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Archived Transcript for 16 October 2001: Pages
1 to 100
1
1 Tuesday, 16th October 2001
2 (10.00 am)
3 THE CHAIRMAN: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
4 Mr Garnham?
5 MR GARNHAM: Good morning, sir. Our first witness today is
6 Monica Bridgeman, please.
7 MS MONICA BRIDGEMAN (affirmed)
8 MR GARNHAM: Sir, I am not sure whether you are aware of
9 this, but Ms Bridgeman is represented by Ms Morris
10 today.
11 THE CHAIRMAN: Thank you very much.
12 MR GARNHAM: Sir, you can see Ms Morris rising now so you
13 can identify her.
14 THE CHAIRMAN: Thank you, Ms Morris. Thank you very much
15 indeed.
16 MR GARNHAM: Ms Bridgeman, would you give the Inquiry your
17 full name, please?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: Monica Yvonne Bridgeman.
19 MR GARNHAM: And your professional address?
20 MS BRIDGEMAN: My professional address is Brent Youth
21 Offending Services, 1 Craven Park, Harlesden, London
22 NW10.
23 MR GARNHAM: Thank you. Sir, Ms Bridgeman has made one
24 Inquiry statement for us which we find in volume 1 at
25 page 18. Ms Bridgeman, a copy of that statement is now
2
1 being put in front of you. Would you glance through it,
2 please, and confirm that you have signed it?
3 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
4 MR GARNHAM: And can you also confirm that the contents of
5 that statement are true?
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
7 MR GARNHAM: I think it is right that you are a social
8 worker employed by the London Borough of Brent?
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct. I am now employed -- still
10 under the London Borough of Brent, but in the Youth
11 Offenders Team. I have changed departments since.
12 MR GARNHAM: I think it is right you qualified in 1993?
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
14 MR GARNHAM: And you have been employed by Brent ever since?
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
16 MR GARNHAM: In 1995, you were promoted to Senior Social
17 Worker?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
19 MR GARNHAM: And at the time with which we are primarily
20 concerned, in the second quarter of 1999, you were
21 a senior social worker in the Child in Need Team?
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
23 MR GARNHAM: You set out in paragraph 5 of your statement
24 the training that you have received whilst you have been
25 at Brent.
3
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
2 MR GARNHAM: I do not need to trouble you with the detail of
3 all that, we can see it is all there, but I would like
4 to ask you a little, Ms Bridgeman, about working
5 practices at Brent at the time when you were senior
6 social worker in the Child in Need Team.
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
8 MR GARNHAM: Initially I think it is right that the Duty
9 Team was staffed on a rota basis.
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right, yes, from the various teams.
11 MR GARNHAM: From the other teams in Children's Social Work?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
13 MR GARNHAM: Then that changed, I think?
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
15 MR GARNHAM: Tell us what the change was.
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: As you said initially it was on a rota basis,
17 and it sort of changed because it was not working out.
18 MR GARNHAM: What was the problem?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: What was the problem? You would have
20 different -- you would have people coming down from
21 different teams and that on a weekly basis, because they
22 were on a weekly rota, but what we found with that, if
23 anybody was off sick or they had to attend court, you
24 could not get people to sort of cover them, so the
25 inconsistency there -- the consistency was not there.
4
1 MR GARNHAM: When was it changed?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: I think it was during -- it is hard to say,
3 because it was gradually built --
4 MR GARNHAM: How long before 1999 had Brent switched to the
5 system you describe in your statement, of employing
6 locums to fill these posts?
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: How long before --
8 MR GARNHAM: How long before 1999, the period with which we
9 are concerned?
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would say it must have been early 1999.
11 MR GARNHAM: Early 1999 that that changeover was completed?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would not say it was completed, but they
13 were gradually building it in, it was a gradual process.
14 MR GARNHAM: Thank you. Whose decision was it to bring that
15 change into effect?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: That would be senior management.
17 MR GARNHAM: Can you name the individuals concerned?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, because I would not know who --
19 MR GARNHAM: You do not know?
20 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, I would not know.
21 MR GARNHAM: Very well. The new system meant that the
22 Duty Team -- which can fairly be said to be the front
23 door to Brent Social Services, that is where people come
24 into contact with Children's Social Services.
25 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
5
1 MR GARNHAM: The front door was thereafter staffed entirely
2 by locum social workers?
3 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
4 MR GARNHAM: With two senior social workers, you and
5 Miss Phillips --
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
7 MR GARNHAM: -- who were in charge of those locum social
8 workers; is that right?
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, along with the Duty Manager.
10 MR GARNHAM: Along with the Duty Manager, who at the time
11 was Mr Armstrong?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
13 MR GARNHAM: Do you regard the use of locum social workers
14 to fulfil those functions in the Duty Team as good
15 practice?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, there were periods of time when you had
17 locum social workers where there was a good stability
18 there, when things were going really well. Once you had
19 your full staff -- you know, a lot of them that came --
20 MR GARNHAM: How long would they stay?
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, some would stay for a couple of weeks,
22 some would stay for a couple of months, but you had one
23 or two that were long term -- more long term, which are
24 still there.
25 MR GARNHAM: So some were a couple of weeks, some were
6
1 a couple of months and one or two were long term?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
3 MR GARNHAM: Those who were employed in that way for short
4 periods are unlikely, are they not, to pick up the way
5 in which the department works?
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: It is difficult for them to pick it up
7 straight away, because they need to be inducted into it,
8 yes.
9 MR GARNHAM: And it is much harder for any team approach to
10 develop if you have got a continuous changeover of
11 staff?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: If you put it that way, yes.
13 MR GARNHAM: There is not the same chance for team members
14 to learn off each other?
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: One thing I could say -- I know when I was
16 there, the Duty Team, in order to get the Duty workers
17 to understand the procedures and what was going on at
18 the time within the Duty Team, and to carry out their
19 tasks, we used to have daily meetings, briefings.
20 MR GARNHAM: Meetings every day?
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: I took them every single day.
22 MR GARNHAM: How long would those meetings last?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: They would come in, say, for 8.45, would
24 start at 9.00, and sometimes they could be up there,
25 say, from 9.00 until 9.30 or 10.00. It depends,
7
1 especially if you had an influx of staff coming in.
2 MR GARNHAM: You would be able to devote, would you,
3 45 minutes or an hour and a quarter to that sort of team
4 meeting every day?
5 MS BRIDGEMAN: It depends on the needs of the day.
6 MR GARNHAM: One of the consequences of that presumably,
7 because you are having to do that every day as a result
8 of the fact that locums are being employed, is that all
9 your staff are being devoted for perhaps an hour a day
10 to that sort of team meeting.
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, but the telephones were still left on.
12 MR GARNHAM: So who would answer them?
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: It would be the Admin that takes
14 responsibility, and the manager was downstairs to
15 co-ordinate that as well.
16 MR GARNHAM: So it means for an hour a day your team is
17 devoting itself to this team meeting.
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: I did not say it was an hour a day, I said it
19 could vary.
20 MR GARNHAM: You said it was between 45 minutes and an hour
21 and a quarter, and I was just taking the mid point.
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: Between 9.00, 9.30 -- it depends. If you
23 have somebody who is coming in, say three new staff
24 starting --
25 MR GARNHAM: Yes, but you see my point.
8
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: I do see your point.
2 MR GARNHAM: That on the one hand, if you have employed
3 locum social workers, either they go out into their work
4 without any form of briefing, or if you do have
5 a briefing, you are taking up time that could be spent
6 looking after clients doing the briefing.
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, but if there was clients that came in --
8 say we started 9.00. If a client came in, somebody
9 would -- you know, we would say to one of the Duty
10 members of staff to go and see that client. We would
11 keep somebody there. We would not -- you know, we would
12 all go upstairs. If somebody came in, we would be
13 alerted to that.
14 MR GARNHAM: I understand that, but presumably if there had
15 been no need for a team meeting, you would not have all
16 sat round on your hands.
17 MS BRIDGEMAN: It is a briefing, because we have got to
18 allocate cases.
19 MR GARNHAM: But you would have other work to do?
20 MS BRIDGEMAN: There is other work to do and there is also
21 other work coming in.
22 MR GARNHAM: And if you were spending half an hour,
23 45 minutes, an hour, on this team briefing, you were not
24 doing the work that otherwise you would.
25 MS BRIDGEMAN: We were doing the work we should have --
9
1 MR GARNHAM: You were doing two things at the same time,
2 were you?
3 MS BRIDGEMAN: We were alerted to work. If anybody came in
4 reception, we would not keep them waiting --
5 MR GARNHAM: I am not suggesting that you were keeping
6 people waiting. If there had been no locum social
7 workers and you had not had the need to have those daily
8 team briefings, what would your staff be doing?
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: They would be carrying out their daily tasks.
10 MR GARNHAM: So if they are doing the team meetings, they
11 are not doing that.
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: I cannot understand what you are talking
13 about, because even if we were in the team briefings, we
14 would be discussing -- you know, we would be discussing
15 certain cases, and any concerns that arose from those
16 cases, so they would be taken --
17 MR GARNHAM: Very well. Help me with this, if you will.
18 Because of the turnover of staff and Brent's policy of
19 employing locum social workers, was it possible for
20 those locum social workers to get the same sort of
21 training that regular members of staff would get?
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: Sometimes it was impossible, because as
23 I said, because of the high turnover of staff -- they
24 would come in, for instance I can recall we had a locum
25 that started, say, on the Monday, and the following week
10
1 then, they said -- they move on, so to have that
2 training of staff as permanent staff, it just would not
3 happen.
4 MR GARNHAM: I was not asking you to explain why it did not
5 happen, I was simply asking you to confirm that it did
6 not happen.
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well some staff did get training.
8 MR GARNHAM: And some staff did not.
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: Those who were short-term, because it did not
10 fit -- sometimes it did not fit in with the schedule.
11 MR GARNHAM: Absolutely, but the point is that some staff
12 did not get training because they were not there long
13 enough to make it sensible.
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: Right.
15 MR GARNHAM: Is that right? It seems to follow from what
16 you have already said, Ms Bridgeman.
17 MS BRIDGEMAN: Right.
18 MR GARNHAM: What about inducting new staff? Were you able
19 to devote the same amount of time to inducting new staff
20 if you had this constant changeover of locums as you
21 would if they were regular members of staff being
22 employed?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: As I said, one of the ways of inducting new
24 staff was to introduce them into the team briefing, and
25 providing them with support and --
11
1 MR GARNHAM: So did all locum staff get the same quality of
2 induction as all regular staff?
3 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would not say all of them, no, because
4 of -- especially those that were short-term, they would
5 not have received that.
6 MR GARNHAM: So there were some that did not get the same
7 quality of induction?
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: Not if they were there for two weeks, no.
9 MR GARNHAM: Thank you. It is also harder, is it not, to
10 achieve proper supervision if you have a constant
11 turnover of staff in this way?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, that is correct.
13 MR GARNHAM: And it is harder to monitor the quality of
14 their work?
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: If you get them -- if they are only there for
16 a week, two weeks, yes, it is very hard to monitor that.
17 MR GARNHAM: How easy is it if you have that sort of
18 changeover of staff to introduce new working procedures?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: Sorry, could you repeat that question again,
20 please?
21 MR GARNHAM: Yes. If you have a regular turnover of staff
22 in the way you have described, does that make it more
23 difficult to introduce new working procedures?
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: I think that would be for senior management
25 to answer.
12
1 MR GARNHAM: All right. In the light of those answers,
2 Ms Bridgeman, do you think it is good practice for
3 a social work department to rely on the use of locum
4 social workers to staff its front door?
5 MS BRIDGEMAN: If you have got -- if there is stability
6 there, yes, but --
7 MR GARNHAM: If you had the sort of situation that you have
8 described, where some staff are only there for a week or
9 two weeks, do you think it is good practice for a social
10 work department to rely on that level of locum staff?
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, it depends. I would not say it was
12 good practice. If there is a high turnover of staff,
13 no.
14 MR GARNHAM: And you did have on occasions a high turnover
15 of staff?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: And there were occasions where we had good
17 stability as well.
18 MR GARNHAM: So on those occasions when you had a high
19 turnover of staff, you would agree that that was poor
20 practice, to rely on it?
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, but sometimes it was very unpredictable
22 with staff. You do not know whether or not they are
23 going to stay or not.
24 MR GARNHAM: All of that would be true, would it not, if the
25 locum staff were devoted simply to Duty work? Is it not
13
1 even more so the case if the locum staff are having to
2 do long term work?
3 MS BRIDGEMAN: The reason why the Duty --
4 MR GARNHAM: Sorry, please finish.
5 MS BRIDGEMAN: The reason why locum staff were allocated
6 long term work is because there was difficulty trying to
7 allocate staff to long term teams, because of the
8 shortage of staff -- it was across the board, it was not
9 just on Duty.
10 (10.15 am)
11 MR GARNHAM: Because is there not an added problem, if you
12 have locum staff doing long term work, of ensuring any
13 form of continuity in the care of your clients?
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: But I can say staff that we had on Duty, the
15 majority of the locum staff that we had on Duty were
16 very good workers, and they devoted a lot of their time
17 to the clients.
18 MR GARNHAM: I am sure they were, and that is not my
19 question. If you have social workers working in your
20 department doing short periods of work, a week, two
21 weeks, three weeks, and any of them are being asked to
22 do long term work --
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: They would not be.
24 MR GARNHAM: They would not be?
25 MS BRIDGEMAN: No.
14
1 MR GARNHAM: Because they were not in the Long Term Team?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: What I am saying, sometimes if we did long
3 term pieces of work, long term pieces of work I would
4 call if we had for a couple of weeks and we could not
5 get it allocated to the long term teams, but there are
6 also other agencies out there that could also assist
7 with long term pieces of work.
8 MR GARNHAM: Let me ask you a little more about that. It is
9 right, is it not, I think you have just acknowledged it,
10 that during the period with which we are concerned, the
11 second quarter of 1999, there was a problem in Brent
12 Children's Social Work of getting work moved from the
13 Duty Team to the Long Term Team?
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: There was, due to the -- we were
15 understaffed.
16 MR GARNHAM: Yes, and the consequence of that was that some
17 of that long term work had to remain with the Duty Team?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
19 MR GARNHAM: Who would do such long term work that was left
20 with the Duty Team?
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: It would be the Duty workers. They would
22 follow it through.
23 MR GARNHAM: All of whom, as I understand your statement,
24 were locum staff.
25 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
15
1 MR GARNHAM: Is there not a problem in that situation of
2 ensuring consistency of work on a long term project,
3 a long term piece of work?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, because what you would do, you would
5 ensure that you would provide the support that that
6 worker needs for that particular case file.
7 MR GARNHAM: When you say "you", you mean the managers?
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: Seniors and the manager, yes.
9 MR GARNHAM: So the way in which this was managed was for
10 the two senior social workers and the manager to
11 supervise the changing social worker who was handling
12 a long term piece of work?
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
14 MR GARNHAM: Nevertheless, it is an unsatisfactory system,
15 is it not, where that has to happen because the duty
16 social worker is a locum social worker? It would be
17 much better if the Duty Team was manned by full-time
18 employed social workers?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, there again you would need to speak to
20 senior management on that, because I do not take
21 responsibility for recruitment.
22 MR GARNHAM: No, Ms Bridgeman, but you are a senior social
23 worker with considerable experience.
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: I am.
25 MR GARNHAM: And you were working at the coalface during the
16
1 period I am concerned with.
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: And I worked extremely hard.
3 MR GARNHAM: I am sure you did, but it remains a legitimate
4 question, it seems to me, to ask you, with all your
5 professional experience, whether this was creating
6 problems in the department in which you worked.
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, there was problems, but we managed.
8 There were problems, but -- you know, we got on with
9 them, we prioritised work.
10 MR GARNHAM: Yes. Can I make sure that I understand the
11 team structure?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: Sure.
13 MR GARNHAM: As the expressions are used in your statement,
14 you equate Duty Team with Child in Need Team.
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
16 MR GARNHAM: That is the same thing, yes?
17 MS BRIDGEMAN: There was two different teams, yes -- sorry.
18 MR GARNHAM: Tell me that -- is it one team or two teams?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: It was two teams, you had the Child
20 Protection Team --
21 MR GARNHAM: That is not my question. Is the Duty Team the
22 same thing as the Child in Need Team?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, the initial Child in Need Team.
24 MR GARNHAM: So all work comes into the Duty Team?
25 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right, we are the first point.
17
1 MR GARNHAM: And that which is not allocated either to Child
2 Protection or to long term is done by the Duty Team as
3 child in need work?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
5 MR GARNHAM: And your job in that team, as a senior social
6 worker, had two elements to it. First of all you would
7 take some of the more serious cases --
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would support staff, yes, on the more
9 serious cases.
10 MR GARNHAM: Then I have misunderstood it. I thought you
11 personally would take the more complex cases and you
12 would support the staff in all the other cases. Have
13 I got that wrong?
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: The way it was -- no, I have got that down in
15 my statement, but I think what I was trying to get over
16 there is, you know, complex cases that went on, we would
17 make sure we delve into those cases and support the
18 worker.
19 MR GARNHAM: Would you handle personally, as a senior social
20 worker, any of the social work cases that were in your
21 team, or was it always a matter of you supervising the
22 work of others?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: It was mainly a matter of supervising the
24 workers, but if there was meetings to go to, you know,
25 there was any complex issues, then yes, it would be
18
1 allocated to me.
2 MR GARNHAM: But it means, does it, that there is always one
3 of your team who is identified with any particular case?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
5 MR GARNHAM: And you are coming in to provide --
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: The support.
7 MR GARNHAM: -- the support at various points?
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
9 MR GARNHAM: And the rest of the team consists, as
10 I understand your statement, of between eight and ten
11 case workers?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would say round about that time it was
13 about eight or ten.
14 MR GARNHAM: Can we look in a little more detail, please, at
15 how referrals are dealt with, the sources of referrals,
16 first of all. Members of the public ringing up?
17 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
18 MR GARNHAM: Normally to the One Stop Shop?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
20 MR GARNHAM: Ever straight through to your department?
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: Initially they used to go straight through to
22 the department, but because we had an influx of
23 referrals coming in, that was changed by senior
24 management, where cases -- the referrals went via the
25 One Stop Shop.
19
1 MR GARNHAM: Did any continue to come straight in to you?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: You would have one or two that came through.
3 MR GARNHAM: Occasionally; so that is two sources and One
4 Stop Shop direct through to you. What are the other
5 sources of referrals?
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: You would most probably get them from the
7 school.
8 MR GARNHAM: Hospitals?
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: GPs, hospitals, housing.
10 MR GARNHAM: Thank you.
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: The Asylum Team. There was quite a few
12 people that --
13 MR GARNHAM: Thank you. All of those referrals come
14 initially to the Duty Team Manager, Mr Armstrong?
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct, and at the time, there was
16 also another person that was taking referrals, the other
17 senior, which was Pauline Phillips.
18 MR GARNHAM: Did you ever take them?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: Not during that time, no. Sorry, I need to
20 correct you here. What I am saying, the referrals that
21 came in, when they came in, they went directly either to
22 the manager or the other senior social worker.
23 MR GARNHAM: And not to you?
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, I was not taking referrals at the time.
25 MR GARNHAM: You say in paragraph 11 of your statement that
20
1 he -- you are talking there about Mr Armstrong, but
2 I take it to refer also to Ms Phillips, in the light of
3 what you have just said --
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct, yes.
5 MR GARNHAM: -- would determine from the information with
6 which he or she is provided whether the case should
7 remain with the Duty Team as a child in need case or
8 should be referred to the Child Protection Team.
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct, yes.
10 MR GARNHAM: And you were never making those decisions?
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, not at the time, because the referrals
12 did not come directly through to me.
13 MR GARNHAM: What is your opinion, Ms Bridgeman, about that
14 division of work between Child Protection and Child in
15 Need?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: Sorry, could you explain that?
17 MR GARNHAM: What is your opinion of the policy of your
18 department to divide up the work into those two
19 categories?
20 MS BRIDGEMAN: It was just what we were presented with.
21 MR GARNHAM: Yes, I understand that, but what did you think
22 about it, as a way of going about business?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, sometimes yes, it was difficult when
24 you have got two, two teams on the go, and I think it
25 would have been better if there was just one team where
21
1 you dealt with both the child in need and child
2 protection.
3 MR GARNHAM: It can be something of a false distinction, can
4 it not, to talk about child in need work on the one hand
5 and child protection work on the other?
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: I suppose when you say -- there could be grey
7 areas, yes.
8 MR GARNHAM: But in a sense, Child Protection is a subset of
9 Child in Need, is it not?
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well it depends on the referral details.
11 MR GARNHAM: Does that not mean the answer to my question is
12 yes?
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: I am just saying, it depends on the referral
14 details, what the details are presenting at the time.
15 MR GARNHAM: Is it not always the case, Ms Bridgeman, that
16 those cases that are categorised as Child Protection are
17 merely one type of Child in Need case?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: Again, as I said, it depends on what is
19 presenting with the referral.
20 MR GARNHAM: Let me suggest to you it does no such thing.
21 It does not depend on what is contained in the referral.
22 Child protection by its very nature is one type of child
23 in need.
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: I could only go by the procedures we were
25 working under at the time.
22
1 MR GARNHAM: Once the Duty Team Manager or Miss Phillips
2 have made their decision as to categorisation -- this is
3 back in spring of 1999 -- he or she records that
4 decision, as I understand your statement, on the form.
5 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes. You are talking about the pink and the
6 yellow?
7 MR GARNHAM: No, I am simply asking you for a moment, to
8 make sure I understand what it is. Where does he record
9 it?
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: Okay, if a referral came in, with a referral
11 sheet, what they would do, they would get a pink, which
12 is the management information, and the yellow, which is
13 for the Admin. They would record the details, like,
14 say, the name, the address --
15 MR GARNHAM: Who is they?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, as you said, the person logging in the
17 referral, which would be the duty manager or the senior
18 at the time, they would record that on the pink and
19 any -- and they would determine from that referral
20 whether or not it should go to Child Protection.
21 MR GARNHAM: And they would mark on the pink --
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: On the pink, yes.
23 MR GARNHAM: -- whether or not it was child protection?
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, they would.
25 MR GARNHAM: Thank you.
23
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: Again, with the different referrals as well.
2 You have got your internal referrals, which -- they
3 would be marked on -- internal referral would be on the
4 blue.
5 MR GARNHAM: I see. Well the colours may end up remaining
6 a mystery to me, but I understand you to say that
7 whichever referral is received, whichever referral sheet
8 is received by the duty manager, he or she will mark on
9 it whether or not it is child protection --
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: Child protection, yes.
11 MR GARNHAM: If it is a child protection case, what happens?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: If it is a child protection case, what they
13 normally do, they log her in. There is also a log book
14 there which was used to cross-reference referrals.
15 MR GARNHAM: So they log them into the log book?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, which was a cross-reference --
17 MR GARNHAM: What else do they do, apart from logging it
18 into the log book?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: If it was child protection --
20 MR GARNHAM: I am asking you about child protection now.
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: Right, child protection. They would discuss
22 it with the manager.
23 MR GARNHAM: Of?
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: Child Protection, because the manager --
25 Mr Armstrong shared a room with --
24
1 MR GARNHAM: With Miss Roper?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct. He would discuss it with
3 her, with Miss Roper, and after that -- if that referral
4 was then going to be taken on by Child Protection, it
5 would go to the Admin team, and that would be --
6 Martin Punch was doing all the child protection --
7 MR GARNHAM: And he would enter it, would he?
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: He would enter it on to the system.
9 MR GARNHAM: What happened if it was urgent? Would it still
10 go to Admin to be logged in?
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: It needs to be logged in, yes, but it would
12 be discussed with the Child Protection. If it was
13 urgent, they would act on it.
14 MR GARNHAM: Are there some child protection cases which are
15 considered not urgent?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: You would have to ask the Child Protection
17 Team, because they would determine that when that
18 information is passed to them.
19 MR GARNHAM: Okay. If it is child in need rather than child
20 protection, Ms Bridgeman, it would then go to the
21 Administration Team?
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
23 MR GARNHAM: When the paperwork is checked?
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: I need to explain my terms, the way I see it.
25 When it was logged in by either the duty manager or the
25
1 senior into the log book, if it was a child in need,
2 they would then action as to what should take place.
3 MR GARNHAM: They, the manager, would?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, whether or not it is a home visit or --
5 and usually they either write -- a social worker's --
6 a manager's write-up, because you have another piece of
7 documentation. They would write up -- or the back of
8 the pink. Sorry, I have to refer to the pink.
9 MR GARNHAM: Yes, all right.
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: And they would do their disposal then at the
11 back. Once they have done that, they would then refer
12 it to the Admin Team, because there were trays, and they
13 would place it in the tray. It would depend on the
14 urgency of it.
15 MR GARNHAM: And the Admin would do what with it?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: They would log it in, they would carry out
17 all their checks, and if there was any -- if the case
18 was previously known or anything, they would attach all
19 the documentation to that referral. After they have
20 done that --
21 MR GARNHAM: And will it be they who try to discover whether
22 there were any other referrals in that name?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, because they do the checks. They have
24 got the information there to carry out those checks.
25 MR GARNHAM: And then it would be returned to one of the
26
1 senior social workers?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
3 MR GARNHAM: You and Ms Phillips?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, because there was trays on our desk and
5 they would pass that back.
6 MR GARNHAM: In 1999, Ms Bridgeman, how long were the
7 Administration Team taking to do that work in child in
8 need cases?
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: I know there was a backlog of cases and
10 I would say -- because at the time, there were only
11 about two Admin staff on duty, and I am sure there was
12 one on long term sick during that time, so it was taking
13 longer.
14 MR GARNHAM: So there was a backlog. How long was it
15 taking? Weeks?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: Sometimes it could take weeks, yes.
17 MR GARNHAM: Were those delays known about by everybody in
18 the office?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would say so, yes, because it was
20 something --
21 MR GARNHAM: Yes. Was it not that it was self-evident that
22 there were delays, because files were piling up?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: You say files piling up; there was a backlog,
24 and the Admin staff did work extremely hard in order to
25 keep up with the backlog.
27
1 MR GARNHAM: But they could not manage?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, because when they were logging in things
3 into the system -- it is not something you can log in
4 within two minutes, because I think they have to go
5 through different systems in order to find this
6 information.
7 MR GARNHAM: I understand that. My question was whether
8 those in the office were aware that these backlogs were
9 occurring.
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, they were aware.
11 MR GARNHAM: And managers were aware that these backlogs
12 were occurring?
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: It was brought to the attention of managers,
14 yes.
15 MR GARNHAM: What was done about it?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: I think management tried, because I think at
17 the time the manager that was managing them, Robert --
18 MR GARNHAM: Mr Smith; he came and lent a hand?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, because he used to sit downstairs
20 sometimes, or he would log them in upstairs. I remember
21 that clearly.
22 MR GARNHAM: But nonetheless, the backlog persisted?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, because he also had other duties to get
24 on with as well.
25 MR GARNHAM: Once the file is returned to you as a senior
28
1 social worker, you then allocate it to a case worker?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, you just pass it on.
3 MR GARNHAM: And the case worker then does the work?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, carry out the task that is supposed to
5 be carried out.
6 MR GARNHAM: And then report back to you?
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, they would. What you would do is also
8 have case discussions with them as well.
9 MR GARNHAM: And would they write up their notes as they
10 complete each task?
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, they would. It was not just notes, it
12 depends on what needed to be done, you know. Some cases
13 required child in need assessments, where they had to go
14 through a pro forma and complete that, but there was --
15 just required checks.
16 MR GARNHAM: When would a case be referred to the Long Term
17 Team?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: When there was further work required, after
19 the worker completed their task.
20 MR GARNHAM: So an initial series of tasks would be set the
21 duty worker?
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
23 MR GARNHAM: And if at the conclusion of his or her efforts
24 on that list there was still work, it would be referred
25 to the Duty Team?
29
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
2 MR GARNHAM: But sometimes the Long Term Team were unable to
3 take it?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
5 MR GARNHAM: So it would stay with the Duty Team?
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, it would stay with us until they could
7 take those cases on.
8 MR GARNHAM: Thank you. How heavy was the workload during
9 the second quarter of 1999?
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would say it was pretty heavy, because
11 during that time, we had -- there was an influx of
12 asylum seekers who we had to accommodate, we had an
13 influx of homelessness --
14 MR GARNHAM: You were all pretty busy?
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, and also asylum seeker families that we
16 also had to put up as well, so there was a lot going on
17 in that time.
18 MR GARNHAM: You say in your statement that there were 16 or
19 17 ongoing cases for each case worker.
20 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, approximately 16.
21 MR GARNHAM: And on top of that, they would take new
22 referrals each day.
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right, yes.
24 MR GARNHAM: How many new referrals would you expect a case
25 worker to take, on top of the 16 or 17?
30
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: I think during that time, especially when you
2 have the unaccompanied minors coming in, a lot of those
3 took priority --
4 MR GARNHAM: Just give us an idea of how many they might
5 get. One, two, twenty?
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, not twenty. I would say sometimes you
7 have had like five unaccompanied minors which required
8 accommodation within foster care.
9 MR GARNHAM: Is that for the whole team or per case worker?
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: For the whole team, I would say.
11 MR GARNHAM: So on top of the 16 or 17 ongoing cases, the
12 social worker might get another case of the sort you
13 have just described?
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, and you also had people coming into the
15 office, people that did not have appointments that
16 needed to be seen.
17 MR GARNHAM: So there would be another case or two per case
18 worker?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, there could be more, especially with the
20 homeless, you were constantly getting phone calls from
21 Housing, where they were going to evict a family and you
22 had to deal with that there and then.
23 MR GARNHAM: You tell us in paragraph 9 that as a result of
24 all these pressures, the Child in Need Team could be
25 dealing with 200 to 300 cases at any one time.
31
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
2 MR GARNHAM: That is between about ten of you all in?
3 MS BRIDGEMAN: When I say that as well, I am also referring
4 to cases that are in pending.
5 MR GARNHAM: In which case there is nothing active to do on
6 them at the moment?
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, they could become active at any time.
8 MR GARNHAM: At any time, I understand. So that on the face
9 of it, there are something like 30 cases per member of
10 staff?
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, it depends --
12 MR GARNHAM: 20 to 30?
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: It depends on the day, yes, and it depends
14 on -- you say there is all these cases, but each case
15 varies on what needs to be done.
16 MR GARNHAM: Of course, I understand. Did you regard that
17 workload as sustainable? Could you manage that lot?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: We did manage, even though --
19 MR GARNHAM: Competently?
20 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would say, yes.
21 MR GARNHAM: You say in paragraph 14 of your statement that
22 serious cases were allocated to Child Protection, and
23 less serious might be referred to a voluntary
24 organisation. When you say "less serious", do you
25 mean --
32
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: I am talking about child in need cases.
2 MR GARNHAM: You are talking about child in need cases,
3 thank you. And what are the voluntary organisations
4 that you are referring to?
5 MS BRIDGEMAN: I am referring to Family Service Unit, that
6 provide a service for families and young people,
7 especially if there are problems at home, where there is
8 conflicts within the home, and they provide like
9 mediation work, but before we -- before we send those
10 families on to those organisations, a complete child in
11 need assessment needs to be completed, along with their
12 referral as well, and then they report back to us if
13 there is any further concerns.
14 MR GARNHAM: I see. What proportion of cases went to these
15 voluntary organisations?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would say there was a few cases that went
17 through to the organisations.
18 MR GARNHAM: Can you give us any idea in percentage terms?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, it varied, because we had a lot of young
20 people coming through the doors.
21 MR GARNHAM: What is the most it might be? Half of them,
22 10 per cent of them?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would say 10 per cent.
24 MR GARNHAM: Apart from the Family Service Unit, what other
25 voluntary organisations did you use?
33
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: Child and Family.
2 MR GARNHAM: That is an organisation, is it, Child and
3 Family?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
5 MR GARNHAM: Any others?
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: You had Wellcare. They dealt with -- because
7 I have not worked in the system for a long time, so it
8 is very difficult.
9 MR GARNHAM: I understand that. Thank you for trying to
10 remember.
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: They dealt with cases like -- say asylum
12 seekers, people from -- that required additional
13 support.
14 MR GARNHAM: Any more organisations?
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: You had -- there were other organisations out
16 there, yes, that dealt with teenagers and different
17 things like that. There was quite a few organisations
18 we could refer to.
19 MR GARNHAM: I see. Was there any arrangement in place, any
20 protocol, governing your use of these voluntary
21 organisations?
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: I am sure there was a protocol.
23 MR GARNHAM: Some written document?
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: I think there was some agreement, there
25 was -- I am sure there was -- I cannot say --
34
1 MR GARNHAM: An agreement reduced to writing?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: There must have been, there must have been
3 something in writing, the fact that we had a referral
4 form --
5 MR GARNHAM: Would that agreement in writing indicate when
6 it was appropriate for you to refer it to a voluntary
7 organisation?
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
9 MR GARNHAM: So it is just conceivable that there might be
10 a number of items of documentation that I call for from
11 Brent. I do not think I have seen this protocol and if
12 it exists, I would be grateful for sight of it. So
13 I look over towards my learned friend, who kindly nods.
14 In paragraph 28 of your statement, if you would turn
15 to that, right at the end, you say that you are aware
16 that there has been a number of SSI inspections and
17 reports.
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
19 MR GARNHAM: We have those, and I am not going to trouble
20 you to work through them. You tell us that you agreed
21 with the recommendations and criticisms that are made in
22 those reports.
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: Right.
24 MR GARNHAM: When you wrote that in your statement, did you
25 have any particular recommendations or criticisms in
35
1 mind?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: I suppose it is the reduction -- you know,
3 one was the reduction in staff, you know, the manpower
4 of staff.
5 MR GARNHAM: You regarded that as a legitimate source of
6 criticism?
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, because with reduction in staff, if you
8 are not employing -- if you are reducing staff, and the
9 caseload is still the same, therefore the demand --
10 MR GARNHAM: So that is one criticism you agree with.
11 Anything else?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: I do not remember the criticisms.
13 MR GARNHAM: The reason for my question was not a memory
14 test. I simply want you to tell us those that stuck in
15 your mind, that prompted you to write what you did in
16 this paragraph.
17 MS BRIDGEMAN: Can I come back to that question?
18 MR GARNHAM: Yes, of course.
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: I have just gone blank.
20 MR GARNHAM: I will give you time for it to filter through.
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: I am aware of what you are talking about.
22 MR GARNHAM: Paragraph 29, where you are dealing with your
23 overall concerns; you say that you were constantly
24 working in a crisis situation.
25 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, that is correct.
36
1 MR GARNHAM: What do you mean by "crisis situation"?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, crisis is when there is no let-up, you
3 know, you are just constantly on the go, you have not --
4 sometimes you have not got time to reflect on what is
5 going on.
6 MR GARNHAM: That sounds like a definition of busy, which
7 can be healthy. What is crisis?
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: Crisis is when -- okay, I remember when we
9 had an influx of homelessness coming in, and you are
10 looking for accommodation, you know, especially if you
11 have got families --
12 MR GARNHAM: What is the crisis?
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: It is the crisis -- crisis is when you --
14 MR GARNHAM: "Crisis" suggests to me, but tell me if I am
15 wrong, that it is a situation where you are not quite
16 coping with the pressure. Is that what you mean, or do
17 you mean something different?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: You are coping with the pressure, even though
19 you are working in a crisis -- sometimes you do not
20 realise you are in that crisis until you step out, but
21 yes, sometimes you feel that you are not coping, but you
22 do get through, you do get through it, and that is
23 because of the support of others around you.
24 MR GARNHAM: Thank you. Were senior management aware of
25 this working in a crisis situation?
37
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
2 MR GARNHAM: How did they become aware? Did you tell them?
3 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, I felt free to approach senior managers.
4 I did not have any problems with that.
5 MR GARNHAM: Did you tell them that it was unacceptable, the
6 pressure you were under?
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
8 MR GARNHAM: And what did they do about it?
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: They tried.
10 MR GARNHAM: What does that mean?
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: I suppose towards the end --
12 MR GARNHAM: End of what?
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: When I was going to be leaving, I was able to
14 express my feelings. I felt I was able to express my
15 feelings.
16 MR GARNHAM: And what did they do about it?
17 MS BRIDGEMAN: Changes were taking place.
18 MR GARNHAM: Such as what?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: There was changes in everything. They were
20 trying to sort out the Duty Team, and --
21 MR GARNHAM: With what effect? What were going to be the
22 changes there?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: To put extra resources in place.
24 (10.45 am)
25 MR GARNHAM: Thank you. When are we talking about, when you
38
1 say these changes are coming through?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: Changes started taking place last year.
3 MR GARNHAM: The year 2000?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: Year 2000.
5 MR GARNHAM: Month, season, quarter?
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: I left in September, so --
7 MR GARNHAM: During the summer?
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: It was during the summer, because yes, we
9 were -- you know, we were in a mess, because things --
10 I think there was restructuring going on, which also
11 brought on a lot of uncertainty amongst people.
12 MR GARNHAM: You mentioned mess and uncertainty, but you say
13 there was restructuring and resources --
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: About to be taking place.
15 MR GARNHAM: But the positive steps were greater resources
16 and restructuring?
17 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, they did say it was something that they
18 were looking into.
19 MR GARNHAM: What sort of hours were you working during
20 1999, you personally?
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: Me personally, there were some days when
22 I would come in at 8.00.
23 MR GARNHAM: And go home at?
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: 8.00. This is during 1999 you are talking
25 about?
39
1 MR GARNHAM: Yes, I am indeed.
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: There was some days I would come in at 8.00
3 and go home at 8.00. I know during that time I was also
4 working with a student and I was also doing a management
5 training course.
6 MR GARNHAM: So you were moderately busy?
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: I was constantly busy round about that time.
8 MR GARNHAM: How did the budgetary restraints you refer to
9 affect you?
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: I think it affected everybody. It just
11 affected the whole --
12 MR GARNHAM: You have told us that it meant there were not
13 as many staff as you would have liked. Any other
14 respect in which the budgetary constraints affected you?
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, I think the spending was getting out of
16 control.
17 MR GARNHAM: What does that mean?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: When I say spending, because we were having
19 an influx of families coming from homeless.
20 MR GARNHAM: And you were spending money on them?
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: I was not spending -- it was not my money we
22 were spending.
23 MR GARNHAM: You misunderstand me. You say spending was
24 getting out of control; I am trying to understand what
25 spending.
40
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: Because you had to put families in bed and
2 breakfast.
3 MR GARNHAM: So spending by the department?
4 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, and really sometimes they did not have
5 control over that.
6 MR GARNHAM: You say in paragraph 31 that you were concerned
7 with the information that was provided to the Duty Team.
8 You say that only the Child Protection Team or the Long
9 Term Team would have a proper file prepared for it.
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: All right, I know what you are talking about.
11 What I meant -- if a case was going to Child Protection
12 Team, they would have a case file made up, but with the
13 Child in Need Team, because you had a lot of referrals
14 coming in, we did not have case files. Papers were sort
15 of put into folders, they were just clipped together and
16 put into folders.
17 MR GARNHAM: Putting aside the question of their
18 presentation, did you feel you had all the material put
19 together when you had to go out and do a visit or do
20 a piece of work? Were you confident you had got
21 everything?
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: Not always, because sometimes, trying to get
23 that information, especially if it was in archive and
24 that.
25 MR GARNHAM: How good were the Administration at finding
41
1 other referrals in respect of the same client?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well, again it would depend on the
3 information that the Admin staff were provided with. If
4 you have got information where you do not have a surname
5 or the address is incomplete, you know, matching up --
6 are you talking about matching up referrals now?
7 MR GARNHAM: Yes.
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: Sometimes they found that extremely
9 difficult.
10 MR GARNHAM: Were you able to access the computer to trace
11 other referrals --
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: No.
13 MR GARNHAM: -- if you thought what you were getting from
14 Admin was incomplete?
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, I did not have access to the Admin
16 system, because they knew how -- that was their system
17 at the time.
18 MR GARNHAM: Mr Eddie Armstrong, when he gave evidence to
19 this Inquiry, described a number of aspects of the
20 system of work which he regarded as unsatisfactory, and
21 I just want to put some of them to you for your views.
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: Sure.
23 MR GARNHAM: He described faxes being received in the Duty
24 Team office falling from the machine to the floor and
25 being left there unattended. What do you say about
42
1 that?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: Well faxes did fall on the floor, but
3 I needed to -- the reason why faxes fell on the floor,
4 sometimes it is the way the fax machine was positioned,
5 and if you came in like on a Monday from a weekend,
6 especially if you have got a lot of faxes coming
7 through, there was not a tray there where the paper
8 could fall --
9 MR GARNHAM: So they went on the floor?
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: Sometimes they went on the floor.
11 MR GARNHAM: It may be rather more important than where they
12 end up is what happens to them once they have fallen.
13 Were they left unattended on the floor?
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: Workers took responsibility, because if faxes
15 fell on the floor -- you know, the duty workers that
16 I worked with, they would pick those faxes up.
17 MR GARNHAM: Was there somebody assigned the job of making
18 sure the faxes reached their addressee, or was it
19 a matter of --
20 MS BRIDGEMAN: I would have said administrative staff, but
21 at the same time, because we work within the unit,
22 I think we all tried to take some form of responsibility
23 in picking those faxes up, because I have seen faxes on
24 the floor which I have picked up and I have looked at
25 them to see where they should go.
43
1 MR GARNHAM: Were you ever conscious of there being
2 significant delay in the distribution of faxes? Did you
3 ever have occasion to say, "Why on earth has this not
4 been brought to me before?" on occasions?
5 MS BRIDGEMAN: I suppose on one or two occasions, yes.
6 MR GARNHAM: Mr Armstrong described delays in logging cases
7 on to the computer system by the administrative staff,
8 and you told us you have also experienced that.
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, I have experienced that.
10 MR GARNHAM: He described files going missing for prolonged
11 periods and sometimes it being impossible to find
12 a file.
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: Files would go missing, but sometimes they
14 would be -- you know, they would be found in the end.
15 It depends where they were located, but files, yes, did
16 go missing. Especially if you are going out on a visit
17 and you cannot find that file, it is quite frustrating.
18 MR GARNHAM: Why did that happen? Why did they go missing?
19 Was it not a simple matter of good administration and
20 filing?
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: It was backlog and the pressures that was on
22 Admin, because especially -- there is two Admin staff
23 working for the whole of the Duty Team and the Child
24 Protection Team, it is very difficult.
25 MR GARNHAM: Were there occasions on which files simply
44
1 could not be found?
2 MS BRIDGEMAN: I have not -- I do not recall on any
3 occasions --
4 MR GARNHAM: You can never remember an occasion in which
5 a file was lost?
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, I cannot recall that occasion.
7 MR GARNHAM: Given your post as a senior social worker in
8 this department, what did you do to put these sort of
9 problems right?
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: I know I created -- we used to have trays,
11 and this is something again we used to bring up in
12 briefings. If we had briefings, we used to say to the
13 staff members -- I know I did personally -- you know, if
14 you see anything that is on the floor, and the fax tray
15 is there, could you please put them in, any urgent
16 ones -- they should be going to the manager anyhow in
17 the first instance, especially if they are child
18 protection, they should go to the manager or they should
19 be brought to one of the seniors' attention, but yes,
20 I did take responsibility.
21 MR GARNHAM: So you would issue instructions in respect of
22 some of these defects?
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
24 MR GARNHAM: But some of them persisted in spite of your
25 instructions?
45
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: It depends where the faxes were, because you
2 just did not have a fax machine on the downstairs, there
3 were also fax machines on the other floors.
4 MR GARNHAM: You are not saying, are you, that as soon as
5 each of these problems arose, you issued an instruction
6 and the problem disappeared?
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: No, it was a continuous thing, because that
8 is the purpose of team briefings in the morning.
9 MR GARNHAM: So what did you do about it when things were
10 not still, despite your instructions, working out
11 properly?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: It was also brought to the attention of the
13 administrative staff.
14 MR GARNHAM: And management?
15 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
16 MR GARNHAM: Can I then turn to the circumstances of
17 Victoria's case?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: Sure, yes.
19 MR GARNHAM: You say, and this is paragraph 16, that that
20 case, Victoria's case, was logged into the manager's log
21 book by Eddie Armstrong.
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is the information I was provided with,
23 yes.
24 MR GARNHAM: You say that the relevant pages of this log
25 book are missing.
46
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: I am made to believe that, yes, pages that
2 I was shown and I looked through.
3 MR GARNHAM: When did you discover that those pages were
4 missing?
5 MS BRIDGEMAN: When it was brought to my attention.
6 MR GARNHAM: And when was that?
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: That I think was March this year, some time
8 in March.
9 MR GARNHAM: Did you ever see the manager's log book
10 containing the entry for Victoria at any time?
11 MS BRIDGEMAN: During that time?
12 MR GARNHAM: At any time. Have you ever seen the entry in
13 the manager's log book that refers to Victoria?
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: There is so many referrals, you just do
15 not --
16 MR GARNHAM: Let me rephrase it. Are you conscious of ever
17 seeing the entry in respect of Victoria in the manager's
18 log book?
19 MS BRIDGEMAN: It was not under "Victoria".
20 MR GARNHAM: You are quite right, I am grateful for the
21 correction, under "Anna". Were you ever conscious of
22 seeing a referral in respect of Anna --
23 MS BRIDGEMAN: Not that I can recall.
24 MR GARNHAM: So how do you know that Anna's case was logged
25 into the manager's log book?
47
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: Because when I was shown the pink, on the
2 pink, right, the details -- the details was completed by
3 the manager, and also you had a number, I cannot
4 remember --
5 MR GARNHAM: We will come to it.
6 MS BRIDGEMAN: There was a number put on there, "/6". That
7 means during that month there was 183 referrals during
8 the month of June, and that is one way of tracing it.
9 So that demonstrates that that has been logged into
10 the --
11 MR GARNHAM: So the existence of that number followed by
12 a stroke followed by the calendar indicates that it must
13 have been referred into the log book?
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
15 MR GARNHAM: Thank you. It is probably sensible if I check
16 that we all understand what documents you saw and what
17 documents you say are missing. For this, you will need
18 volume 5, please.
19 You say in paragraph 17 that when you were passed
20 the referral, you were given the pink form, the yellow
21 form and the referral sheet.
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, would have been given the pink --
23 MR GARNHAM: The pink, the yellow and the referral sheet.
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
25 MR GARNHAM: Does the referral have a colour, by any chance?
48
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: It depends. If it is an internal referral
2 you have got the blue and the yellow, the carbonated.
3 If it is a One Stop Shop, it is a fax.
4 MR GARNHAM: It was a mistake to ask that question. Sorry
5 about that. Can you look at page 3 in that first
6 volume, please? Is this the pink?
7 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
8 MR GARNHAM: Hallelujah. This has marked on it, top
9 right-hand corner, "Home visit".
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
11 MR GARNHAM: Is that the marking that you say
12 Eddie Armstrong made on this sheet?
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes.
14 MR GARNHAM: And this is the pink Duty Manager's Action
15 Sheet?
16 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is right.
17 MR GARNHAM: Go over to page 5, please. Is this the yellow?
18 MS BRIDGEMAN: Page 5, that is -- at the back of it, that is
19 a continuation of this, because it is photocopied. Oh,
20 sorry, my mistake.
21 MR GARNHAM: Page 4, I think, is the back of page 3.
22 MS BRIDGEMAN: My mistake.
23 MR GARNHAM: Page 5, is that --
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is the Admin.
25 MR GARNHAM: So that is the yellow, is it?
49
1 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
2 MR GARNHAM: As I read paragraph 17 of your statement, you
3 also received a referral sheet in addition to those two
4 documents:
5 "When I was passed the referral I was just given the
6 pink ... and yellow ... and the referral sheet ..."
7 So we have got the pink, we have seen that; we have
8 got the yellow. Which is the referral sheet?
9 MS BRIDGEMAN: The referral sheet -- every referral was
10 attached.
11 MR GARNHAM: I am interested in what was attached in this
12 case.
13 MS BRIDGEMAN: I do not recall.
14 MR GARNHAM: Have a look at page 6. That is called the
15 Referral Form. Is that the other sheet that was
16 attached?
17 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is what I was presented with. I was
18 presented with this one on -- in March.
19 MR GARNHAM: Yes. I am interested for the moment in what
20 you had in July 1999.
21 MS BRIDGEMAN: Right.
22 (11.00 am)
23 MR GARNHAM: Go back to your statement, please.
24 MS BRIDGEMAN: Yes, my statement is there.
25 MR GARNHAM: Paragraph 17:
50
1 "When I was passed the referral I was just given the
2 pink (management) sheet and yellow sheet (for Admin to
3 indicate they have done their checks) and the referral
4 sheet which was attached to the pink and yellow sheets,
5 numbered '183/6' ..."
6 So you are saying that at the time, back in
7 July 1999, you had pink, yellow and referral sheet?
8 MS BRIDGEMAN: For every referral that was passed.
9 MR GARNHAM: And what was that?
10 MS BRIDGEMAN: They have showed me this.
11 MR GARNHAM: Was it that?
12 MS BRIDGEMAN: No.
13 MR GARNHAM: So what was it?
14 MS BRIDGEMAN: I do not know. It was the referral, but
15 I can tell you, I know I would not have gone out on that
16 particular referral, and I am adamant, there is no way
17 I would have gone out on that particular referral.
18 MR GARNHAM: Go back to paragraph 17, please. Picking it up
19 halfway through the sentence:
20 "... and the referral sheet which was attached to
21 the pink and yellow sheets, numbered '183/6', which
22 meant that this was the 183rd case during June. The
23 sheet has the name 'Monica' highlighted on it indicating
24 that the referral has been passed to me to allocate ..."
25 MS BRIDGEMAN: That is correct.
|
