As a society we have made choices (around employment, housing, healthcare, the legal system). These choices have consequences. Child protection social workers deal with these consequences. 1/
Blaming child protection social workers for the rise in the number of childrenin care is grotesque. To characterise child protection as a 'runaway train' fuelled by social workers who just 'wade in' is also grotesque. 2/
I would gladly give everything I have in return for there being no children in care. But as foster carers we have yet to provide sanctuary to a child who did not need to be in care. 3/
What's more, many of the children we have looked after undoubtedly suffered additional harm and trauma because they were denied care and protection when they needed it. Care was only provided after harm became impossible to ignore. 4/
Some of 'our' foster children have returned to their families, and are in a much better place than before social workers intervened. Others are in long-term care but have built and maintain relationships with their own families. 5/
Josh MacAlister is right. We need a debate about care of children and families. But that debate cannot take place if the starting point is that child protection is institutionally biased against families. 6/
We also need to debate what 'support' for families entails. While early and time-limited support is adequate for some, for others support will have to continue for many years and be ever-present if care is to be avoided, given societal changes. 7/
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