by members of the Stand Up For Social Work Campaign*
After the tragic death of Baby Peter last year, in a fit of pandering to the media, Ed Balls appointed the Sun's agony aunt Deidre Sanders to the Social Work Taskforce. And now, the General Social Care Council invites her to speak at its annual conference. The irony of it is the conference is entitled "Social Work: a profession to be proud of".
After the tragic death of Baby Peter last year, in a fit of pandering to the media, Ed Balls appointed the Sun's agony aunt Deidre Sanders to the Social Work Taskforce. And now, the General Social Care Council invites her to speak at its annual conference. The irony of it is the conference is entitled "Social Work: a profession to be proud of".
The Sun did not have the least interest in investigating the relevant issues or hearing the side of professionals involved in the Baby Peter case. They simply ran headline after headline demonising the entire social work profession with the sole objective of selling papers and without the least regard for the consequences of their actions. As a result of their actions many social workers have faced unprecedented, and at times life-threatening, situations and the social work recruitment crisis has worsened.
Social workers must be held accountable for their errors but do not deserve the exaggerated and indiscriminate public bashing they receive. Last April errors by probation services were highlighted in the case of the two French students who were tortured and killed in London. However, the union representative for probation services came out strongly defending the workers and their difficult working conditions. The story ended there. There was no generalised demonisation of probation officers or probation services and today no one remembers the name of the probation officer involved in that case.
However, in the case of Baby Peter, there was a public witch hunt against all social workers, while Maria Ward (one of the social workers involved) became the most hated woman in Britain.
Social workers do recognise the need for reform. However, they do not wish to be constantly scapegoated for systemic failures that no one wishes to address. Social services and social work systems have been set up for failure. But the government and GSCC prefer to take lessons from Sanders rather than engage people like Eileen Munro from LSE who are knowledgeable experts and objective critical observers of the profession.
The GSCC should take a few lessons from social care regulators in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, or the regulatory bodies in other professions such as the Royal College of Physicians or the Royal College of Nursing, who would never dream of inviting someone like Sanders to their meetings as a participant let alone as a speaker in their annual conference.
Social workers must be open to criticism and ready to engage in critical discussion. However, we must realise that social work needs genuine reforms and not further bureaucracy and quick fixes guided by whimsical tabloid hype.
The GSCC does need to engage the media and those who are critical of social work. But they must engage those who have some knowledge or exposure to the profession, in order to raise serious and concrete issues and problems. By inviting Sanders the GSCC only re-victimises thousands of dedicated and hard working social workers, and reinforces the hegemonic position of tabloid media.
Social work and the GSCC, as its regulatory body, must uphold the ethics of the profession and demonstrate a dedication to professional integrity.
More opinion
Read Deidre Sander's own views on her appearance at the GSCC conference
Community Care's comment on the Deidre debate
* Stand Up For Social Work is an anonymous social work-run campaign, involving a petition calling on the GSCC to withdraw its invitation to Deidre Sanders to speak at its AGM. It is not related to Community Care's Stand Up Now For Social Work campaign
Social workers must be held accountable for their errors but do not deserve the exaggerated and indiscriminate public bashing they receive. Last April errors by probation services were highlighted in the case of the two French students who were tortured and killed in London. However, the union representative for probation services came out strongly defending the workers and their difficult working conditions. The story ended there. There was no generalised demonisation of probation officers or probation services and today no one remembers the name of the probation officer involved in that case.
However, in the case of Baby Peter, there was a public witch hunt against all social workers, while Maria Ward (one of the social workers involved) became the most hated woman in Britain.
Social workers do recognise the need for reform. However, they do not wish to be constantly scapegoated for systemic failures that no one wishes to address. Social services and social work systems have been set up for failure. But the government and GSCC prefer to take lessons from Sanders rather than engage people like Eileen Munro from LSE who are knowledgeable experts and objective critical observers of the profession.
The GSCC should take a few lessons from social care regulators in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, or the regulatory bodies in other professions such as the Royal College of Physicians or the Royal College of Nursing, who would never dream of inviting someone like Sanders to their meetings as a participant let alone as a speaker in their annual conference.
Social workers must be open to criticism and ready to engage in critical discussion. However, we must realise that social work needs genuine reforms and not further bureaucracy and quick fixes guided by whimsical tabloid hype.
The GSCC does need to engage the media and those who are critical of social work. But they must engage those who have some knowledge or exposure to the profession, in order to raise serious and concrete issues and problems. By inviting Sanders the GSCC only re-victimises thousands of dedicated and hard working social workers, and reinforces the hegemonic position of tabloid media.
Social work and the GSCC, as its regulatory body, must uphold the ethics of the profession and demonstrate a dedication to professional integrity.
More opinion
Read Deidre Sander's own views on her appearance at the GSCC conference
Community Care's comment on the Deidre debate
* Stand Up For Social Work is an anonymous social work-run campaign, involving a petition calling on the GSCC to withdraw its invitation to Deidre Sanders to speak at its AGM. It is not related to Community Care's Stand Up Now For Social Work campaign
Am sure that if the GSCC were short of speakers they should acutually consider a social worker from each of the authroities to speak and give there views of how to come about change. I realy do not think that the Sun nor Deidre Sanders has any interests in improving the service for the good but more to do with constant critisims of social workers.
I would be realy disappointed if she did attend she is not an expert in this social care and nor has any experience is being a social work or know what it is actually like being a social worker.
The GSCC should withdraw her invitation.