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Just heard ITV1's This Morning is going to be discussing social work issues today - following the rise in care applications - with BASW's Nushra Mansuri on the show.

Apparently it's on at 11:30am and the item is being called 'social services question time' (or something like that). If you're not lucky enough to be by a TV with your feet up you can watch here instead. Do let us know what you think if you catch the programme...

Nushra Mansuri, professional officer for the British Association of Social Workers, on why she believes the government's plans for a six-month time limit on care cases are "nonsensical" and likely to set social workers up to fail.

The government's response to the family justice review recognises (on page six) that the current system is "under strain" with substantial increases in case volumes - a 10% increase in public law cases over a 12 month period and a doubling of cases since 2008.

It is therefore incredulous that, in a climate of austerity where the mantra is 'more for less', we are expecting an already overstretched and beleaguered workforce to somehow work miracles in reducing delays in cases. It is nonsensical. But worse than that, this will set practitioners up to fail and will lead to more children being let down rather than protected.

It also seems a million miles away from the Munro report which espouses a learning culture, as opposed to a blame culture, and the removal of arbitrary and unnecessary targets that curtail practice rather than empower it to effect positive change.

This is not good news for the social work profession where people are already working around the clock to do the best job they can in difficult circumstances. Even the chair of the review panel David Norgrove said, in one of the regional seminars, that he recognised things were going to get worse before they get better. That's a powerful statement.

Norgrove also repeated the government's promise of there being no more money in the light of any reviews and we know the current agenda is all about so-called 'efficiencies'. Efficient for who I wonder? I am not aware of children being the beneficiaries of such measures. 

The trend for government consultations is to carry out impact assessments. I would like to know if anyone has sat down and counted the cost of these proposals to some of the most vulnerable children in the country.

Perhaps it is poignant, that this week we celebrated the bi-centenary year of Charles Dickens' birth. If he was alive today, what would one of this country's greatest campaigners for children's rights make of such reforms? Reach for his quill no doubt and offer some social commentary to this sad state of affairs.

Last night's episode of the BBC series Protecting Our Children seemed to provoke an even more positive online reaction than the first - even winning over some of the first film's critics.

In particular, there was huge praise on Twitter and our live debate for the empathetic and calm-headed approach of social worker Annie (pictured) - seen supporting young couple Shaun and Marva during their fourth pregnancy - and her manager Arthur.

There was animated discussion, and some amusement, at the sight of Annie flanked by two burly security guards during home visits. (The security guards, like the social workers, were employed by Bristol Council for all the viewers who asked last night).

There was debate around the role of adult services in child protection cases, to support parents with mental health and substance misuse problems - as we saw last night. And of course there was the all-important question of whether the series will improve the public perception of social work. (Most viewers said they were hopeful but not quite convinced yet.)

Here's a quick round-up of views, thoughts and reflections from the web (more to follow soon):

@VjLupton (via Twitter)
Even more sure I'm doing right by getting my degree after #protectingourchildren amazing people making a difference.

@CathyAshley Family Rights Group (via Twitter)
Very moving #protectingourchildren. Sympathetic portrayal of all involved. Complete respect for social worker & her manager.

@mwilliamsthomas (via Twitter)
Half way through prog- very impressed so far - Annie a credit to the profession @ComCareChildren #protectingourchildren"

@mrspentleton (via Twitter)
#protectingourchildren. Massive respect 2 the SW. Massive respect 2 the foster carer. Everyone should watch this. Pay attention media!

@SteveDonnan (via Twitter)
Social workers get such a bad rap, I think they do an incredibly difficult and dangerous job. Takes great strength #protectingourchildren

@BASW_UK British Association of Social Workers (via Twitter)
Social worker showing great resilience & empathy, lets hope her other 14 cases are not as challenging!

And you can replay our debate from last night here: 

by Ray Jones, professor of social work at Kingston University and St George's, University of London and independent chair of Bristol's Safeguarding Children Board

I am proud. Proud to be a registered social worker. Proud to have been a social services manager. And proud to be the independent chair of Bristol's safeguarding children board. Why? Because in all these roles I have been allowed and able to make a contribution to the welfare and safety of children. What I never did though was to willingly expose my practice to media and public scrutiny. That did not stop the Mail on Sunday and other tabloids taking a view about whether or not I was any good at my job as a director of social services (the tabloid view was that I wasn't very good!) whenever they could sniff a story which they could re-write as damming and damaging for social work.

All the more credible and important, therefore, that there are social workers and managers willing to have their practice in protecting children and helping families observed by the media and shown to the public. On Monday 30 January and on the following two Mondays social workers in Bristol will be shown doing what social workers do every day in the documentary Protecting Our Children. What the public will see are caring and committed practitioners and managers facing the dilemmas of whether a child is safe to remain with their carers and whether it is possible to help parents to improve their care.

The pain within families, and the pain and distress for workers, will be shared with others who choose usually to be overly-judgemental.  They understandably turn away from the complexities within the decisions that have to be made by social workers and others who spend their professional lives immersed day after day in what will probably be enough for most people after an hour of a television documentary. As the TV team said, they regularly returned to their office upset by their filming that day within one family, and then remembered that the social workers they had been filming had then gone on to see other families where the distress was just as great.

As we watch our colleagues at work no doubt there will be quibbles about whether or not everything was best practice and whether we would have acted similarly. But here are workers and a council who were willing to open themselves up to critical comment. What I have seen of these television documentaries, and what I know of social workers and their managers in Bristol, should mean that any quibbles are overwhelmed by a view of practice of which I would be very pleased and proud. They have bottle in Bristol, and they also have much care, compassion and competence.

Check out Community Care's special Protecting Our Children page and see how you can get involved in our live discussion

Back in May 2010, I wrote about a new feature-length DVD and training manual called Bearing the Unbearable.

The brainchild of Christine Bradley, a consultant and trainer in therapeutic child care, both have been designed to help social care professionals work with, and understand, children with the most complex emotional and behavioural needs.

Children who are among the most distraught and difficult to manage in the care system; children who carers and professionals have already tried, and failed, to reach out to; children who many of you probably recognise already.

Following my article I was inundated with emails and phone calls from professionals keen to get their hands on a copy. Well now you can. After almost four years of love and labour, Bearing the Unbearable has now launched and is available for purchase.

We've developed an interactive online tool, based on research by Barnardo's and the National Working Group for sexually exploited children and young people, to help professionals recognise key warning signs that a child could be at risk of sexual exploitation.

Sexual exploitation is a serious and growing risk, according to experts. But despite a number of high profile cases and ongoing investigations, a recent report from CEOP found many professionals, including social workers, are still failing to recognise key warning signs.

Fans of ITV1's hugely successful TV talent show Britain's Got Talent might have spotted a singing social worker called Josie Kenny among this year's crop of hopefuls. (And, unlike previous social work contestants, this one's really rather good.)

The 44-year-old - who auditioned with her husband John, a teacher, as one half of the imaginatively-titled act Mr and Mrs - impressed the judges with her rendition of Bruno Mars' Grenade and sailed through to this week's live semi-finals.

If the pair can wow BGT boss Simon Cowell - who flew in from LA last night for the first of the live shows (to the theme tune of Superman, but of course) - they could make Saturday's final and be in with a chance of winning £100,000 and a spot on stage at the Royal Variety Show.

Let us know if you'll be voting for Josie when she sings live this week.

Photo credit: Rex Features

After two years of confusion and disagreement, funding for social work posts in young offender institutions has been agreed.

Prisons minister Crispin Blunt told delegates at a recent conference that, as of next year, the Youth Justice Board will fund 22 social work posts in YOIs across the country. A YJB spokesperson confirmed that the £3m funding will come out of the YJB's budget.

The Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) confirmed councils would pick up the tab for 2009-10, while an "alternative solution" for permanent funding was found. But, as of last year, over half of social work posts remained vacant because of funding issues.

The funding wrangles attracted criticism from the former chief inspector of prisons Dame Anne Owers, who last year told Community Care she was disappointed in councils.

"Social workers are an important part of a multi-disciplinary environment. It is disappointing and very poor that directors of children's services have failed to agree on a funding formula for these posts," she said.

We'll bring you more on this story so do watch our news pages today.

Picture credit: Tax_Rebate

Not a good day for social work. First, we unearth Communities secretary Eric Pickles' sneaky plans to consult on the removal of statutory social care duties and now, the government has followed through on its threats to cap independent social workers' (ISWs) fees.

The fees will be capped on May 2nd at £30 an hour. Occupational therapists can expect to receive £68 and nurses £81. Nushra Mansuri, professional officer for BASW, said the move shows the Ministry of Justice has "no comprehension of the role of ISWs in family courts and has been deeply disrespectful of our work".

"This is cost cutting that will produce a swathe of unintended consequences as social workers are forced to abandon this area of work altogether. Long term we can expect costs to rise as the loss of ISWs will force courts to look elsewhere for their independent witnesses."

As I said, not a good day for social work.

We've had huge amounts of interest in the new British film about a social worker, Oranges and Sunshine , since blogging about it here and here. You've all asked for the trailer and here it is. Look out for more on the film - which hits cinemas in April - in Community Care soon.