by Bronagh Miskelly
One of the messages from the serious case review of the Baby P case is that problems arose from personal errors of judgement rather than a systemic or procedural failure. In fact some commentators are arguing that the errors of judgement were in part due to professionals being hidebound by the new systems.
Judgement is a key professional skill. It is about having the knowledge and confidence to understand that a correctly completed form is not a conclusion in itself, to question earlier conclusions in the light of new experiences or events - and to say "why don't we wipe the chocolate off his face".
Judgment is also a professional skill that develops through training, experience and support.
The professionalisation of social work through the new degree course, GSCC standards and the PRTL process are intended to support skills development but these are relatively new innovations which may not yet be having a full impact.
Plus skills are also developed through interaction and mentoring which unfortunately don't always happen as well as they should - we have all heard of social workers concerned that they don't receive enough supervision or graduates concerned they have little practical experience .
Professional skills are easier to develop if you can recruit the right people whether that be to a department or to a social work degree course in the first place. But in the current climate of blame and negativity how easy is that going to be?
It is noteworthy in the Baby P case that failings by the medical profession have been identified but it is the social workers who face the mob baying for blood.
Teachers, nurses and doctors attract respect despite the times when one of their number fails but it seems social workers are not awarded that same understanding. It will be difficult to attract the best possible recruits into the professional unless these perceptions are changed.
Some of that should come from within through a move away from a defensive culture where the bare minimum of a serious case review is revealed to one where the whole profession opening learns from mistakes, in turn reducing the perception of cover-ups or closing ranks.But it also about a concerted effort to highlight the strengths of the profession - the great outcomes - as has been done with teachers. Perhaps then there will be an opportunity to break the vicious circle.
As a profession we haven't been clear with the public about the serious social issues we all have to deal with on a daily basis. Social workers deal with aspects of society that many sections would rather look away from rather than become engaged with.
Professionalisation is important, but social work degrees that cannot provide adequate child protection/child care team placements ill preparing graduates for the roles that they will undertake are not productive. Lack of experienced practitioners on the ground to mentor newly qualified workers doesn't improve the situation either. The changes made by the labour government over the last ten years to imporve outcomes for children were well intentioned but have resulted in a profession that spends more time completing paperwork than direct contacted with children and their families. The emphasis on targets, psi's call them what you will has also resulted in senior managers who focus on ticking boxes and not what is needed on the ground. They are only seen when its feared performance indicators will not be met and do not provide adequate leadership or mentorship roles for junior staff at the beginning of their career.It takes a brave Soul to stand up and be counted, but that's what is needed. ( concerned about possible vitimisation etc)
Ed Ball's response to the tragedy of Haringay is at best ineffective at worst the act of a political opportunist of the worst sort. Recently the Audit commission published a report suggesting there was too much emphasis on bureacracy in social work, this report was dismissed by the government.
Inspection of Children's Services was handed over to OFSTED, yet they are primarily focused on education and if you look at the website , social care is an after thought.
We need to reclaim our profession and challenge society as a whole to state quite clearly how do they want the children of our country to be protected. Laming's suggestion of an independent Child Protection Agency should be considered. It has always been very difficult to investigate and support families at the same time.
However it is time that we deal with our failures as a profession but also defend ourselves for the brave and difficult work we do. Less of the 'lions led by Donkeys'.
Interesting times. I am a 3rd year social work student and have just completed my final placement which was part based in a high school and eventually (now that's another story) part based in social services. My actual request from day 1 has been to work within a Children's Services Team within social services and this has not been possible. The university I attend are desperate for placements which is understandable but the impression that is given is that if you refuse a placement, you will be stuck back onto the waiting list and risk not starting placement on time (which can create havoc for child care) and/or you may end up with a placement poorer than the first one offered. I have been largely unimpressed with my placements but have made the best of all of them. Now it would appear that after all the retraining I have undergone, I may not be able to secure a job due to my lack of experience within a stat setting. My question is what on earth am I supposed to do about that??
Also the fact that to enter social work, you may need a Masters degree. I think that's twaddle. I am not being disrespectful to those people who have a Masters degree by the way. I just think if students were given quality placements in the first place and from what I understand, when they get out there into the field, decent managers who give them the time of day in a supportive fashion then I'm not saying that would be the end of all the issues but I think it would go a long way to improving what's happening at the moment.
I have recently been caught in the knee-jerked nets of the Children's and Young People's Service in the Midlands. Without going into details, I ended up sitting in a Child Protection meeting, as a devoted mother who went to the Services for help. Apart fromm being shocked that I ended up there in the first place, I was aghast at the blatent misrepresentation and twisting of information I had openly given. At one point, a Health Care manager actually lied!
I have studied for a degree, an MA, run my own successful Arts Education business for several years yet the report that was presented mentioned none of this or my achievements as a mother. OR, infact, the very reason which lead me to go to them in the first place. I was presented as an unstable woman, suffering depression, diagnosed as bipolar [no idea I had this and my GP says he didn't say that!] who neglects her child and is in danger of harming her child. I only went to get some respite because I was exhausted and thought they could help...whoops silly moi!!!!
It's no great shakes, in the grand scheme of things. As unjust as my case is, I speak my truth and will not be intimidated by these kind of people.It will pass. However, what I've been pondering is the fact that these people have so much authority, no, POWER to affect lives and, ultimately, the very fabric of society and you have workers who are deliberately misleading, fabricating and bullying in order to get a result.
I appreciate recent media has influenced current decisions but, as much as children are in danger of physical injury or death from inneffective social workers, families and their children are in danger of unseen damage which can affect their lives if social workers do not investigate fully or understsand the details of a case and act appropriately rather than using information for backside covering.
Apparently, I am intelligent, articulate and confident. Aspects of my character verbally noted and dismissed as enabling me to 'minimise' their concerns. Had I been less able to stand my ground, I would not have had a voice. Having been able to voice my views well, I was silenced by their scorn. So, one is damned however one presents oneself.
I see Social Workers as the custodians of social wellbeing. You go to a GP if you feel physically ill, a psychyatrist if psychologically ill and a Social Worker if you sense something wrong within your own or another's family. However, from my experience, it is a flawed system and the 'bad guys', like the woman whom I had the misfortune to meet from DASS who makes me feel I am involved in a witch hunt, parade their lies like little gods with no possiblity of reprisal. Totally untouchable.
I know there are good guys. I am hoping one of them will sort my ridiculous and farcical mess out.
I also hope the wind of change is upon us. It is very well for the government to fast track people to become social workers but what about the experience needed to do a good job. You cannot teach discernment, accurate analysis, the processing of complex information into a coherent, succinct judgement. Sadly, as with everything, it's all money driven and statistic lead.
What can be done to stop the 'bad guys' steam rollering over the innocents and for the government to value experience and invest in proper training by funding usefull placements.
The Social Services have long had a reputation of incompetence. Isn't it time this was addressed properly?