A mother has expressed her outrage after discovering that a social worker assigned to her family was in a relationship with her abusive ex-partner and had a child with him.
The mother, identified only as Hayley, reported that the social worker, referred to as Ms. X, wrote favorable reports about her ex, known as Mr. Y, which helped him retain visitation rights with their children. This revelation came to light after Sefton Council confirmed that they had contracted an agency for social work services.
Sefton Council acknowledged the issue and stated they would take steps to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. The council has promised to ensure that similar situations do not happen in the future.
Hayley, who now has full custody of her children, said that Mr. Y no longer has any contact with them. Despite her frustration, she described Ms. X as another victim of Mr. Y’s manipulative behavior.
Hayley recounted that Mr. Y became abusive shortly after they began their relationship, including during her pregnancy. Court documents revealed that Mr. Y was controlling and frequently humiliated Hayley while isolating her from friends and family. After Hayley left him, Mr. Y was convicted of a serious assault and served three months in prison. Following his release, he began harassing Hayley, leading to a mental health crisis for her, despite a restraining order.
Hayley had sought assistance from Sefton Council, but her children were placed in foster care 100 miles away. She described the experience as devastating.
During the 11 months her children were in foster care, Hayley noted that her visitation rights were fewer than Mr. Y’s. The council later admitted that the risk assessments for Mr. Y’s supervised visits were not adequately thorough.
Sefton Council stated that they would take all necessary steps to address breaches of standards and ensure proper checks are in place for future cases. The agency employing Ms. X has not responded to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said, “We will follow all necessary steps to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again. We will also collaborate with other authorities to ensure they have the appropriate safeguards in place.”
