Damned if you do and damned if you don't

My wife attempted to leave a comment on two stories which appeared in today's Times. The first, an 'analysis' by the increasingly ludicrous Camilla Cavenish  titled: Social workers put themselves above the law and the other by David Sharrock titled: False accusation that changed mother’s young family for ever.

The target of both articles was, of course, social workers. In its wisdom The Times saw fit to publish such considered and thoughtful comments as these:

Surely it can only be correct to describe these dreadful people as crawling 'beneath' the law.Geoffrey Lake, Carbost, Isle of Skye  Why are our taxes wasted on morons like them and the thousands of others employed by the government to keep unemployment down. All these people are doing jobs that don't need doing or because there are so many doing the same job that they get lazy. Wouldn't the money be better spent in key areas of society instead of hiring people to push paperwork? Keith, London, And even complete non sequiturs like this: Ahem, think it's the tories who thrive on power and control. Look back and see the mess of the tories years in power! Jean Wallace, Dundee, Scotland

But an informed comment, presenting a different perspective from someone who has spent her entire professional life in the field of child protection? Do me a favour! So here, through the miracle of the interwebs is the comment they deemed unfit to publish alongside the ignorant, stupid thoughts of Keef, Geoff, Jean and the other idiots:

Social workers and the police are legally obliged to act whenever a doctor suggest a child may have been abused. Only doctors are allowed to make that diagnosis. Everything social workers do is under a clear legal framework: removing children, placing and keeping in foster care, placing for adoption. None of this can happen without several family court judges and lawyers for all sides, including independent representation for the child and parents, hearing the evidence,over and over again. Many cases end up in the high court, like the one referred to today. It was the previous legal ruling which was wrong, based on the medical evidence.

But all the criticism is about the comparitively lowly and daily maligned social worker, who does not have expert witness status in legal proceedings. Does anybody out there make any effort to find out how the child protection system works? I cannot take any of the actions you complain about without appearing before the court myself, being cross examined and held to account.

And the MSM still prattles on about ill-informed and opinionated blogs. Jeez!

Oh well, I'm sure the pendulum will swing the other way just as soon as the next dead baby story appears.