Have you got what it takes?

It takes a lot of different skills to be a Children's Social Worker. Not every situation is black and white and it's not always clear what direction to take. You have to use your investigatory skills and take all of the history surrounding a case into account to make the best recommendation. To see if you could do this challenging, yet highly rewarding role, give our scenario based quiz a try.

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Question 1

A family who you have been working with raise concerns that their 16 year old boy has started behaving in a strange way. On further investigation his parents tell you that he has become very private, gets irritable when they ask about his new friends and is refusing to go on their family holiday which he is usually excited about. They believe this change in behaviour is down to their son taking drugs.

What do you do next?

Tell the family to check their son's room to see if they can find any drugs or anything that may indicate he is taking drugs?
Reassure them that it sounds like normal teenage behaviour?
Urge the family to talk to their son about their concerns. Some of the signs could be related to drugs, but there might be another explanation?
Chat to the teenager on his own to see if he will talk to you about the changes his parents have noticed?

You answered incorrectly

While teenagers seek independence from their family and work to develop their own identity, these signs are also some of the signs which may indicate drug use. It is important to learn more in order to determine if this is just a part of going through puberty or if their son is actually using drugs. The family needs help in learn to communicate better with their son. If this doesn't work, then you may decide to talk to the teenager on your own.

Question 2

You get a call from Jenny, who is a 14 year old girl you have been working with. Jenny is very upset, but she is refusing to tell you why unless you promise not to tell anyone.

What do you tell her?

Don't say anything about her request. Do your assessment as you normally would and see what she says first?
Promise confidentiality. After all, she probably won't talk to you if she thinks you will call the police?
Reassure Jenny that her call will be confidential; however, if you feel she is in immediate danger, you will work with her to ensure her protection, which may involve breaking her confidence?

You answered incorrectly

Establishing trust is a very important part of working with a child or young person, but that cannot get in the way of keeping them safe from harm. So even when you take a confidential call, you will need to explain to them that you will treat everything they say with the utmost privacy, but you may have to break that trust if you feel they are in danger.

Question 3

During a routine visit, Tom, aged eight is crying and he tells you "the boys at school are mean to me because I wet my bedâ€.

What do you do first?

Put Tom at ease and let him know you will help him sort things out. Talk to him about what has been happening and then liaise with the school to see what anti-bullying rules they have in place?
Tell Tom that lots of boys his age wet the bed and it's nothing to worry about?
Talk to his parents. It may be that he is suffering from a medical condition that they haven't yet looked in?
Explore what else is going on in Tom's life to see if bed wetting is a result of any stress or worries going on at home.

You answered incorrectly

At this point you don't know what the issues are. So it's important to start by validating Tom's feelings and make sure he is safe from bullying at school. You can then begin working with the family to uncover what might be causing his bed wetting.

Question 4

The Smith family arrive for their regular appointment. Simon, their three year old boy, is unusually irritable and won't sit still. He has a hand shaped bruise on the side of his face.

You ask what happened and his mother replies that his grandmother was looking after him and she lost her temper when he wouldn't behave. His mother promises that they won't leave him alone with his grandmother again and ask you not to tell anyone.

How do you handle this sign of abuse?

Explain to his mother that it is your responsibility to protect Simon and keep him safe, so you must report it to the child protection team?
Don't report the incident â€“ you're convinced that everything will be fine as long as they don't leave Simon alone with his grandmother again.
Continue with the session and make sure that Mrs Smith promises to take the three year old to the doctors to be looked over. His doctor can then look for any other signs of abuse and report the incident if they feel he is in danger?

You answered incorrectly

As a Children's Social Worker you cannot ignore any suspected signs of abuse or neglect. It is our responsibility to report any concerns to the authorities.