Not a law unto themselves

Most normal people are able to differentiate between a general policy and specific situations. Not so the social workers of Rotherham Council, who have removed three children from the care of foster parents because the couple are members of UKIP, which, as we all know, is against unrestricted immigration from the EU. The decision was made in spite of the fact that the couple seemed to be making every effort to accommodate the childrens' language and religious background. In other words, the fosterers were not letting their views on immigration in general influence the way they treated these particular children. Unfortunately this is not the only instance of social work departments deciding the suitability or otherwise of parents and carers at least partly on the basis of their political affiliations, as the case of Anne Murgatroyd demonstrates. Fortunately the Rotherham case has triggered such an outcry that investigations have been launched and questions asked. Any decision involving children inevitably includes information that is not appropriate for the public domain however social work departments must be accountable for their decisions and should not be able to hide behind confidentiality. If they are discriminating against people on the basis of membership of legal political parties, this needs to be brought to light and rooted out. Social workers will only be trusted if they are not a law unto themselves.