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Social worker tip-off on guinea pig ‘suffering’ leads to court charges

“A Swansea woman has pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal following the death of a forgotten guinea pig,” reports the South Wales Evening Post. The prosecution apparently followed-up a tip off from a social worker that the woman had “abandoned the guinea pig” after losing her keys to [...]

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What to expect from the new conduct system if your social work practice is questioned

Ever wondered what a fitness to practise hearing would be like? Here’s what I observed during a hearing last week at the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which regulates social workers in England. After presenting myself to the receptionist at the HCPC’s London headquarters, I was led down a winding corridor into the belly [...]

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Home care diary: ‘I have to start getting people ready for bed at 5.30pm’

Week in the life of a home care worker – day five (final entry) Read day four Ahh, only another 15 hours of work ahead then two whole days off to spend time with my family. It feels like I’ve been at work for months now. My husband is off again tonight, so I had [...]

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Newly qualified and managing child protection cases without support

An interesting discussion has popped up on our forum, Carespace. Newly qualified social worker “netron” writes that she (I don’t know if netron is a woman, but for ease of reference I’ve decided to choose a pronoun and stick to it) is being allocated an increasing number of child protection cases, as the key worker. [...]

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‘I would get paid more if I worked in a supermarket… but I love my job’

Week in the life of a home care worker – day four Read day three Eighteenth day of work without a break. This is beginning to be a real struggle. After an early night, I expect to jump out of bed feeling refreshed and revived; instead it feels like I’ve had a bottle of whiskey. [...]

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Chief social worker announcement imminent, hints DfE

The identity of England’s first chief social workers could be revealed any day now. A final panel was due to sit on 23 April to decide who to appoint to the two roles, to represent social workers in children’s and adult services on the national stage. A spokesperson for the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed [...]

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How the Thatcher years marked a turning point for social work

Margaret Thatcher was a divisive figure who oversaw profound changes to both social work and the welfare state during her 15 years in power, writes social worker Steve Rogowski. What was Margaret Thatcher’s legacy for social work? The social work profession actually remained relatively unscathed during the early years of her premiership. In fact, progress [...]

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Home care diary: ‘I want to open the curtains, but I’m told there’s no time’

Week in the life of a home care worker – day three Read day two A whole day without the worry of how much petrol will cost or if my brakes will continue to work. The car is booked in for repairs, so I have a two-man run with another care worker. I was a [...]

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‘I arrive at the first job, but she refuses to let me in’

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Week in the life of a home care worker – day two Read day one Early start again today; the house was very quiet as I left at 7am. The schools are shut for summer, but I haven’t been able to do anything with the kids. I arrive at the first job on my timesheet [...]

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‘I’m left with five minutes to get her washed and dressed and make her breakfast’

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Week in the life of a home care worker – day one It was a struggle to get out of bed today; my fifteenth day working without a break. I have to work extra days to be able to afford essential repairs to my car; without the car, the amount of work I can do [...]

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