It is hard to persist in trying to see a child when you are being shouted at or physically threatened on the doorstep, says Sue White, professor of social work at Birmingham University, recalling her own days as a social worker.
She was "absolutely terrified" by some of the aggression she encountered, which included death threats.
Her recollections will be all too familiar to child protection staff, who routinely face the unenviable task of building a relationship with people who, from the outset, view them with at best suspicion and at worst outright hostility.
But success in breaking down barriers in the toughest, most complex cases is crucial if authorities are to avoid tragedies such as those in Haringey and Birmingham.
"Social workers need to show the same resilience often shown by service users - keep calling, keep visiting," says Fiona Waddington, the new assistant director (targeted services) at Warrington Borough Council. "If there's a risk to a child you don't give up."
Sometimes, though, just being persistent isn't enough. One of the main lessons learned from the deaths of sisters Davina and Jasmine Baker, according to the recent serious case review by Cambridgeshire Local Safeguarding Children Board, was the importance of "keeping the needs of the child as the focus when dealing with difficult parents or carers who avoid engagement".
The mother in that case, Rekha Kumari-Baker, often "sabotaged" intervention work by professionals, who despite being alarmed by her "aggressive, erratic and authoritarian" behaviour, had no major concerns that the children were in danger.
Nushra Mansuri, joint England manager for the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), agrees that in complex cases, practitioners can be distracted by the chaotic lives and multiple needs of families.
"Social workers can sometimes get drawn into other issues that divert attention from child protection," she says. "But, however much you want to help the family, you mustn't lose sight of the children."
This was one of the main reasons cited by Unison, in the aftermath of the Baby P case, why social workers should work in pairs on child protection cases - one to deal with the adults, the other to focus on the child.
But BASW, which is working on a new child protection charter for frontline staff, dismissed the idea as "too simplistic", arguing the answer lies instead with better training, pay and career structures and measures to free up social worker time with children and families.
In particular, says Mansuri, there needs to be a greater focus on "direct contact" skills in training, as well as quality supervision - which gives senior practitioners and frontline managers the time and support to act as mentors.
This stance echoes a key finding of C4EO's Safeguarding Knowledge Review, published in March, which states "good supervision is always important, but is essential when working with the most complex families".
John Coughlan, director of children's services at Hampshire County Council and chair of C4EO's advisory group for safeguarding, says it is not just supervision of frontline workers that makes a difference, but also the way managers monitor and assess each other's decision-making and auditing.
"One thing we've pressed forward with in Hampshire is using managers to quality assure each other on how well their supervision is working," he explains.
"There's a sense when dealing with families in this (highly-resistant) category that practitioners in the thick of it all can get 'stuck' in their thinking, and so can managers."
A colleague who is removed from the immediate situation may be able to see trigger issues or recurring themes that were previously overlooked.
Helga Pile, Unison's national officer, says one challenge is that clients looking to keep social workers at bay will often take advantage of the fact that they may be swamped by high caseloads.
"A lot of people are aware that social workers have many other cases - so by not being in, or agreeing to see them but saying 'I've only got five minutes', they can continue stringing them along," she says. "That deviousness can be a more effective way of avoiding intervention than if you were being openly hostile."
Parents, she acknowledges, may have genuine reasons for their reluctance to engage with social services - mental health problems, learning disabilities, addiction, negative experiences of dealing with authorities, or simply the misplaced fear that any intervention is likely to result in children being taken into care.
In some cases, it may be that child protection social workers do not have the time, resources, or expertise to make a breakthrough - which is why many authorities are increasingly commissioning specialist organisations such as Family Action (see box, left) to provide targeted support.
And it should be acknowledged that in some cases, families can be obstructive as a consequence of poor social work. In a study of families' views on safeguarding by the children's commissioner for England, published in June, "rude and aggressive" behaviour by social workers, as well as a lack of responsiveness to requests for support prior to crisis intervention, were cited as a reason for mistrust and refusal to co-operate.
In order to avoid such negative outcomes, says Sue White, social workers need to acknowledge how difficult it is for parents and carers to have their parenting challenged: "Authority with humility and respect is crucial - knowing you might have it wrong while making sure the child is okay is key."
Glen Williams, an experienced social worker in Sefton, Merseyside, agrees the confidence to be authoritative - but at the same time polite and respectful - is essential in establishing a positive rapport from the first meeting, and avoiding the pitfall of "false optimism".
"In my experience, 30 to 40 per cent of child protection cases involve obstruction of one kind or another," says Williams, who is currently on secondment as local Unison branch secretary.
"It's a major problem, and what shouts loudest from most abuse inquiries is the sense of false optimism on the part of social workers - the willingness to naively believe everything they're told, even when there's an injury that doesn't tally with the explanation offered.
"We're not medics, but there are some things we should be able to identify without having to refer to a doctor, and we should be willing to challenge on those points."
The problem is the confidence to do so "can't be taught", says Williams, who has taught social work students at John Moores University. "It's something that's developed by working alongside very experienced practitioners."
For that reason he believes a well-developed mentoring programme, and joint visits, particularly for new recruits, should be the norm in all safeguarding teams.
In fact, he goes as far as to state that the introduction of joint visits for every initial child protection assessment would "cut the risk to children in half".
"Doing a really challenging job with someone alongside you gives you the confidence to ask questions you might not have asked if you were on your own," he concludes.
PERSISTENCE PAYS
Unsuccessful efforts to break down barriers with obstructive parents may leave practitioners no choice but to seek recourse to the courts or the police.
However, some parents or carers - due to drug or alcohol dependency, disability, mental ill health - find it impossible to engage with professionals in any meaningful way.
They might not respond to standard child protection interventions, but with targeted support can get their parenting back on track and avoid their children being taken into care.
Organisations such as Family Action work alongside social workers with projects such as Building Bridges, aimed at families where a parent has long-term mental health problems.
"Without our intervention, children would have ended up in care, and parents under section," says Briony Hallam, Family Action's regional manager for south east London.
She cites a case in Lewisham, involving a six-month-old baby, where the parent — suffering from paranoia and agoraphobia — refused to open the door to social workers or mental health workers.
"We were persistent — it took us months to get in," says Hallam. "The lead worker phoned and visited daily, but for a long time there was no access.
"The baby was about to be taken into care but the Family Action worker finally got through to mum. Gradually we encouraged her to engage with social services directly.
"Now her son has started school and she is receiving cognitive behavioural therapy — the family is off the child protection register and we're about to close the case."
TIPS ON BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
- On a first visit to a family, acknowledge how difficult it is to have a stranger come into their home and explain why you are there
- Talk to the children from the outset. They are often behind mum or dad, in the background. Say something like: "Hello, who's this? How old are you?"
- If you feel parents are being obstructive, make time with your supervisor to assess the situation and discuss possible ways of dealing with it. Talk to colleagues about what they have done in similar situations
- If there is hostility or aggression during a visit or a phone call, it is important to stay calm, for your own safety and to maintain a professional, authoritative relationship with the client. Tell them you understand the reasons for the fear or aggression and they'll be more likely to calm down
- If a client's emotions are rising and you begin to feel threatened, end the visit. You have to be highly sensitive to warning signs
- Make a risk assessment before a child protection visit, based on the family's background. If there is any likelihood of a volatile situation, carry out a joint visit. If a qualified social worker is not available, ask a family support worker or social work assistant to accompany you.
- On solo visits, pre-arrange a codeword with colleagues, so if a situation turns nasty, you can make a coded phone call or send a text message for assistance
RESOURCES
- C4EO Safeguarding Knowledge Review
- The children's commissioner for England's report: Family perspectives on safeguarding and on relationships with children's services
- Building on the learning from serious case reviews: A two-year analysis of child protection database notifications 2007-2009
- For links to all these resources go to cypnow.co.uk/doc.
