Social workers Rose and Al work in a children's services department, dealing every day with the all too familiar social issues that flood the media. Swimming against a tide of bureaucracy and pedantry, and contending with the absurdities and irrationalities of life in a county council office, the series follows Al and Rose as they navigate their way through their equally trying professional and personal lives.
In the first episode, Nitin the ex-copper with no personal allegiances or friends - is tasked with grassing on the rest of the team.
An unexpected outbreak of punctuality surprises the cluster teams at Elm Heath, Rose uncovers an embarrassing truth while investigating an improper teacher-pupil relationship, and Nitin wins the job of cleaning Elm Heath council's most toxic kitchen. Meanwhile, Al quietly comes to the rescue of his clients with learning difficulties - and a new baby. Just another day for the over-stretched social workers of the Children's Services department.
Elm Heath Children's Services is doing its best: Al is worrying about the homophobic abuse of some gay parents, while Nitin is throwing up everywhere having accidentally put his arse up on Instagram. Rose is still fretting about the fall-out from the teacher-pupil relationship at Glenway, and Nat has brought handcuffs into work. Everyone is entirely unaware that one of them is about to be taken hostage by a violent man with two children in care, a personal grudge against Rose, and a full bladder. A curry is called for.
Rose's mum has dementia. There's no way of looking after her unless Rose can pass her off as work experience and craftily get her assessed by the Elderly Care team upstairs.
Nat has fixed Nitin up on a date. Meanwhile there's an emergency meeting about two teenage girls who have gone missing.
It's Judgement Day at Elm Heath Children's Services. Denise wants outstanding cases closed, or heads will roll.
The team is forced to handle a tricky case involving a sex worker who is a single mother; Nat worries records might be missing from newly digitized files.
Al gets a surprise visit from Sean, a boy with a transitioning parent and a troubled past. Ever-competitive Nitin can't get over Martin being Mimi's mentor. Denise's brother Dennis visits and takes a shine to Rose, much to Denise's fury. At the supermarket, Nitin bumps into Zak, the litigious snob whose wife has now left him - drunk in charge of the baby. And Ingrid is excited about her 14-year-old foster son; it's not a problem that he stubbed out his cigarette in his 'welcome' cake.
Complete episode guide for Damned with detailed information about every season and episode including air dates, summaries, ratings, and streaming availability in United States.
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Nitin arrives early to be given a fright by Nat who has slept at the office. Denise freezes on live TV when a case of historic abuse is mentioned. Mimi and Martin's mentor/student relationship confuses everyone. Al gets a literal shock when he visits the home of vicious criminal 'Animal' Hames, and Nitin drops in on drunk parent Zak to find that booze is the tip of the substance-abuse iceberg. Rose is pelted with food before meeting up with Dennis, where she bumps into Al and Nitin on an awkward double date with a UKIP pin-up and her sister.
Rumours are flying about Denise's personal life. Nat's dislike of Mimi means she suspects her of being behind the missing files, even though they disappeared before she started. Ingrid brings her foster child Limahl into this maelstrom and Rose's car is promptly stolen. Nitin runs away from some angry Turkish men, leaving Ingrid to 'man up'. PC Harris throws the historic abuse case back in the Elm Heath court, but the files that would throw light on it are in the batch that Nat can't find. And Nat reveals that she's been hiding something under her blouse, and it's not the missing files.
It's an awkward start to the day when Rose and Dennis wake up in bed in Denise's house. Nat tries to land a birth partner with the offer of free crisps and water. Al gets lumbered with Mimi when he visits an ex-client who has been skipping classes. Rose rolls in to find Martin has dispatched Nitin to deal with her clients, a pair of drug-addicted parents, where he makes an unsettling discovery. Zak makes an unwelcome return with his wife Sophie, who is horrified when Nitin reveals the true nature of Zak's problems, with characteristic bluntness.
Rose is smitten with Dennis, but it's hard dating the boss's brother, and Lee is making a last ditch attempt to win her back. Nitin steps up to guide Nat through her pregnancy, while Martin faces insinuations about his unorthodox living arrangement with Mimi. The stray files make a surprise return, but for one member of the team it would be better if they had stayed missing. Rose gets the creeps while visiting some home-schooled children and Al decides to forsake the life of a social worker for a new start in Scotland.