Social Work Law Child Act

5238 Words21 Pages
Child Care Case Study Assignment (word limit 2,500) You are a social worker working in a child care team. Consider the following family circumstances. Sonia has three children, Anita who is 12, Ben who is 6 and Caitlin who is 2. Anita is white British; Ben and Caitlin are mixed parentage – white British and African Caribbean. Sonia suffers from chronic alcoholism. She has had serious relapses in the past but with support from her mother has managed to care for her children throughout. However, the health visitor is now expressing concerns as Sonia appears depressed and is drinking heavily again. The health visitor has particular concerns about Caitlin, whose weight gain has been erratic and follow up on other health checks has been inconsistent. There was a social worker involved until about six months ago when the case was closed partly due to pressures on the team and partly because the situation seemed stable at the time. 1. Identify what your powers, duties and responsibilities are towards the children and their mother in this situation. The Children Act (CA) 1989 s.17 (10) places a duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are living in their area and who are deemed as children in need (Johns, 2009). The Act describes in very broad terms what constitutes a child in need. The reason for such a broad definition is in order for the Act to include a wide range of children who may face differing needs and circumstances. Therefore under s.17 of CA 1989 Anita, Ben, and Caitlin would be entitled to an assessment of needs as their mother Sonia suffers from chronic alcoholism and therefore according to s.17 of CA 1989 they could be deemed as children in need. S.17 of the CA 1989 along with the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families will establish if Anita, Ben, and Caitlin are
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