Social workers 'attempted cover up' in bid to keep five children in foster care

In a report which was written in November 2015 and published in the Independent (a UK Newspaper), a Judge noted that Social Workers had attempted a cover-up to keep 5 children in the foster care system.  Below is the article in full.

"Judge says report was rewritten to present parents of siblings aged between three and 16 in a negative light.

A judge has taken the extraordinary step of naming social workers who took part in an attempted “cover up” to keep five children from living with their parents.

One social worker’s report was rewritten by a colleague and a manager to present the parents in a poorer light, Judge Mark Horton found. He also accused social workers of lying under oath.

In a scathing ruling, the judge condemned the conduct of social workers at Hampshire County Council involved in the case, which related to five Portsmouth siblings aged between three and 16 in foster care.

Judge criticises social worker over language used in report

He said: “It is exceptional to find a case in which there has been deliberate and calculated alteration of a report prepared by one social worker in order to make that assessment seem less favourable, by another social worker and the team manager; the withholding of the original report when it was ordered to be disclosed and the parties to the alterations lying on oath one of them twice, in order to try to cover up the existence of the original report.”

The judge added: “I certainly have not previously come across [a case] quite like it either at the Bar or as a judge.”

The children were originally taken into care because of concerns about the way they were being looked after by their parents.

The inability of the parents “to set consistent boundaries had led to appalling neglect of the older children’s educational, emotional and social development and neglect of all of the children’s health needs,” the judge accepted.

But he added that at one stage the children had been illegally removed from their parents’ care, and a “fair parenting assessment” had not been done.

The judge said that the “enormity” of what had been done by the council officials led him to name individuals who still work as social workers so that others are aware of “their shortcomings.”

Social worker Sarah Walker Smart had “lied twice to me on oath,” said the judge in his ruling.

Her former manager, Kim Goode, now district manager for the Isle of Wight, “was the person who initiated the wholesale alteration of the original report and who attempted to keep the truth from the parties and me.”

The judge also found that evidence given by Lisa Humphreys, Ms Goode’s former manager, now assistant director of children’s social care at Lambeth Borough Council, was “deeply unimpressive.”

Judge Horton added: “She made a ‘hollow’ apology to the parents during her evidence; she regarded a social worker lying on oath as ‘foolish’ and she failed to accept any personal responsibility for what had gone on under her management.”"

So where are Lisa Humphreys, Kim Goode and Sarah Walker Smart now?  Initially their own Local Authority stood by them, providing support.  So were any ever faced with disciplinary action?  Were any held in contempt or bound over for lying under oath?

In a discussion forum, I found a form CP Social Worker who commented, and I find this just scary as hell
Birdsgottafly Tue 24-Nov-15 23:57:24
The SWs were caught out.

I speak as a former CP SW.

Reports and outcomes are regularly manipulated to get the outcome that the SW/FSW wants.

However in some cases, children should be removed, but what you've got to to court with, won't be enough.

The regular updating of the Training, Law, policies and procedures was supposed to remove SW bias and the ability to sway an outcome, but it didn't happen.

I think if most people found out about the conduct that both SWs and Police could get away with, they would be shocked.