I was delighted to receive a letter from Newcastle's director of children's services and director of adults' services recently in support of our Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign, which calls for more balance and accurate media coverage of social work, and support from employers and government to boost public perceptions of the profession.
The letter came from Ewen Weir, director of adult services, and Catherine Fitt, executive director of children's services, both from Newcastle City Council.
It read (my emphases):
Your Stand up for Social Work campaign highlights the all-to-frequently negative portrayal of social workers in the media, contributing to misunderstanding of the vital work done by these devoted professionals and damaging their morale and confidence.
Social workers are the unsung heroes of our society, rebuilding shattered families and lives and taking vulnerable people to safety, and as such deserve to be valued as highly as the emergency services.
Too often social workers are criticised as the problem rather than celebrated as the solution, and in recent months no-one can blame any social workers for having their confidence and morale shaken by the headlines.
We want frontline staff - not just in our authority but across the nation - to know how valued their work is and how proud we are of their compassion and commitment, and their superhuman efforts in the face of overwhelming obstacles.
The countless people you work with, day in, day out, know how caring and dedicated you really are, and we hope that knowing what a difference you have made to their lives makes up for the undeserved criticism from other quarters.
We are optimistic about the future of the profession. The development of integrated children's services and closer working between health and adult social care services means that every day better understanding is growing of what social workers do - and with that comes respect. Social care is coming out of the shadows.
I think it's really encouraging that they took the time to write this letter - so often we forget to say thanks to colleagues for the work and effort that they put in.
I hope that they back up this letter by taking action in Newcastle. It is vital that we are able to get positive images of social workers in the press by telling their stories. It would be great to see that happening in Newcastle.
And it would be great to see other authorities following suit.
Related articles:
Directors must lead by example
More on the Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign
What you can do now to stand up for social work
Ten reasons why social workers should talk to the press
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