by Daniel Lombard
If social work and tabloid newspapers have always been uneasy bedfellows, the row over Deidre Sanders' continued involvement in efforts to improve the profession has reinforced the feeling that it was never going to be a match made in heaven.
The General Social Care Council's invitation to The Sun's problem page editor to its annual conference left dozens of CareSpace users outraged.
While some defended her appearance and status as a Social Work Task Force member, others took the view that the values of her employer were so fundamentally incompatible with social work's as to render the partnership unworkable, and launched an online petition calling on the GSCC to withdraw its invitation.
A deep suspicion of Deidre, a writer from that newspaper, which caused so much offence with its crude, hostile and damaging portrayals of the profession, clearly lingers.
The agony aunt responded with an article for Community Care outlining her commitment to improving the sector.
By using her inside knowledge of the newspaper industry she has suggested ways of improving the public image of social work, she explained, as well as "trying hard to build bridges between our professions".
It was a clear and convincing argument - until the arrogance of her employers seeped into an otherwise sensible contribution to the debate.
"I wrote not a word about Peter Connolly's tragic death," she wrote, "but I understood The Sun's campaign - not the brainchild of malicious newspaper executives out to torment beleaguered social workers, but the response to 1,500,000 readers writing in appalled at the apparent lack of a sense of responsibility at Haringey."
Was it really necessary to once again seek to justify her employer's misguided attack on the profession in the wake of the baby Peter case?
The Sun's witch-hunt of frontline social workers in Haringey has since been dubbed "the biggest campaign in newspaper history" by its modest editors.
It also had the regrettable effect of calling "into question the quality of all social workers", as Rosie Varley, the GSCC's chair, said in February in an analysis of the general coverage at the time.
So reminding everyone of the relentless media onslaught which shattered a profession's confidence is hardly going to "build bridges", as Deidre claims she wants to do.
The Sun's campaign, in any case, was based on a biased, inaccurate and misleading premise that Haringey Council's children's services were almost entirely to blame for the failings in baby Peter's case, and the assumption that there was no accountability in the organisation, or in social work in general - neglecting to mention the crucial role of the GSCC's conduct system, which is still investigating the actions of the authority's social workers.
All of these points were outlined in a letter from Community Care to the newspaper's then editor, Rebekah Wade, which preceded the launch of our long-running campaign to improve the public's perception of the profession, Stand Up Now for Social Work.
Perhaps Deidre might consider feeding back these important facts to her employers if she wants to improve the coverage in Britain's best-read tabloid.
But as Community Care's editor, Bronagh Miskelly, argues, the debate has moved on. It is now time to forget the hurt and anger caused during those turbulent months in late 2008 and early 2009 and move on from the sadness shared by all sides at the painful, lonely death of a child in a semi-detached north London house in two years ago. We should allow the taskforce - with Deidre recognised as a valued member - to focus on the crucial task of laying the foundation stones for badly-needed reform of the sector, as it prepares to report back to the government with its final recommendations next month.
The most fitting tribute to Peter Connolly, rather than pressing for a few local government officers to be sacked, would be to ensure the next generation of social workers has sufficient training and funding to provide high-quality support to families and communities, whilst enjoying the backing of the public and media at large.
Initially, I liked your article. But close to the end you state: "But as Community Care's editor, Bronagh Miskelly, argues .... It is now time to forget the hurt and anger caused during those turbulent months in late 2008 and early 2009 and move on from the sadness shared by all sides at the painful, lonely death of a child in a semi-detached north London house in two years ago. We should allow the taskforce - with Deidre recognised as a valued member - to focus on the crucial task of laying the foundation stones for badly-needed reform of the sector, as it prepares to report back to the government"
1. The Social Workers have been attacked and our jobs made harder because of the Sun. It is easy to forget when you are not on the front line and feeling that pain everyday.
2. Let's us get our respect back, having a tabloid journalist on the taskforce to improve social worker is a joke.
3. Let us address the real problems in social worker which are.
3.1 High Case Loads
3.2 Faulty procedures that create more anxiety and problems ...
3.3 Lack of staff due to the demands on SW being to high
3.4 Awareness that SW are NOT the decision Makers, we are the solidiers on the front line. We collect information and put our assessments together but if your assessment is different to a doctors assessment or solicitors etc. they will win as they are viewed as the expert.
3.5 Working in child protection is tough you are fighting a battle every single day and you need to become tough and you get all this headache and constantly attacked. You end up feeling like what is the point... This results in courses being very popular for social work but few SW actually working in statatory work.
3.6 I know many ppl who signed the petition - And so have I ...
3.7 I encourage all social workers to sign it, if we carry on being attacked and never stand up the attacks will only become worse and worse until there is nothing left to stand up for ...
3.8 We are fooling ourselves if we think we can advocate for ppl if we cannot even advocate for ourselves.
I agree that we should be looking at training but we should also look at motive for joining social work and the essence of social work itself.
Social work should not be about problems it should be about exploration of a whole person and their network context.
If you tell someone they are a problem then they will either believe it or disbelieve it and whichever negative barriers emerge. What you need to do is explore things in people's lives that have made life hard, unhappy etc and look at consequences in the real world.
This is what we are doing at Wolgarston High school using AERO [ Aspirations, Encouragement, Realism and Openness] my model. Yep an ordinary social worker, not an academic who has developed the model and it works.With an academic [ Prof Mark Doel] behind it who loves it and a Headteacher Phil Tapp who has made it a whole school philosophy.
AERO is evolving with the development of projection aero a social enterprise to take it beyond Wolgarston and Junior Aero for under 9's is currently in development [ ready by Easter 2010].
But how does this fit in with Deidre and Sun negativism.
It fits by meeting and getting to know and by plugging to the others. There are other newspapers you know and there's the task force.
Keep approaching them all and eventually they will realise that they and their public really prefer living in a positive world. Surely its rubbing off on the Conservatives and who will get the coverage over the next six months?
If Tim Loughton could be bothered to get up the crack of dawn last december to come and see the young AERO in practice and Deidre could be bothered to listen about AERO in August then surely that's the way to go.
Personally I love seeing children and their parents understanding why things have happened in their lives and exploring what to do next and I believe thousands of social workers and journalists would too.
Both me and Gill Davis have taken courage to start this movement and we invite like thinking people both social workers and Journalists to join us. Don't be afraid to be self employed like us. There won't be big cash but massive feelings of worth.
Contact me anytime rachelbramble@yahoo.co.uk
Deidre responded instantly. The Sun relies on its advertisers they are the people you should contact if you want the Sun to be more positive.
Lets invite the advertisers to learn about social work.