HSE social workers “are regarded with fear and hostility in many communities, particularly those that are most deprived,” according to a leading Irish expert in social policy and social work.

Writing in yesterday’s Irish Times, Dr Helen Buckley of Trinity College Dublin said that a 2008 report published by the office of the Minister of State for Children demonstrated that social workers had a negative image.

Dr Buckley said that this image, which she argued was “ largely based on misinformation about their powers to remove children” impeded the ability of social workers to engage with families in a constructive way.

She also said that evidence from the Australian state of New South Wales suggested that increasing the number of social workers might actually make the current problem worse and exacerbate child protection failings.

The number of social workers there doubled from 1,000 to 2,000 in 1999, following serious concerns about the quality of child protection services. However this dinot result in an improvement in the care that children recieved.

In fact, due to the increased bureaucracy involved, a Government report produced ten years later acknowledged that children were actually less safe after the the increase.

Dr Buckley said: “Expanding the number of HSE social workers promotes the notion that the responsibility for child protection lies solely with them.”

She also said that research demonstrated that families responded better to “interventions made within their communities and through services they are familiar with such as schools and local projects”.

Instead, what was required was a more integrated approach which would involve increased cooperation between social services, teachers and community organisations.

At present, the evidence showed that the level of collaboration between services for children was poor.

She said: “Report after report has urged all children’s services, including teachers, health workers, gardaí and community organisations to work together to protect children.

“Given the discomfort experienced by most professionals when they encounter child abuse, the idea of simply “passing it on” by reporting it to the HSE is comforting as it relieves them of any further involvement.