Madam, - Is it not generally accepted that responsible journalism requires a writer to cross-check sources to establish the veracity of the claims made by informants?
There is no evidence in John Waters's recent articles about social workers that he has made any attempt to do so in the cases he describes. Social workers are prevented by their professional code of ethics, which requires them to preserve confidentiality in individual cases, from disputing the facts as recounted by Mr Waters. This leaves them with no right of reply to the particular allegations he makes against them.
Social workers, like journalists, have guidelines for what constitutes good practice. In carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the circumstances of individual children, they are required to consult as many sources as possible in order to formulate a recommendation to the court. These sources often include the child's extended family members and others concerned with their welfare such as the family GP, the local public health nurse, teachers and pre-school carers. Where it is felt that the child is not sufficiently well represented, a guardian ad litem can be appointed by the court.
Miscarriages of justice, as we well know, can and do occur, and where they do, responsible journalists have played a leading role in exposing them, leading to justice for the victims concerned.
It has to be said that social workers, as other professionals, can engage in practices that could not be supported. I do not make apologies for such practice. If there are genuine complaints of malpractice, these should be reported and investigated and sanctions should be applied. Child protection social workers are employed by the State and have employee reporting systems, involving principals and child care managers.
However, one has to question here in whose interests John Waters is taking up the cudgels. Is it in the interests of Irish children's right to live in a secure, violence-free environment with adults who can provide for their physical and emotional needs? Or is it in support of the rights of fathers, irrespective of the needs and rights of their children?
The Constitution is clear that the interests of children are usually best served by being cared for within their birth family. It is unfortunate that in some instances the needs and interests of children and parents do not coincide. There is considerable evidence to show that a high proportion of referrals to social workers are self-referrals, or come from concerned family or community members such as public health nurses, teachers and GPs. In such circumstances, it behoves the professionals concerned with the welfare of children to put their own biases and prejudices aside, and to take whatever action is needed to safeguard the children concerned.
There are undoubtedly campaigns that need to be waged to improve the lot of children in our society. Family poverty is a good example, as are improvements in health care, educational and family support services, including more extensive mediation centres throughout the country for separating parents. John Waters's time might be better spent highlighting some of these injustices, than in dubbing as "vindictive and brutal" those who are struggling daily to work within a system which is, at best, patchy in its staffing and back-up resources, and at worst, lacking the prerequisites for supporting children in a supposedly civilised society. - Yours, etc,
Dr MARIAN MURPHY,
Senior Lecturer in Applied Social Studies,
University College Cork.
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A Chara, - I do not envy anyone seeking to fulfil the role of social worker in our society, which appears to be experiencing a gradual breakdown in order and personal responsibility. However, society has given social workers a major role in trying to ameliorate its ills. Their professional findings are afforded great weight by State institutions.
By and large the clients of social workers are quite vulnerable and seldom in a position to resist or challenge their findings. This gives social workers an even more powerful role. Aidan Browne of the HSE has listed the various mechanisms for challenging the findings of social workers. Declan Coogan of the Irish Association of Social Workers has written (August 25th) about the professionalism of social workers. However, John Waters demonstrates again in his column of September 4th that both these aspects are very much open to question.
From my own long experience as principal of a special school, I would tend to agree with Mr Waters. It would appear that when a social worker comes to a finding, it is well nigh impossible to have it overruled, despite glaring flaws in the process. I feel that one of the reasons why men fare so poorly with social workers is the fact that, in my experience, most social workers were women. - Yours, etc,
ANTHONY JORDAN,
Gilford Road,
Sandymount,
Dublin 4.