Social Worker looking at my Facebook

Post Reply
Madeupusername
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:28 am

Social Worker looking at my Facebook

Post by Madeupusername » Tue Jan 11, 2022 6:43 pm

I am so unhappy.
Two nights ago I caught a social worker looking at my Facebook page,my children post on there and I feel sick about it.

She accidentally liked one of my posts,unliked it quickly but I had already received the notification.

I have read that this is actually illegal and that it counts as covert surveillance by the local authority.

Is this worth a complaint, I feel physically sick that she will have seen my children post on my Facebook.

She is a terrible human being,to the point that I got her removed as my children's social worker 3 years ago. No social care involvement for 2 and a half years.

I do have a blog which is regarding what happened,I have been honest about the social worker in my blog, given she's a terrible human being I imagine she hasn't been pleased with me speaking the truth.

I just feel physically ill that she now knows things about my children that they wouldn't like her knowing. They would not want her knowing anything.

Is this worth a complaint?

I also want to know why they are looking at my Facebook page when there is absolutely no need for them to do so.

User avatar
Suzie, FRG Adviser
Posts: 4210
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:57 pm

Re: Social Worker looking at my Facebook

Post by Suzie, FRG Adviser » Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:24 pm

Dear Madeupusername,

Welcome to the parents' board and thank you for your post.

You say that you are aware that a social worker has been looking at your facebook page, after she accidentally liked a post. You are very upset about this and would like to know whether it is worth complaining about this.

A social worker may look at a parent or carer’s open social media account if worried a child is not safe or well cared for. This is because social workers have a duty to find out as much information as they can about a child’s situation to:
- Help them understand any risk the child faces
- Make decisions about what steps may need to be taken to keep the child safe and well.

But social workers have a duty to consider and respect confidentiality and people’s right to privacy. This means they should only access a social media account with a parent or carer’s consent. They should not routinely visit a parent’s social media accounts as a way of monitoring their behaviour, for example.

You say that your family is not currently known to children's services and that your case has been closed for 2.5 years. There is therefore no reason that the social worker should be accessing your social media. If you would like to complain, you can take a look here for more guidance on how to do this.

Best wishes,

Suzie.

Post Reply

Who is online

In total there are 4 users online :: 0 registered, 0 hidden and 4 guests (based on users active over the past 5 minutes)
Most users ever online was 318 on Fri May 28, 2021 9:04 pm