Social services set up CCTV camera in couple's bedroom

Social workers set up a CCTV camera in the bedroom of a couple with learning difficulties in order to monitor their behaviour, a new report claims.

Council staff are said to have spied on the young parents at night as part of a plan to see if they were fit to look after their baby, who was sleeping in another room.

The mother and father were forced to cite the Human Rights Act, which protects the right to a private life, before the social services team backed down and agreed to switch off the surveillance camera while they were in bed together.



The study states: "A learning disabled couple were living in a residential assessment centre so their parenting skills could be assessed by the local social services department.

"CCTV cameras were installed, including in their bedroom. Social workers explained that the cameras were there to observe them performing their parental duties and for the protection of their baby. The couple were especially distressed by the use of the CCTV cameras in their bedroom during the night.

"With the help of a visiting neighbour, the couple successfully invoked their right to respect for private life. They explained that they did not want their intimacy to be monitored and that, besides, the baby slept in a separate nursery. As a result, the social services team agreed to switch off the cameras during the night so that the couple could enjoy their evenings together in privacy."