Earlier this month we shared an article from the BBC – NSPCC child abuse helpline has record call numbers in pandemic.
During significant periods of lockdown, concerns have spiralled about ‘unseen children’. Many Children’s Social Workers have continued to undertake face to face visits to see children but at the height of concern for the virus, those visits were restricted; often undertaken in gardens and parents had a legitimate reason to refuse professionals from entering their homes. Children on the cusp of intervention were not required to attend school and health checks and many other medical appointments have been conducted remotely.
Social Workers are all too aware of the link between domestic abuse, parental drug and alcohol misuse, parental mental health difficulties and neglectful and abusive parenting. There has been significant media attention on the increases in domestic violence and the likely mental health crisis ahead of us. Our concern, as Social Worker’s throughout this time, has been the consequence of all of that for the children. It has become more important than ever that children are seen and heard and that assessments focus on the child’s lived experiences.
At Advanced CCA, we pride ourselves on innovative methods of assessment that aim to illuminate the risks of secondary trauma for children and offer their parents the opportunity to achieve meaningful changes that will reduce those risks and provide an improved narrative of family life for the child to take forward into their adulthood. We recognise that this has been a time for reflection and we move forward with renewed determination and focus.
