance of any professionals dealing with the paramount wellbeing of the child, within the response please advise what stringent checks and balances are in place to ensure that there is no inappropriate ethos of custom and practice approach being taken, for example the checks on the emotional well being of the child is not performed by a person who has failed in any earlier duty of care to that child or has a conflict of interest (such as any involvement in a MARAC or IRD where false information has been passed to Police Scotland).

FOISA 2002 request

Under FOISA 2002 please provide me with the information contained in your records as follows:

The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Flow Charts, Risk Assessments and Law Enacted that is used by Social Services when a parent raises an emotional harm Child Welfare Concern.

Yours faithfully,

SJA Grove

City of Edinburgh Council

SJA Grove

Our ref: 30183

Dear SJA Grove

Acknowledgement of Request

Subject: The Social Work identification of Emotional Harm to Children – SOPs, Flow Charts, Risk Assessments, Law Enacted

Thank you for your request for information which was received on 17/11/2020. In your request you asked for the following;

The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Flow Charts, Risk Assessments and Law Enacted that is used by Social Services when a parent raises an emotional harm Child Welfare Concern.

I can confirm that your request will be processed under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, Environmental Information Regulations (Scotland) 2004, or the INSPIRE (Scotland) Regulations 2009.

You will receive the information requested within 20 working days unless the Council does not hold the information, or there is a reason for it to be withheld. We will write to you in any event. This means we have until 16/12/2020 to respond to your request.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case we will let you know.

If you have any requirements regarding the format any information should be supplied in, e.g. the language to be used, audio, large print and so on, then please let me know.

If you have any queries or concerns, do not hesitate to get in touch. Please quote the reference number above in any future communications.

To promote transparency and accountability, please note it is the Council’s policy to publish all request details and responses made under the freedom of information legislation. This information will be made available through the Council’s website and will not include your personal details. The disclosure log is available at the following link: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homepage/175....

Further information about your rights and accessing information is available on our website at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Information Governance Unit
Level 2:1, Waverley Court, Edinburgh EH8 8BG Tel 0131 200 2340
[Edinburgh City Council request email] www.edinburgh.gov.uk

City of Edinburgh Council

SJA Grove

[FOI #706422 email]

Our ref: 30183

Dear SJA Grove

Request for Clarification

Subject: Social Services Standard Operating Procedures

Thank you for your request for information of 17/11/2020 in which you asked the following:

The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Flow Charts, Risk Assessments and Law Enacted that is used by Social Services when a parent raises an emotional harm Child Welfare Concern.

Unfortunately, we cannot identify the information you have requested from the details you have provided. To help us meet your request, could you please provide the following:

Please could you clarify if your request is in relation to a particular case or whether it is for general process guidance.

On receipt of these further details, we will respond to your request within 20 working days. Please note that the statutory 20 working day deadline for responding to your request does not start until we receive the requested clarification from you.

If we do not hear from you within 40 working days, we will assume that you are no longer seeking the information you have requested and we will take no further action.

If you wish to discuss further, please get in touch. Please quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Further information about your rights and accessing information is available on our website at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Iain Burden
Information Rights Officer

Information Governance Unit
Level 2:1, Waverley Court, Edinburgh EH8 8BG Tel 0131 200 2340
[Edinburgh City Council request email] www.edinburgh.gov.uk

City of Edinburgh Council

SJA Grove

[FOI #706422 email]

Our ref: 30183

Dear SJA Grove

Request for Clarification

Subject: Social Services Standard Operating Procedures

We wrote to you on 19/11/2020 asking if you could provide some further details to help us identify the information you are interested in. To date we have not received a response from you. Unfortunately, we cannot proceed with your request until you provide us with the following:

Please could you clarify if your request is in relation to a particular case or whether it is for general process guidance.

On receipt of these further details, we will respond to your request within 20 working days. Please note that the statutory 20 working day deadline for responding to your request does not start until we have received the requested clarification from you.

If we do not hear from you within 20 working days, we will assume that you are no longer seeking the information you have requested and will take no further action.

If you wish to discuss your request, or have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch. Please quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Further information about your rights and accessing information is available on our website at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Iain Burden
Information Rights Officer

Information Governance  Unit
Level 2:1, Waverley Court, Edinburgh EH8 8BG Tel 0131 200 2340
[Edinburgh City Council request email] www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Dear City of Edinburgh Council,

Thank you for clarifying this request. This request relates to the guidance that Social Work use when a concern is raised about emotional harm to a child/children i.e. all activities that could result in psychological damage to the child when that concern is raised to the Social Work department. It is requested that information is provided on both the guidance that is based on both "best practice" guidance of Social Work and the statutory requirements on Social Workers in protecting the psychological wellbeing of a child.

As an illustration of the a scenario that could occur a parent of a child is libelled by the child's grandparent and a false concern is raised to Police Scotland which is taken forwards by Police Scotland and the council by means of an Inter-Agency Referral Discussion (IRD). The parent of the child contacts the council and raises a concern that the lies that are being told about them could adversely affect the contact they have with their own child, which could psychologically harm the child. The flow chart/SOP/Risk Assessment that the Social Worker would use to assess the wellbeing of the child is what this request will require for completion.

Please respond with any further clarification required.

Yours faithfully,

SJA Grove

Information Rights Officer 4, City of Edinburgh Council

SJA Grove

 

[1][FOI #706422 email]

 

Our ref: 30183

 

 

Dear SJA Grove

 

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held

 

Subject: Social Services Standard Operating Procedures

 

Thank you for your request for information of 17/11/2020 and subsequent
clarification of 22/12/2020 where you asked the following:

 

Please provide the guidance that Social Work use when a concern is raised
about emotional harm to a child/children i.e. all activities that could
result in psychological damage to the child when that concern is raised to
the Social Work department. It is requested that information is provided
on both the guidance that is based on both "best practice" guidance of
Social Work and the statutory requirements on Social Workers in protecting
the psychological wellbeing of a child.

 

As an illustration of a scenario that could occur a parent of a child is
libelled by the child's grandparent and a false concern is raised to
Police Scotland which is taken forwards by Police Scotland and the council
by means of an Inter-Agency Referral Discussion (IRD). The parent of the
child contacts the council and raises a concern that the lies that are
being told about them could adversely affect the contact they have with
their own child, which could psychologically harm the child. The flow
chart/SOP/Risk Assessment that the Social Worker would use to assess the
wellbeing of the child is what this request will require for completion.

 

Your request has been processed under the Freedom of Information
(Scotland) Act 2002. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide you with the
information requested because it is not held by the Council.

 

Other than published government guidance, we do not hold general process
guidance, flowcharts, etc. which cover the specific scenario described in
your request.

 

Please note that this letter constitutes a notice under section 17 of the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

 

To promote transparency and accountability, please note it is the
Council’s policy to publish all request details and responses made under
the freedom of information legislation. This information is normally
available through the Council’s website and will not include personal
details. Unfortunately, at the moment, the disclosure log is only partly
available. We hope to have this issue resolved in the near future, after
which time, the full response will be accessible via the following link:
[2]https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homepage/10....

 

Your right to seek a review

 

If you are unhappy with the way we have dealt with your request, you can
ask us to review our actions and decisions by writing to:

 

Information Compliance Team

The City of Edinburgh Council

Waverley Court Business Centre 2:1

4, East Market Street

Edinburgh

EH8 8BG

Email: [3][email address]

 

Please note that your request must be in a recordable format (email,
letter, audio tape etc.), and that you have 40 working days upon receipt
of this letter to ask for a review. You will receive a full response to
your review request within 20 working days of its receipt. Please quote
the reference number above in any future communications.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the review, you can ask the
Scottish Information Commissioner to review our decision. You must submit
your complaint to the Commissioner within 6 months of receiving our review
response. The Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

The Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner

Kinburn Castle

Doubledykes Road

St Andrews

Fife

KY16 9DS

Telephone: 01334 464610

Fax: 01334 464611

Website: [4]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

Email: [5][email address]

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Iain Burden

Information Rights Officer

 

Information Governance Unit

Level 2:1, Waverley Court, Edinburgh EH8 8BG Tel 0131 200 2340

[6][Edinburgh City Council request email]  [7]www.edinburgh.gov.uk

 

 

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References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #706422 email]
2. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homepage/10...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal
5. mailto:[email address]
6. mailto:[Edinburgh City Council request email]
7. http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/

Dear Information Rights Officer 4,

The City of Edinburgh Council is thanked for it's response and the candour in applying this Section 17(1) exemption.

Perhaps the "GiRFEC" proccess needs to be examined especially towards those child who are being coercively controlled and emotionally abused by one parent (and their associated co-conspirator family members and friends) who has filed one or more false police report and/or committed perjury with the full support of the state during a prosecution (that may be a malicious prosecution). The City of Edinburgh Council may wish to implement policies whereby the children of parents who have been prosecuted (whether found innocent or guilty) are informed of the prosecution outcome and permitted to read the written judgement of the sheriff/judge.

Yours sincerely,

SJA Grove