“You have just received a referral in respect of an older woman who is reporting an alleged assault on her by her son and daughter-in-law. You look at the local authority’s records of this case and discover that this is another in a long line of such referrals. Before going out to assess the situation, the team manager calls you into her office.”
“The team manager informs you that on each occasion previously, even when medical evidence has been available to substantiate the allegations of assault, this client has withdrawn her allegations and has effectively wasted social work and police time. Sometimes, when the social worker has arrived to assess the situation, she has been told to leave. On other occasions the assessment has started, even reaching the stage of offering alternative accommodation in order to reduce the risks, only then for the family to close ranks and shut the authority out. Your team manager tells you that it is not worth spending much time on this referral.”
Now you need to decide what to do in this situation, select from the options below:
- Do you argue that adults have autonomy to make their own decisions and therefore social workers cannot and should not intervene without her consent?
- Do you consult the local authority’s adult protection policy in order to follow its guidance?
- Do you decide to treat this referral as an assessment for community care services and to consider offering a carer’s assessment also?
- Do you consult the “No Secrets” policy guidance to determine how to approach this referral?
A. This answer shows that you have a tendency toward rights orientation
B. This answer shows that you have a tendency toward procedural orientation
C. This answer shows that you have a tendency toward needs orientation
D. This answer shows that you have a tendency toward technical orientation
Before you move on to the next situation, test your knowledge of key aspects of law that are relevant to this situation by answering the question below.
There is nothing that can be done to protect a vulnerable adult if they do not wish intervention to take place.
The Correct answer is False
Re F (Adult Patient) [2000] 3 CCLR 210 – A court may exercise its inherent jurisdiction to protect an adult without capacity where there is an absence of agreement about how to safeguard and promote their welfare.
It is not possible for the social worker to apply for an injunction to remove the perpetrator of the assault from the older person’s home? True or False?.
The Correct answer is True
Family Law Act 1996, as amended by the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, provides for non-molestation orders and occupation orders, in order to provide personal protection to an applicant. Social workers, however, are in the position of providing advice about what legal measures are available and how they might be activated.