SOCIAL WORKERS close to the Roscommon child abuse case say they made more than 30 unsuccessful requests for extra support to management in the Health Service Executive to address a growing “crisis” in child-protection services in the county.
A number of social workers also say they were told to tone down their complaints due to fears by management the problems would be highlighted in the media.
While employees yesterday acknowledged failures in how the case was handled, many say they now feel they are being unfairly blamed for a lack of resources which would have allowed them to do their job properly.
Last week’s report into the abuse case was highly critical of how social services handled the case over a 15-year period and concluded that “resources, per se, were not an issue”. The report does, however, acknowledge there were difficulties in recruiting staff which had an impact at “critical points” in the lifetime of the case.
Several front-line social workers familiar with the Roscommon case say numerous requests for extra support were turned down by senior management. One of the requests made in 1999 included a request to target 10 chronic neglect cases – which included the family at the centre of the abuse report.
At least 30 requests for extra support or suggestions for new services were turned down since 1999, according to social workers.
One of the letters states: “. . . the level of work within the team is at crisis point . . . I have huge concerns that we are not in a position to cover our statutory duties.”
Another states that high caseloads, a high turnover in staff and poor facilities were undermining attempts by staff to help protect vulnerable children.
For example, staff say they did not have access to computers until 2003. Lack of secretarial assistance meant material for typing had to be posted to an administrative support office.
In addition, social work offices had to be vacated on a regular basis to accommodate the local mental health services clinic. Sensitive meetings with clients were often conducted in hallways or the foyer of offices due to lack of space.
The inquiry team’s report acknowledges some of these issues. It refers to unsuccessful proposals being made by heads of discipline and childcare management for resources to meet particular needs that were specifically identified.
In response to the social workers’ claims, a spokeswoman for the HSE last night said the inquiry report had “stated clearly that resources were not a factor in this case”.
The HSE has also said it will establish a process for considering whether disciplinary action is necessary for any individual social workers.
Social workers close to the Roscommon case also say they have received abusive phone calls and a wave of negativity from the public and clients since the case was made public.
“We know there were failures, but many of us feel we’ve been doing our best in very difficult circumstances.”
