Probation officer on how social services handle domestic violence

A disturbing quote about how social services handle cases of domestic violence, in a piece by a probation officer over at CommentisFree today:

We regularly tell social services of children living in houses where we know there is domestic violence. Unless it’s a baby, they generally write to both parents pointing out that their behaviour may harm the child. It’s pathetic – not only does it blame the mother but the idea that a letter from a social worker will stop a domestically violent man is laughable.

This is a follow on from a longer piece in today’s G2 profiling the probation service in Bristol. The reporter Amelia Gentleman sat in on meetings between probation officers, police, doctors and social services as they discussed cases, and also observed meetings between probation officers and offenders.