SASW comment on Declan Hainey FAI
A written determination regarding the Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the death of toddler Declan Hainey has been published today. Sheriff Ruth Anderson stated that there were a number of "defects in the system contributed to Declan's death".
"There was no system in place whereby one of the agencies responsible for Declan's well-being was in overall charge and there was no system whereby one named individual was responsible for co-ordinating all available information.
"This defect resulted in no formal inter-agency meetings taking place, especially in the period from February 2009.
"Had such systems existed, then those responsible for the care of Declan would have been aware of all that was happening and all that was not happening, and steps would have been taken to protect him from the risks resulting from Kimberley Hainey's inability to take proper care of her son", she said.
Trisha Hall, Manager at the Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) comments:
“As with any inquiry of this nature, we would wish to acknowledge and reflect on the very sad death of a child. This not only has a profound impact on all those close to the child, but is also something that deeply affects all the professionals who came into contact with Declan.
“We welcome Sheriff Anderson’s reflection in her report that child protection is the responsibility for us all, in our neighbourhoods and societies, but acknowledge the findings that professionals were not able to act and protect this child as we should have done.
“SASW is aware that improvements have already been made by Renfrewshire Council and other agencies following this horrific tragedy. New legislation (Children and Young People Scotland Act 2014) with the single “Child’s Plan” and a lead professional under GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) and revised national child protection procedures are now in place.
“We note the comments made on “risks which were never analysed properly” and would like to emphasise how social workers must be given the time and the ability to form relationships with adults and children that will allow them to properly assess a child’s true circumstances.
“Current caseloads frequently do not allow for this, there is too much time spent on forms, not enough on doing what we are trained to do, which is working with people.
“We know from members that workers are leaving the profession as they are burning out and do not have the time to do what they believe is most needed.
“In relation to the Sheriff’s comments on “reasonable professional judgements”, we want to stress that assessments need to be ongoing, with judgements regularly reviewed and analysed in informed professional supervision, in order to ensure they are reasonable.
“We believe that significant progress has been made in Scotland in addressing some of the issues raised by this tragic case, and are working with partners on professional development opportunities that will allow further progress, particularly with the interface between adult and children’s services.
“The professional association is crucial in supporting progress, and speaking up for the social workers who want to do everything within their power to prevent anything like this happening again”.