Herts social worker branded ‘unprofessional & insensitive’
A social worker who was called a “Nazi” by a parking inspector embroiled in family court proceedings relating to his daughter has been criticised by a judge.
Recorder Mary Lazarus said the social worker – who worked for Hertfordshire County Council – had been “unprofessional” and “insensitive”.
The judge also said she was disappointed by examples of the council failing to approach the case sensitively and with the aim of “truly working in a partnership” with the family involved.
She said the family’s concerns about the “insensitive and negative approach they had been treated to” were justified.
Recorder Lazarus made her criticisms in a written ruling on the future of the girl – now seven.
She ruled against social services bosses.
They had wanted the little girl, who lived with her mother – the man’s former partner, to be placed in the care of guardians.
But the judge concluded that the girl should move to live with her father – and stay in contact with her mother.
She did not name the man or the girl’s mother and did not fully identify the social worker.
Recorder Lazarus made the ruling in March following a private hearing at a family court hearing in Watford, Hertfordshire. But it has only recently been made public.
The girl’s mother and the parking inspector had each wanted the youngster to live with them.
But social services bosses had raised a number of concerns.
They said both parents had failed to co-operate with professionals; had concerns about the mother’s “misuse of alcohol” and mental health; said the parking inspector had a “flawed and disordered” personality; had a poor relationship with his daughter; could not “work with professionals to meet (his daughter’s) needs”; had been “angry and confrontational” and “verbally aggressive and intimidating” towards the social worker – and had called her a “Nazi”.
Recorder Lazarus concluded that the parking inspector had a “positive, rewarding, affectionate and appropriate” relationship with his daughter.
Both parents had raised concerns about the approach taken by the council – in particular by the social worker.
The judge said the parking inspector had admitted being “abusive, hostile and aggressive” to the social worker. He had said that had been due to her “negative and unprofessional” attitude, to her “ordering him around”, expressing the council’s views “bluntly” and “pursuing its position insensitively”.
She said some of his criticisms were “well founded” – although she said that did not justify his “abusive behaviour”.
The social worker had accepted that some “steps” had not been “best practice” and had “expressed regret”.
Recorder Lazarus said the social worker had at one point “characterised” the father as “overlooking” the mother’s feelings.
“It was clearly nothing of the sort,” she said. “This level of distortion to fit the local authority’s case is unhelpful in the extreme, unprofessional and frankly a misrepresentation of the true situation.”
The judge said the social worker had talked to the mother about what might happen at the end of the case in front of the little girl – and discussed the need to “pack a bag”.
She said such a discussion should have taken place out of the little girl’s earshot and added: “This was a hugely insensitive and potentially destabilising discussion for (the little girl) to overhear. It is frankly flabbergasting to hear that that a child protection professional has acted this way. It is as if the child’s feelings are invisible.”
And the judge added: “I must express my disappointment at having to consider these examples of the local authority failing to approach this case sensitively and with the aim of truly working in partnership with a family, and I consider that the family’s concerns as to the insensitive and negative approach they have been treated to are justified. Some examples appear to be the responsibility of the social worker and some of her management within her team.”
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