A day in the life of a child care social worker

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Michelle McCargo, principal officer for child care, explains: "Child protection is one of the most important parts of a social worker's job. Social workers are experienced in deciding when a family needs some support to help them with their children, and when to take action to protect children."

"But social workers can only help when they have the information that shows that a child may need protection. If you think a child is unsafe, you should contact us and discuss your concerns with a member of staff."

Scott McKenzie is a social worker based in Paisley. He has worked with the council for a number of years and he routinely deals with cases involving child protection.

Scott says: "The most rewarding part of the job is when families work in partnership with you and they affect changes in their circumstances and can see for themselves the benefits of those changes".

Scott shared with us the details of a typical day to help explain the child protection process:

08:30
I arrive at the office, catch up with my email and write up some of my case notes from yesterday. I deal with phonecalls from clients, their families and some of the other agencies that the social work service works with.

10:00 - 11:30
Meeting about 'Getting our Priorities Right', a programme that coordinates the work of different organisations who support children affected by drug and alcohol misuse. This particular meeting involves a child's parents, a senior social worker, the child's school, a drugs worker, a criminal justice social worker and a community psychiatric nurse. We discuss support measures to help the child cope while their parent is treated for their drug addiction.

11:30 - 12:30
One of our clients has come into the office for help as she is the victim of domestic violence. I agree to take her to the Women's Aid centre in Violet House as she does not feel able to go by herself. I wait with her while she talks to a support worker about the situation and leave after she agrees to contact me to let me know about the outcome of the meeting.

13:00
I've planned later in the week to visit a family whose daughter is on the child protection register. However, I've received information from the child's nursery to say that she hasn't been there all week, so I decide to make an unscheduled home visit. The mother explains to me that her daughter has had a cold and that is why she hasn't been to nursery. I see the little girl and I'm satisfied that everything seems normal. She's feeling better now and she'll be going back to nursery tomorrow.

13:45 - 14:45
I'm back at my desk and I call the nursery to update them on the little girl and reassure them that she's all right.

Start writing up some client case notes.

14:45 - 15:45
We hold meetings for all children who live away from their family home to make sure that their needs are being met and that a plan is in place for their future care. I speak to the foster carer of the child in question and she gives me an update on how things are going.

15:45 - 16:30
I start to write an initial report for a children's hearing that's coming up in a couple of weeks. I call the child's school to get their views and it becomes clear that I need to revisit the family to clarify a few points. It's important that we have all the relevant information because the children's hearing will consider the future care arrangements for the child.

16:30 - 17:15
On my way home, I visit a young person who has been staying in one of our children's units for 12 weeks. She's now going back to the family home for overnight stays, so I need to check out how these have been going. The news is good. From her perspective, the overnights have been going well and she is able to respond to the new boundaries laid down at home. There's been less arguing in the house and relationships are generally better. If things continue positively, we can work towards increasing the number of overnights with a view to working towards her going home permanently.