Can parents be left to get on with it?
Michael Fitzpatrick
("
The drift towards professional parenting", 12 November),
suggests that "parents need to accept full responsibility for
bringing up their children, because professionals, in truth, can’t
help them". He characterises social workers and health visitors as
"ready and willing to boss parents around" despite having "no
professional expertise in child-rearing and family
relationships".
If professional colleagues are so ignorant about social work
skills, knowledge and training is it any wonder that the general
public has similarly little understanding?
Paul Adam, independent social worker
It is indeed inappropriate for parents to seek advice about
parenting from GPs. However, I would argue that the fact that so
many people seek advice from their doctor may have more to do with
the lack of clarity about who parents should turn to for support if
they do experience problems.
The Supernanny phenomena shows that many people want a place to
discuss the challenges involved in parenting rather than a desire
to be "bossed around a bit". Perhaps admitting this to a GP is
preferred because it is still not socially acceptable to reveal
that parenting a child can push you to the edge. The central focus
of any debate about parenting support should be on the child. The
UK is still a place where it is acceptable to shout at and belittle
a child.
Michael Fitzpatrick is right that parenting support could easily
be an "intrusion into intimate family relationships" and as such
parenting support needs to be offered sensitively. But there are
assumptions within the article that all parents should be left to
get on with the job and that all parenting is acceptable.
My experience working with children and families revealed
parenting to be a major issue for those I worked with. For a whole
host of reasons, many parents had not learned the necessary skills
to be able to provide positive and consistent relationships and
support to their children. Their children were adversely affected
by this. If we value positive parenting as a society we must also
mentor and provide support for parents who struggle with this.
Alison Domakin, senior lecturer in social work, Manchester
Metropolitan University
Wardle not the only guilty one at GSCC
Your coverage of the report into the gross mismanagement of the
conduct cases by the
General Social Care Council draws little attention to the
implications of one of the key findings of the investigation (news,
12 November).
Mike Wardle as chief executive was suspended in July when it was
"discovered" there were 200 uninvestigated allegations into
misconduct.
The report, however, finds that the backlog had existed "for
many years", and sometimes consisted of as many as 700 cases.
Everyone at the GSCC knew about it but did not appear to understand
the implications of allowing people, who had serious allegations of
misconduct against them, to work with children and vulnerable
adults.
This clearly means that those who have now left senior jobs with
the council are also culpable. Your reporter says that the former
chair Sir Rodney Brooke, who stepped down after six years last
November, is "implicitly criticised".
However, he is not named and the article does not say that he
has now found himself chairing another quango - the Quality
Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
Also not named is
Mike Wardle's predecessor Lynne Berry, who joined when the
council was set up in 2001, and left to run the WRVS in September
2007.
If Wardle - whom, incidentally, I do not know and have never met
- has paid the price, it is one he is also paying on behalf of
others.
Thomas Headland, Birmingham
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Plan for reform of GSCC
Don't make us pay more to practise
I was appalled to read the costs that social workers have to pay
to be registered with the GSCC could rise to as much as £300.
This strikes me as the profession being penalised for someone
else's failings. The majority of unqualified or qualified workers
will have either worked hard to fund getting a qualification or put
themselves in debt.
Social workers are leaving the profession in droves. Now they
want to hit us again in the pocket. I have no problems in being
registered with a body such as the GSCC but I strongly object to
having to pay any more to practise.
Colin Saunders, independent reviewing officer