News

We asked: Do you think registration will help improve the public perception of social work?

Here are some of the comments we recieved:

Social care values feel in decline and under attack. My own local authority, who I have worked for as a Social Worker for 15 years, has transferred all staff working with older people to health in the form of primary care trusts.

A year ago in adult services new contracts were issued to all staff to change our title to care manager - whether we were qualified as a social worker or not.

At least registration will make it immediately apparent whether a care Manager is qualified to do social Work - it may be the last hope for social work here with older people.

Paul Green

No. The public neither know no care. Registration is a rather pathetic attempt to gain some of the status of doctors and lawyers by aping one of their practices.

The difference is that you could make a lot of money by pretending to be a doctor or lawyer, whereas ... the whole business is a 19th century solution to a 21st century problem.

Nurses and radiographers are facing soaring costs for registration and so will social workers. And for what?

Criminal Records Bureau should give employers information about our crimes and universities should give information about our qualifications.

Andrew Bolger

It will take more than just registration to improve the public perception of social work. Registration is a step in the right direction, as is the raising of social Work training to degree level.

However, I think that unless social Workers and the media present social Work in a positive light, registration could be used by the public as a tool to attack us with. Rather than it being used as bench mark of quality that should give the public confidence in us.

Social workers need to sing the praises of the good outcomes achieved through hard work,commitment, and innovative ways of working and give up telling tales of woe.

Social workers have tough jobs and of course I know how hard we work ... and the responsibility we carry.

Of course front-line social workers should be better paid and better supported but we will never win the support of the public for our claims by being negative.

Registration is good and right. But on its own it will not solve the problem of the poor public image of social work.
 
Collette Batho
Director of Fostering
Asphaleia