Disguised Compliance

What is disguised compliance What is disguised compliance? What families would exhibit these behaviours?

Engaging with Families There are often three types of behaviour which have an impact on engagement with Parents/carers : Non Compliance Refusal to engage (Inc. passive/aggressive behaviours) Disguised Compliance

Non-compliance Involves proactively sabotaging efforts to bring about change or alternatively passively disengaging … Peterborough LSCB

Refusal to engage Families/Parents/Carers Who decline to engage with the process Who understand fully their rights Who access support from solicitors Who refuse entry to their home Who refuse access to the children Who refuse consent to contact other agencies Behaviours here could include Passive behaviours where parents/carers just refuse Aggressive behaviours where parents/carers exhibit aggression

Disguised Compliance Involves parents/carers not admitting to their lack of commitment to change but working subversively to undermine the process due to concealment, superficiality, dishonesty or incapability… Peterborough LSCB Involves a parent or carer giving the appearance of co-operating with agencies to avoid raising suspicions, to alley professional concerns and ultimately diffuse professional intervention… NSPCC Factsheet

Serious Case Review – National Findings Three quarters of the families did not co-operate with services. Patterns of hostility and lack of compliance could change rapidly in families, they included: deliberate deception, disguised compliance and “telling workers what they want to hear’’, selective engagement, and sporadic, passive or desultory compliance’. ‘Some times hostility or missed appointments led to the withdrawal of services and less oversight of the child’ Brandon et al (2009) p74 (2010)

Serious Case Review – National Findings While families tended to be ambivalent or hostile to agencies, agencies also ‘rebuffed’ parents by offering a succession of workers, closing cases, or losing files or key information. They also identified a pattern of ‘agency neglect’ in response to older children’. The views of the parent or carer had been too easily accepted, rather than professionals seeing and talking to the children directly. When professionals from their own agency have concerns about their own personal safety, they must always consider the implications for children from exposure to the same risk factors. Brandon et al (2009)p 44

Disguised Compliance – Signs No significant change at reviews despite significant input from professionals. The child’s account may differ from that of parents/carers. Conflicting accounts from neighbours/family/other professionals. Parents engage only with parts of the plan, persistent unmet needs of the children and repeated incidents of harm / neglect to children. The family appearing to co-operate ‘doing just enough’ e.g. clean house before professional visit. Engages with some agencies / some specifically named professionals only (selective co-operation). Plausible excuses for missed appointments – wrong day / said I didn’t have to attend / forgot / went to the wrong place / wrong time.

Disguised Compliance – Signs Presenting for a clinical appointment the day before a home visit. Seem to give the answers that you want to hear. Be charming and agree with everything that you say. May focus on only the bits of information that they want you to know. Individuals may move in an out of the family unit – either to avoid detection or to appear to comply with agency concerns. In some serious case reviews parents / carers had a knowledge and awareness of the operation of the child protection system and its weaknesses.

Why? Limited research, not an exact science. Could be many contributory factors…. Parents feel workers are judgemental / cold / uncaring / negative /insincere. Families don’t feel listened to. Fear of losing their child(ren). Not enough support / let down before. Negative experience of Social Care themselves? Additional needs and may not understand the concerns or the process . Individual personalities and attitudes, different response to statutory process. Have mental health / drug / alcohol / domestic violence issues themselves (SCR review identified the Toxic Trio)

Respectful Uncertainty A term used by Lord Lamming meaning professionals must remain sceptical of the explanations, justifications or excuses they may hear. Professional Curiosity must be present for safeguarding measures to be explored.

Handouts Policy Briefing: Working with families who display Disguised Compliance NCPCC fact Sheet CareKnowledge: Identifying and working with disguised compliance in child protection Research in Practice: Briefing

Questions and Answers