words fail me

[llywela]

Okay, so remember last year when we were all really shocked that Social Services/the court allowed Susan to regain custody of her children after abusing, neglecting and abandoning them? We've found out how and why that happened.

Turns out, the chief social worker responsible for their case has been sacked. Because he'd been using Susan's services as a prostitute. And she was doing him for free for as long as he kept putting in good reports to ensure she kept the kids.

Seriously.

That would also explain why no action was taken when Shanei, when she turned 16, plucked up the courage to make a complaint about her mother physically abusing her - Susan sent her to South Africa for 6 months as a punishment, and nothing else happened at all. Now we know why.

I just can't even.

Comments

[catsdownunder.livejournal.com]

The truth hurts and I hope there is a thorough investigation into this idiot. Who else was he using? Who else has suffered like your family?

::: HUGS :::

[daphnis.livejournal.com]

I hope your friends and family make the HUGEST stink about this, in the newspapers, with protests against Social Services' laxity and corruptness in front of SocServ offices wherever possible and so forth.

It's not just about your family's misfortunes, either. I hope and pray that this past week has begun our moving through vastly different kinds of change, as people all round the world decide to reclaim their ownership of our shared territories. This will be a year of huge change!

Hugs and love,
Daphnis

[femsc.livejournal.com]

No, not the newspapers. It's not fair to drag the family through the media circus. Do complain - with legal advice if necessary - to the authorities, but leave the media out of it unless strict anonymity can be guaranteed.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

*is speechless too*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

You couldn't make this stuff up! Seriously! And we thought the rigmarole around Chelsea's adoption was bad!

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Ugh. That's terrible. I hope Social Services are going to review everything this man has been involved with, but primarily I hope they take responsibility for allowing those children to stay in that situation for another year, not to mention the stress experienced by your sister & her hubby.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

The children aren't living with Susan now and haven't done for some time - she isn't actually interested in parenting them, she just wanted the right to waltz in and out of their lives on her own whim. She was stripped of her residency rights back in May - but the rollercoaster before that went on for years, time after time they were handed back to her when they shouldn't have been. And now we know why.

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

Blimey. You couldn't make it up.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

You really couldn't. If you filmed this family's story and put it on telly, it would be dismissed as far-fetched and contrived. Yet it is true! Unbelievable.

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

That's just... I have no idea how to respond to that. I can't believe how many people have suffered due to his selfishness. I'm so sorry.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Those children have certainly suffered because of him. Unbelievable. Thank goodness their dad seems to be on a reasonably even keel now, at least.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh Jo, that's awful. Like you, words fail me. It's especially dreadful to discover something like that in a person who has gone into a profession which should care more about people than the average citizen.
And I will never, ever understand how a parent can abuse a child.

Sue

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Luckily the children aren't with Susan now and haven't been for some time - but the number of times over the years they were handed back to her when they shouldn't have been. Now we know why, it was because some sleazebag thought it was okay to lie in official documents and in court in exchange for free sex with a prostitute. GRRR.

I do not understand Susan's warped mind and nor would I want to. She's just a nutter.

[vltavska.livejournal.com]

.... OMG. Oh Jo I am speechless. :(

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

As everyone else has said, that's just so horrible that there are no words... I suppose that in some ways it's good to know that there was a reason behind it, because it really made no sense, but what an awful one - and that will have so many reverberations for other social workers, and people using and trusting social workers as well. How could he think to do that? Bloody people...

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

So many times those children were returned to that woman despite her being blatantly off her head, we could never understand why it was allowed. Well, now we know. Thank goodness she has at least already been stripped of residency. Too late, though.

[lusciousxander.livejournal.com]

This is so messed up! God, something should be done about this! They can't just leave those poor kids in Susan's abusive "care".

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Luckily the children aren't with her any more and haven't been for some months - she had them taken off her a few times last year only for them to be returned when they shouldn't have been, but she has never been interested in actually parenting them and melted down spectacularly earlier this year, after which her residency was finally revoked. Too late, though. At least now we know why she was given so many chances.

[bagpuss1966.livejournal.com]

That's terrible, Jo. :o I hope Social Services now take some decent action for your family.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Trouble is, the damage to those kids has already been done and can't be undone. Susan's residency was revoked months ago, but the number of times before that she was allowed to take them back despite being unfit to care for them...it beggars belief.

[ehlwyen.livejournal.com]

I am sick to my stomach learning this horrible news. I can't imagine the shock and betrayal you are feeling now.

I know that the important thing is to get the kids safe right now. But I feel that the Social Services needs to better screen and monitor it's employees and has it's own share of blame for what this single guy has done. I am appalled that he was the only caseworker to ever evaluate Susan and the children and thereby given such power.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I don't know all the details, but do know that the home situation has been evaluated by a number of different workers. This bloke, as far as I can gather, is fairly senior, though - and so was in a position of sufficient power to overrule recommendations from his subordinates.

But having said that, I'm not going to defend social services. They are permanently underfunded and understaffed and perpetually in crisis, and children suffer as a result.

[(Anonymous)]

This is just so awful, beyond words.
I suppose history shows us that some manipulative and abusive people go into jobs like this precisely because of the power it gives them over vulnerable people. Think of all the children who are now recognised as being sexually abused for years in residential homes. Can we be sure it doesn't happen even now? And the miscreants are usually extremely clever at covering their tracks and having a network of like-minded people to protect them.
And then there are the good ones, the social workers who genuinely want to help other people, from the best of motives - they will suffer from the mistrust this sort of thing engenders amongst the public. And good families, like yours who want to and can help by offering a safe refuge for those children which they were denied. Things seem to have gone so badly wrong, it's hard to know what to do.
I tend to agree with your other friends, that the ptb should not be allowed to hide this away and that at the very least his caseload is reviewed to see how many more families he abused. Is he being prosecuted? I think you are entitled to ask. And if not, why not? I dread to think of him finding another job somewhere in the caring professions, if he is not dealt with properly.

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

Sorry, Jo. For some reason my computer has suddenly taken to logging me out of LJ, the probably far too long comment was from me - feel free to ignore!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Oh, it does that to me, too!

The social worker in question has been sacked. I can't imagine he would be allowed to work in such a position again, but I don't really know the details, only that he is the reason those children were returned to Susan so many times when they shouldn't have been. Thank goodness she has already been stripped of her residency now, though.

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

O.O !!!!!! *is horrified*

I hope that social worker's license (or whatever professional accreditation he has) is permanently revoked. Also, I hope this means that all of his rulings regarding your family will be immediately reviewed and those poor kids will be placed properly and get the care they need. I think Susan's actions (esp. this) prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she's an unfit mother. Good luck to your family. I wish them some closure to this drama and peace.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Luckily the children aren't with Susan now and haven't been for some time - she isn't actually interested in parenting them, she just wanted the right to waltz in and out of their lives on her own whim. She was stripped of her residency rights back in May, after a spectacular meltdown in front of the childrens' head teacher and a police officer; the children now live permanently with their father, and he seems to be coping reasonably well now, after a rocky time of it last year. But the rollercoaster before that went on for years, time after time they were handed back to Susan when they shouldn't have been. And now we know why, it was because some sleazebag thought it was okay to lie in official documents and in court in exchange for free sex with a prostitute. GRRR. I don't know what action is being taken against him other than immediate dismissal, but I sincerely hope he never works again!

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

That is so ...unspeakable.

[francy-m79.livejournal.com]

°_°

Not even in the wildest soaps... what a sad story all around.

[mav-fan.livejournal.com]

Indeed, it explains a great deal as to why the children's welfare never seemed to be considered. But, jeez, I can't understand some people and never will.

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

I'm praying for all of you. And I hope the karma bus flattens every culpable person involved in this debacle.

[siluria]

I am so sorry xx

[lembeau.livejournal.com]

Oh god. I'm glad that they found him out and have fired him. I hope charges are brought against him for...all of it! Prostitution, endangering children, whatever else you can think of.

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

....

Wow, it never ends with your family, does it? Forget TV, here is the real soap opera! O_o

That's just...unreal! Though it explains a lot...

[agentxpndble.livejournal.com]

I really have no words. That is beyond anything my brain can process right now. I'd go to the papers - If there was *anything* that deserved to be a media circus/scandal, this would be it. People need to be angry enough to make sure it doesn't happen again (and those involved aren't allowed to quietly slink on with their lives, unoticed).

[femsc.livejournal.com]

Dear heavens. I haven't been keeping terribly up to date with LJ for a bit now because it hasn't been playing nicely with my computer, but to check in and find this... At least you've got answers, but good grief the damage is already done. I hope the sleazebag goes to prison, where he will get far worse treatment than any he has meted out to children under his care. I could never understand what was going on with your family's situation, but it never dawned on me that corruption was behind all the stupid decisions.
Other than that - I'm speechless.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

No, it never made any sense, none of it. But now it does! It's horrible because those children have been through so much. But at least now we know how it happened. And the sleaze has been sacked, so he can't do the same to any other families now.