Can you be a social worker for a day?

CASE NO 1 I MET a very sad 13-year-old girl. Her mother had abandoned her when she was a baby and she had been living with an elderly neighbour since she was two. Her biological aunt, with whom she has always been in touch, recently insisted that she spend every weekend and holiday with her, because she is getting big. The neighbour and the girl complied and these visits had become the main source of her sadness. Every time the aunt phones to make arrangements for the girl to visit, she feels unhappy and sinks into a sullen mood. She doesn’t want to go or stay with the aunt, because her aunt shows no love and very little interest in her when she is there. During the last two visits, the aunt left the girl with ‘a friend’ of hers for the entire time. She did not take the girl to her home; she

scarcely spoke to her at all and sent her home alone in a taxi late one night. The aunt was unaware that this (unhappy) ordeal has far-reaching consequences for the child. For instance, the young girl now speaks about running away, she tends to share stories of her unhappy circumstances with most people she meets, as it is always on her mind and it is apparent from her demeanour that she is discontented, though she strives to be happy. On the one occasion when she told her aunt she did not want to visit, the aunt became

aggressive and threatened the child with physical abuse. What would you do in this case?
CASE NO 2 I met a distraught 11-year-old girl who was in the midst of a psychological dilemma. She had spoken to her mother on more than one occasion about her father, who was in the habit of touching her inappropriately. The child had become confused, firstly by the father whom she has known, loved and trusted since birth and his now ‘fiendish’ behaviour. Secondly, by her mother, the person who is meant to love and protect her unconditionally, but who appears to be in total denial and accuses the girl of lying. The 11-year-old contacted a social worker and told her the story; she needed someone to talk to and for someone to believe what she was saying. When the mother and father attended the

counselling session that was set up for their family, the father vehemently denied the accusation, ‘Me? You mussy mad… Look at me’ he said, ‘…You think I could do something like that?’ The mother just kept shaking her head from side to side, ‘No, it’s lie, pure lie’ she said, ‘Lie, lie, lie’, she looked across the room at her daughter, ‘He never put a hand on you, look pon you nah? And so the girl was broken; the two people who were meant to be there for her were now the two who were denying her, accusing her of making up lies about her own father and branding her an outcast in their eyes. What would you do in this case?

Case No 1. The aunt may feel that she is making a statement. The child is her niece and she has the right to ‘have’ her if she chooses. But she is definitely oblivious to the fact that she is affecting the emotional and psychological development of the child. Unfortunately, she may not understand the consequences of her actions. At 13, the girl has enough sense (and a right) to say where he/she should stay, but because the aunt is aggressive, intervention should be made on behalf of the child through the Childcare and Protection Agency. The child is definitely in a vulnerable position; without intervention, the child may suffer or take ill-chosen action.

Case No.2 Parents cannot see the mental and emotional trauma that a child has to endure when they accuse someone they love of molestation. This pain is doubled when the child is disbelieved and mistreated as a result of speaking out. Children must be believed. Professionals can tell when a child has been abused: the signs are unmistakable and children seldom lie about abuse and molestation. Children in situations like this need to be placed with a responsible relative or taken into formal care while further investigations are carried out.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, ring the Childcare and Protection Agency Hotline on 227 0709 or write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com
A message from the Childcare and Protection Agency, Ministry of Social Protection

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