Positive images of social work

Stories in the mainstream media give a skewed picture of social work because they focus on children’s services and relate mainly to crises and serious cases.

Community Care’s Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign is seeking to redress the balance by giving a voice to social workers from accross the profession to talk about their daily lives and the difference they make to service users.

In the coming months we’ll be publishing stories about ordinary social workers, their day-to-day jobs and their achivements. We will also be promoting some stories to the mainstream press to balance some of the more negative reporting and give the public some perspective.

Stories we have run so far

• Children’s social worker Julie Shipton on her 25 year relationship with a single foster couple, and helping them with 81 separate placements involving 37 children.
  
• Voluntary sector manager Ian Sparling on what motivates him and his satisfaction when his project was able to help keep a four-month-old baby with her mother.
  
• Older people’s care manager Pam Smith on working her way up from office clerk to social worker and how she helped a couple to live and holiday together despite the husband’s early onset dementia. 
  
• Mental health professional Trevor Shadrack on his move from advertising to social work and why it is a great profession to work in.
  
• Children and families social worker Julie Gray on her 27 years’ service at Bexley Council and why she still loves her job.
  
• Canadian social worker Melanie Palmer on why she enjoys court work in the UK with Cafcass and her shock at the lack of respect for the profession here
  
• Lucy Bolden’s creation of jobs and activities for disabled people in Huntingdon.
  
• Child protection social worker Andrea Collingridge who gained an MBE in recognition of her work supporting families in Leicestershire.
  
• Barnardo’s project worker Cheryl Drury who has set up many play and recreational activities for disabled children in east London.
  
• How Surrey social worker Gail McCulloch helped one family improve their lives with some creative thinking
  
• Wendy Lowe became a children’s social worker at 39 when the profession was surrounded by an air of crisis. Why?

E-mail your positive social work stories to ruth.smith@rbi.co.uk and discuss your achievements in Carespace, our discussion forum.

More information

The Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign

Why media coverage and positive images are vital to the future of the profession

Ten reasons why social workers should speak to the press

Journalists vs social workers – overcoming misunderstandings on both side

Directors back social workers to speak to the media