Social Work Chief Resigns Following Damning Report

Vulnerable children in Midlothian have been left in high risk situations because of failings in the local social work department. The council’s deputy leader and its social work director have resigned in the wake of a report, which suggested that staff were guilty of neglect and incompetence. 

Five-year-old Danielle Reid was battered to death by her mother’s partner and thrown in a canal in Inverness. Eleven-week-old Caleb Ness was allowed to live with his brain damaged father who then shook him to death in his Edinburgh home and three-year-old Kennedy MacFalane was murdered by her mother’s boyfriend in Dumfires.

Problems within social work departments were highlighted by every one of these cases. Thankfully this time it has not taken the death of a child to expose serious diffilcuties within Midlothian’s social work department. However inspectors did find that children  – may of them victism of sexual of domestic abuse – were left in high risk situations and were not seen by social workers on a regular basis.

Councillor Adam Montgomery, the leader of Midlothian Council, said: “We are concerned and very angry – we feel we’ve been let down by senior management.” The deputy council leader and the director of social work have now resigned.

What has happened in Midlothian is, according to many, symptomatic of wider problems facing social work in Scotland. Councils are still struggling to recruit social workers and then keeping them in their jobs. Many of them blame a lack of funding from the Scottish Executive.

Fiona Hyslop MSP, SNP spokesperson for education and young people, said: “Government can’t wash their hands of this issue. There’s a 18% vacancy rate for social workers in Midlothian and experts say there is a funding crisis.”

Hugh Henry MSP, the minister for education and young people, said: “Since 1999 we have put well over £900 million into social work.”

A recovery plan has now been been introduced by Midlothian Council – they have already started an urgent review of all their cases but there is little way of knowing what damage has alreday been done.