Parents at a nursery school in Paphos district have lodged a formal complaint after two social welfare officers arrived to remove a child under a court order, allegedly without initially presenting identification or the necessary legal documents, causing distress to the child and disruption at the school.
The incident, which took place several days ago, prompted complaints from the school’s management and witnesses who questioned how the authorities had handled the removal.
The Social Welfare Services acknowledged problems with coordination between the agencies involved and said corrective measures would be pursued to prevent similar incidents.
According to a complaint obtained by PhilNews, two Social Welfare Services officers arrived at the nursery to take custody of a child whom a court had ordered to be removed from their family.
The officers allegedly arrived without first showing official identification or the relevant court document, and without notifying the school’s management in advance.
The headteacher requested proof of their identity and legal authority and attempted to contact the relevant education authorities.
According to the complaint, a photograph of a court document was sent through Viber approximately an hour later, after which the child was handed over to the officers.
The process reportedly caused considerable distress. The child was crying and visibly upset, while a relative who arrived outside the school was also described as being in a highly emotional state.
Parents question procedures followed by social workers
The school’s Parents’ Association submitted its complaint to the Ministry of Education, the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, the Social Welfare Services and other relevant authorities, including the Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights.
The association made clear that it was not challenging the court order or the need to enforce it. Its concerns focused on how the decision was carried out and the potential emotional impact on the child, other pupils and school staff.
Parents questioned why officials arrived without the documents needed to establish their identity, authority and the legal basis for taking the child.
They also asked whether an official procedure exists for removing children from educational settings under court orders and, if so, whether it had been followed.
The association praised the headteacher and nursery staff for remaining calm and acting responsibly throughout the incident, seeking to protect the child and minimise disruption to the other pupils.
Philenews also received separate accounts of the incident from witnesses, in addition to obtaining the formal complaint.
Social Welfare Services acknowledge coordination problems
Philenews contacted a source within the Social Welfare Services for a response to the allegations.
The source stressed that protecting children was a priority and that frontline professionals needed to cooperate closely whenever intervention was required.
“The protection of children is of the utmost importance, and frontline professionals must work closely together whenever the need arises,” the source said.
The source maintained that the Social Welfare Services had taken the necessary steps in this case.
However, the source acknowledged that coordination problems had caused disruption.
“In some cases, including this one, problems arose in coordination, and corrective action will be pursued through consultation between the services involved to prevent similar situations from happening again,” the source said.
*file photo
