[Solved] Do social workers ever make things better?

I have no experience with social workers, but you need to have an healthy dose of skepticism when reading stuff from the internet, because it tends to be heavily biased towards the negative.

People are more likely to write on the web when things go wrong, and not so much when things go well, so you only read about the horror stories, but I'm sure that for every bad story there are 5 or 10 better ones that no one bothers writing about, so I think all that tells you is how bad things could be in a worse case scenario, but don't over anticipate, chances are it will be better.

Hi - In answer to your question, they and social services don't. I have 2 children and my wife has been an alcoholic for about 5 years who I have tried in every way imaginable to fix. After attending lots of Alanon meetings for family's of alcoholics, I realized that they cannot be fixed and it wasn't my job to try. However, when things are going well and she goes out for some rice to go with the dinner Ive prepared for us all, comes home 30 minutes later drunk and upsets the children, something had to be done. Ive no family and her parents don't believe or want to believe there's a problem so contacted social services for some advice on getting support for the children as this has gone on long enough and they don't have anyone to talk to. Social worker suggests they talk to someone at their school but when I explain my wife is a teacher and this would be impossible all they can suggest is I take then to the GP as there's no more they can do. More drinking and 3 weeks later, my wife returns home without the children and screams that shes divorcing me because social services have contacted the school about her being unfit as a teacher, and claims Ive only done this to jeopardize her career and the children don't need any support. This is a good job, as social services still cant offer my children any help or support but have now split up a family who desperately needed some and asked for it without considering someone would go on a crusade instead.

I didn't realise that you had attended Al-Anon, I made comment on it in my previous post to you.

There is room for improvement with some local authority children services, it's a bit of a postcode lottery, but to be fair, you gave them information about someone with a serious alcohol problem that works with children, did you expect them not to take action on that? I agree they should be supporting the children as a priority, but you can't blame them for moving to protect the other children in her care at work.

Have you tried making a complaint to the Senior management at your local authority department? It might be worth asking for an appointment with one of their senior managers to discuss their actions and the fact that it has left your children in a more vulnerable position than before you involved them.

As far as the school is concerned, you can call the head and ask for a meeting with them, has your wife been suspended? If not they may not want to get involved, but you should remind them they have a duty of care to the children and as a parent you have the right to discuss the children's emotional wellbeing and pastoral care with them.

If you feel the situation for your children is urgent, if you think they would be better off living back with you in the family home, I suggest you make an emergency, ex parte application for a Child Arrangements Order to have the children live with you and a Prohibited Steps Order to prevent them from being removed from your care.

You would need to submit form c100, which would cover both applications, and alongside that, form C1a to tell the court about the risks to the children. You have plenty of proof of her behaviour and the states she gets in, once in court you can ask to file the videos you have and present the screenshots of her that you have, which can be attached to your statement. As she is aware you took them, to try and help her realise what was happening, there shouldn't be an issue with using them.