CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

Social Work is seen as a broadly defined profession encompassing many

different kinds of professionals who all serve people in need. The International
Federation of Social Workers External link calls social work “an interrelated system
of values, theory and practice.” Social workers are unique in the way that they look
at many different aspects of a problem, from the individual to the societal, from the
psychological to the political. Common ways of serving clients include providing
counseling, therapy and education, as well as connecting clients to appropriate
public or private resources. Social Work License Map. (n.d.). .Retrieved from:
https://socialworklicensemap.com/become-a-social-worker/what-is-social-work/.
According to this page, there are different types of Social Worker, but they only
provided three examples; Child, Family, and School Social Workers, Medical and
Public Health Social Worker, and Mental Health and Substance abuse Social
Worker.

Social workers aim to protect vulnerable people from abuse, neglect or self-
harm and to help to enhance their well-being and quality of life. Drawing upon a
rich knowledge base and theoretical perspectives derived from the social and
psychological sciences, social workers aim to promote positive individual and
social change. They operate within legal frameworks for protecting and supporting
vulnerable people. These social workers practices in statutory contexts such as
local authorities or in an organizational unit such as National Health Service Trusts,
that commonly assess the need for care, support and protection of individuals or
families, develop care plans and provide or manage the provision of care. They are
also responsible for implementing policies which aim to safeguard vulnerable
children or adults and ensure that people have as much choice and control over
services they use as possible. Social workers work closely with other professionals,
often known as 'inter-professional working'. University of York. (n.d.) Retrieved
from: https://www.york.ac.uk/spsw/about/what-is-social-work/

The researchers are aware that Social Work encompasses various area of
specialization. With the resort of brainstorming and diagnosing the researchers’
weaknesses and strength in doing this kind of research, the researchers ended up in
a certain decision in doing a study about Social Work in Child Protection.
 CHAPTER II: SOCIAL WORK IN CHILD PROTECTION

Social work makes an important contribution to child protection practice

(Tilbury, Hughes, Bigby & Osmond, 2015). Abuse takes many forms, and child
victims may experience it differently. Whether they are victims of violence
themselves or witnesses, even audibly, the effects can last a lifetime. Living in
constant fear of being harmed or witnessing violence can cause generalized and
severe anxiety. Starved for attention and affection, children of abuse may suffer
from low self-esteem, act out in school, or react in the form of nightmares,
withdrawal, irritability, and even depression. Exposure to violence can also have a
direct and negative impact on cognitive and social development, especially at a time
when children’s brains are undergoing critical growth for future functioning, per a
report by UNICEF. Many struggle in school and, feeling socially isolated, have
difficulty making friends. In addition, many children of abuse also grow up to
become addicted to drugs, self-medicating to numb the pain, to control negative
sensations, and even to forget — if only temporarily. In fact, as many as two-thirds
of the people in treatment for drug abuse reported being abused or neglected as
children (Lingley, 2017).
This is where Child Protection or Child protection emphasizes their role in
the community. According to Whitaker (2012) Child Welfare work centers around
safeguarding the nation’s most vulnerable members. Children whose own families
are unable to protect, provide for, and care for them face an array of risks that can
range from neglect to death. Children who come to the attention of the child welfare
system often have childhoods that have been affected by poverty, neglect, violence,
parental substance use and/or physical abuse. Ensuring child safety often involves
working with fractured families, as well as identifying alternative temporary or
permanent families. In addition, a Child Protection Social Worker is responsible
for a number of different types of services designed to help families and children
through various hardships and difficulties. Most often employed by state
governments, a social worker specializing in children's protection must be prepared
to face a number of circumstances and situations (Social Work Degree, n.d.)
Retrieved from: https://www.socialworkdegreeguide.com/what-is-a-child-
protection-social-worker/
In accordance of being a Social Worker that focuses on child protection,
according to Social Work Degree Guide (n.d.), this field requires a specific and
diverse skill set in order to best protect and help children. To start, future and
current professionals in this field must be able to handle stress well, empathize,
communicate well both verbally and through writing, and have the ability to multi-
task. Another important quality to have in order to most effectively work within
this field is to be able to balance working with difficult situations and not carry that
over into life outside of work.
 CHAPTER III: ROLES OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN CHILD
PROTECTION

Social workers in child welfare and protection positions must be able to

manage, supervise, organize, and compile information as well as work well within
teams and one-on-one with individuals. To prepare for the types of situations that
a social worker will face in this area, the minimum education requirement is
typically a bachelor's degree in social work, sociology, criminal justice, or
psychology. Child Protection Social Workers are responsible for investigating any
allegations of child abuse, endangerment, neglect, or other circumstances in which
a child or children may not be safe in a current living situation. Referrals are often
issued by family, friends, schools, physicians, and other interested parties who have
witnessed or suspect an issue with a child's safety. This requires for social workers
in children's protection to investigate and gather evidence to either substantiate or
dismiss the allegations. Workers often talk to the referring party, parents or
guardians, and the children involved in the case to begin to make a determination
the next course of action. From interviews to collecting physical evidence, the job
requires daily interaction, investigation, and report writing to document all findings
(Social Work Degree Guide., n.d.)
In concordance to Lingley (2017) the Social Worker itself should be
knowledgeable on how to create safe spaces for the children, because their utmost
priority is to get the children to safety. They should also be capable of providing
counseling through private practice. Know the importance of advocating in
communities, or in spreading awareness. In addition, social workers have a central
role within the local authorities with a duty to promote, support and safeguard the
wellbeing of all children in need in their area, and, insofar as is consistent with that
 duty, to promote the upbringing of children by their families by providing a range
and level of services appropriate to children’s wellbeing needs.
Children and family social workers either directly provide, or facilitate
access to, a wide range of services to support vulnerable children and families,
increase parent’s competence and confidence, improve children’s day-to-day
experiences and help them recover from the impact of abuse and neglect (Role and
Remit of Social Work in Child Protection, n.d) Retrieved from:
https://www.glasgowlmc.co.uk/download/Child%20Protection/social_work_refer
ral/Role_of_SW1.pdf. As stated in Role and Remit of Social Work in Child
Protection (n.d), there are different key roles in Social Work staff within the child
protection process. They gave a list which describes the broadly key roles of certain
Social Work staff:

SOCIAL WORKER

 Record details of any child protection referral

 Check child protection register (as delegated by Team Leader)
 Check available records for child/family
 Alert child protection register of any ongoing investigation
 Complete CP1 (Social Workers report)
 Interview child (may involve police)
 Consults and gathers information from other agencies
 Advise health and education if a child protection order (CPO) has been taken
 Offers advice and support to families/access additional services

TEAM LEADER

 Decide whether or not the referral requires a response under child protection
procedures
 Invoke child protection procedures and investigations
 Assign activities to social worker/others
 Consult with police
  Discuss with the police the level of detail about the alleged offence that can be
discussed with the parent/relative
 Ensure that time frames are being met throughout the investigation
 Ensure appropriate invitations are sent out for child protection meetings
 Engages with the Procurator fiscal where necessary (often in combination with
the police)
 Discuss and plan arrangements for medical examinations
 Ensure referral to the Reporter where this has been agreed
 Chair core groups
 Countersign case records fortnightly
 In an emergency discuss application for orders with the service manager
 Ensure that a child protection plan exists

ASSISTANT SERVICE MANAGER

 Chair child protection meetings

 Read all relevant child protection paperwork in advance of the meeting and ensure
that all relevant information is available for the meeting
 Distribute minutes within timescales
 Inform agencies of the outcome of the child the child protection meeting using the
24 hour decision letter
 Facilitates decision to place child’s name on the child protection register this is a
multi-agency decision, if no clear consensus chair will use professional judgement
to make final decision.

SERVICE MANAGER

 Decide about taking emergency legal measures

 Decide to place child’s name on the child protection register in chair of meeting
 Countersign 3 monthly case records
 Decide to investigate using child protection procedures in residential and foster
placements
 Countersign all CP1’s and Child Protection Plans
 Review case conference decisions where there is dissent

CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION

In this study, the researchers stated that child abuse can be abate and traumatized
people caused by abuse can be cured by the help of Social workers. Preventing
child abuse is not really a matter of parents doing a better job, but rather it is all
about on which is doing the job easier. They can leisurely give back the confidence
and the peace to a child that has been affected and abused.

Recommendation:
In order to prevent and reduce child abuse or problems, Parents and readers
must be aware that there are Social Workers to help and fight for their children’s
problem. And also find and read more articles and finished studies about Social
workers.