Writing for Fun
March 2019
It's A Crime? - Sue Barker
I was late, rushing through the door to the main office I caught the glare of my line manager. This was not going to be my day, that’s for sure. I have only been assigned to the ‘Team for the protection of Older people’ for two months now. I have a lot to prove to myself and the rest of the team. They are a tight knit team who have worked together for a couple of years, which in Social work terms is a long time.
I haven’t time to get a coffee, I look with despair at the paperwork strewn across my desk and panic; where is the file on Mrs Brown? I need it for the review this morning, this review has taken me many attempts to book, the problem appears to be with Mrs Brown’s niece Jane, and she has been most uncooperative at joining us for the review. Her input is vital today; there are so many issues to discuss. Finally I find the file and fly out the door as if I have the devil on my tail.
Pulling up outside the address I am relieved to see Jane’s car parked on the driveway, thankful that at least she has turned up; I wasn’t sure she would. After entering the bungalow, my gaze falls on the shabby carpet in the lounge and the nets at the old Crittall windows. That’s strange, I think to myself, I’ll check my notes when we’ve started the review.
Initially things go as expected, care plans are discussed, there are a few tweaks needed here and there but nothing too worrying. We discuss any further help needed from our department and the possibility of a day centre for Mrs Brown. Jane is not keen on this idea, although Mrs Brown did seem to react positively to this suggestion.
Mrs Brown is a woman in her early 80’s suffering with early onset dementia and Jane is her only relative and they have a close relationship. Jane has power of attorney over her aunt and deals with all her finances. This is where I have deep concerns; the department has received information that Jane may be using her aunt’s money for her own ends. This is a very delicate matter and I must be very careful how I tread. If I am too heavy handed Jane will close the review down. I decide to just chat about things outside the review to see if I can get any answers to my concerns.
Jane goes to make the drinks and I have a few minutes alone with Mrs Brown; although she has dementia she usually can hold conversations quite lucidly. I mentioned the carpet and offered the name of a firm of carpet cleaners. Mrs Brown wanted me to give Jane their name and number as she had noticed the carpet was in need of attention. Now I knew my suspicions were correct, I had seen a receipt on file for new carpets for Mrs Brown’s whole house. I wanted to make sure that they weren’t on order. Also in the file was a receipt for double glazing which dearly hadn’t been purchased for this house.
I made an excuse and went outside to phone my manager. She sighed deeply when she heard it was me but did hear me out. She was very interested in my discovery and said she would come over immediately to continue the interview. I explained to Jane and Mrs Brown that as a fairly new social worker, my manager would be coming to oversee this review to ensure I was carrying it out satisfactorily.
We sat for about 15 minutes when my boss turned up. We sat down side by side on the old lumpy sofa and she took over. She gently asked Mrs Brown if she knew anything about new carpets and windows. Mrs Brown said she didn’t but that Jane did everything like that for her. Turning to Jane, who looked rather uncomfortable, my manager asked her what the receipts on file were for; Jane blanched and started to become very defensive. After several minutes of her shouting and swearing she broke down in tears. The carpets and windows were for her own house, not her aunts.
Her defence was that her aunt would have happily given her the money for these things, so she bought them. It was pointed out that the police would have to be informed as this was a very serious crime. ‘It’s a crime? but the money would come to me anyway so how is it a crime?’ she asked incredulously.