August 2011 Archives

A man who spat on a social worker in court has been jailed for 18 months, the Paisley Daily Express reports.

The homeless man, who was determined to be locked-up, spat at a social worker and police officer when he was set free at an earlier court hearing. He then said "I'm hepatitis C," which meant the social worker had to go and get checked out in hospital for the disease.

He is still awaiting the results of tests.

Complaints of misconduct by social workers and social care workers in Northern Ireland have increased three fold in the last two years, the BBC reports this morning.

The BBC says that there have been 95 complaints against social workers and social care workers in the last year (the figures from the Northern Ireland Social Care Council actually show 94 but that's an easy mistake to make).

But it also claims the number of complaints have risen three fold from two years ago. This is true, but misleading.

The only figures available combine four years from April 2005 to March 2009. So you have to average out the number of complaints if you want to do a year on year comparison.

But because the register was only introduced in 2005 it has been growing in size over that time so a direct comparison of the number of complaints isn't really possible.

Instead it's more representative to calculate the percentage of complaints based on the total size of the register.

This shows a similar increase in figures but only over the last year for which the average applies, when the register was at its largest. It is reasonable to assume that the complaints were not evenly spread and therefore grew with the size of the register, while there has been a percentage increase over this time it's pretty small, ranging from around 0.4% (the middle figure from the averaged years) to 0.7%. That's less than doubling and hardly a three fold increase.

Add to this the numbers of people found guilty, which is rising by a similar amount (0.03% to 0.08% over the same period) and the percentage of successful case  which has risen only two percentage points in that time (hardly statistically significant) and you end up with a picture of rises which can be explained by other factors.

One, you would expect it to grow as knowledge of the avenues for complaint spread after the register's introduction.

Two, the increasing percentage of people found guilty of misconduct this small is more likely to be a product of bedding in the regulation system than an outbreak of poor practice. People are more likely to bring cases with more merit once advice, based on past cases, is more readily available.

So, while the level of complaints has increased slightly it isn't really something to worry about.

The  Sutton Guardian has an interesting story about a housing officer who was fired for helping an elderly woman with continence problems, despite her being a former nurse.

The housing association said her actions breached its procedures for dealing with the elderly and vulnerable.

Would you help someone like this if you had the training but it breached policy? Let us know in the comments.

Have you seen this woman (the one on the left)? Well you will do on Thursday if you watch Coronation Street.

She is the social worker who is coming to assess whether Kylie and David (no one ever uses their last name in soap land), get to have Kylie's son, who is currently in care come to live with them. Tension will undoubtedly be ramped up to the max.

It'll be interesting to see Corrie's take on the social work profession. So far it seems it's sticking to stereotype with a fairly dowdy look but has shattered the mould by leaving the cardigans in the props department - one all.

However, according to Digital Spy, she also tells them that moving house could be grounds for not returning to child to its mother. That seems like rather unlikely to me so maybe she won't be the model of professionalism after all.

Tune in on Thursday to find out what happens *cue Corrie theme*.

Image by ITV

Social workers and social care workers at Shropshire council will begin to receive ballot papers from tomorrow on whether to call a strike over plans to cut pay by up to 5.4%.

If the strike action goes ahead they would be the second set of council social care staff to strike following weeks of action at Southampton council.

The council has not come forward with any alternatives to its pay cuts of up to 5.4% since it was informed of the union's intention to ballot members last week, according to Unison.

The ballot closes on 8 September.

European Public Service Union's general secretary Jan Willem Goudriaan (I don't know who he is either, but he sounds like a big cheese in these matters) has added his voice to those calling on Plymouth council to re-recognise its social workers' union.

Unison was stripped of recognition by the council because it ignored a vote of its members to agree to new terms and conditions, the council leadership said.

Now Goudriaan has lashed out saying the move violates European agreements.

Jan Benn, manager in a children and families social work team, explains why employers and workforce development bodies should invest more in training agency staff.

I qualified in social work in the early 90s and served my time as a jobbing social worker. I fought for any training I could get and was fortunate to be part-funded for a master's degree in management; this gave me the springboard to launch into more senior management posts.

Agency workers have greater flexibility, but they also have more travel costs, work longer hours, pay their own expenses and receive no holiday or sick pay. On top of this, they are required to fund their own training in order to register.

There are well in excess of 80,000 social workers in the UK and most authorities have between 2% and 30% of their workforce propped up by agency workers. Yet I have been unable to find a route into post-qualifying courses for agency staff. Post-qualifying courses appear to be open only to social workers employed in established posts.

This is out-and-out discrimination. Agency workers could provide an arm's length practice supervisor via their agency or through a mentor. Most agency workers will have cases that they can use for PQ training. The system could be flexed to allow agency staff to be accepted on courses at colleges and universities.

Agency social workers are willing to improve their practice and training, but completely denied the right to do what permanently employed peers do. If an average of 20% of the workforce is employed through agencies, we are failing in the region of 16,000 social workers.

Home care workers in Bristol are to take to the streets on 3 September to protest about privatisation of their jobs.

The council plans to move all its home care provision into the private sector, which is hardly unusual, councils have been doing it for years. However, against a backdrop of widespread budget cuts, job instability and decreasing living standards, home care workers are understandably annoyed.

Unite say the changes will affect over 1,000 people's care.

Only 1,000 of 6,500 workers at Shropshire council have signed up to a new pay deal which cuts pay by up to 5.4%, the Shropshire Star reports.

Unfortunately a breakdown of how many social workers or social care workers are within that number is not available.

Unions in the region said the result was a "disappointment" for the council. However, the council's corporate head of organisational development, Jackie Kelly, said: "We expect plenty more to do so throughout September when the summer holidays are over."

It looks like they are not much closer to seeing eye-to-eye and avoiding strike action.

What a difference a week makes. Only last week David Cameron chose a youth centre in his leafy constituency of Banbury to set out his stance on looters a rioters and England's major city.

One assumes he chose the local youth centre to highlight just the kind of services which he thought could make a real difference.

But today youth workers in his own constituency are striking budget over cuts, which the union Unite argue will result in 80 job losses, the Independent reports.

You'd have to be naive in the extreme to claim that those cuts at a local level are not connected to those made at a national level by Cameron. It'll be interesting to see if Cameron, as the local MP, will make any effort to intervene.

Image by David Hartley/Rupert Hartley/Rex Features

Frontline practitioners have been given one last chance to enter the 2011 Social Worker of the Year Awards, after organisers decided to extend the final deadline to Friday 2 September.

Entries will be judged by a prestigious panel of judges who are giving their experience and expertise voluntarily to review entrants in each of 12 categories covering children's and adult services.

The new look 2011 awards are organised by Sanctuary Personnel, the British Association of Social Workers and Community Care, with founder Beverley Williams. The awards ceremony will take place at the House of Lords in December.

Unison chief Dave Prentis (pictured) has called on Plymouth Council to re-recognise the union and resume negotiations over proposals to change staff terms and conditions.

The authority stripped local Unison officials of their negotiating powers after the two organisations failed to reach a collective agreement on new terms and conditions, which are likely to hit many social workers.

Council bosses have since urged Unison to "step back" and "keep silent in the press", according to the union.

But Prentis said in response: "If Plymouth Council is serious about taking a step back and getting into talks with Unison, re-recognition would be the first step forward. We want to resolve this through mature, serious talks for the good of the council, our members and the people of Plymouth."

We have been hearing anecdotal reports of newly qualified social workers in England struggling to find jobs for a while, but it was only when we delved deeper and obtained figures from the various regulators that it became clear just how messed up the job market has become.

It is a crazy situation: one social worker wrote on our forum just today that one of the jobs they have applied for has received 100 applications in five days. While this might not seem surprising given the current state of the economy, it is fairly shocking when you consider 97% of social work graduates in Scotland found work in the sector last year.

Why is England different? Nobody seems to know. It could be due to the size of the workforce - with thousands of newly qualified social workers churned out each year compared to hundreds in the other UK countries. As there is (currently) no model of assessing the supply and demand of social workers in England, it's no wonder the market's in a mess. Hopefully that will change this autumn, as the Centre for Workforce Intelligence has been tasked with creating just such a system.

Whatever the reasons - and you can read a lengthier discussion of them here - one thing is clear: employers need to commit to recruiting, supporting and developing NQSWs, no matter how stretched. Otherwise the market will stagnate and there will be much bigger problems in the future. 

An interesting addendum to yesterday's news about Plymouth council stripping the local Unison branch of its official recognition has been brought to my attention today.

Stripping the union of recognition means that social workers representatives from Unison will no longer have the right to advance notice of changes to contracts or pay.

But today a Facebook campaign has sprung up to get the union recognised by the council again. At the moment it's still in its infancy with only 336 members but it'll be interesting to see if it has a tangible effect on the council's thinking if it gets more traction.

Social workers at North East Lincolnshire council seem to be the next group in a growing number of council staff set to go on strike.

Yesterday, the local Unison branch put out a statement saying it will reject the council's revised offer on changes to workers terms and conditions.

Social workers at Southampton council have already gone on strike over pay cuts, their compatriots in Shropshire may be set to walk out over cuts to pay and yesterday social workers in all of Northern Ireland look set to gear up for mass walk outs along with other staff in health and education.

North Lincolnshire still has a number of hoops to jump through before it even reaches the point of balloting members but given the general mood and the way other negotiations have gone a peaceful resolution looks a way off.

It's looks like it's going to be a turbulent autumn.

Image by kozumel on Flickr

There seems to be a magic number floating around when it comes to justifying changes to council social workers terms and conditions - 400.

Apparently wherever a council is changing people's pay or leave entitlements it will always save the council around 400 jobs.

That's how many jobs Southampton council are saving with their much disputed pay cuts. It's also the number of jobs which will be saved by changes in Plymouth.

Shropshire, to its credit, has been a bit more creative. Its cuts will save over 400 jobs, a figure which is probably shorthand for between 400 and 410.

It all seems a bit too convenient to me. Are councils doing their sums right? Just to make sure, the video below contains some basic instructions.

There is a rather interesting piece by Jonathan Parker, director of the Centre of Social Work & Social Policy at Bournemouth University, over at Huffington Post this morning.

In it he says:

"Social work has constructed an edifice of anti-oppressive practice sometimes decorated with the inanities of political correctness that hampers its position to mediate and negotiate a pathway that re-engages individuals with their society. By a misplaced refusal to judge behaviours and actions, or to remove services, in common language 'to punish', those who traverse, often at great cost to others, the rules of engagement with that society. What the riots indicate for social work is that personal behaviour and actions are not to be equally valued if a society is to function and serve its members appropriately. Perhaps for too long social workers have been content to stand outside of the policies and workings of society when it suits, whilst still being employed, in the main, by local government."

Do you think the riots indicate that social workers are too disconnected from society and that they should perhaps be a little more value based in their decisions?

I'm not sure I do. Perhaps it is more simple than that, maybe there just aren't enough of them or funding for the support they hope to provide.

A social work student who was involved in two car crashes during her time at university, one of which left her in a coma for two weeks, has graduated from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

Lisa Watt suffered brain damage and spinal injuries in the first crash in 2009, The Mirror reports, which resulted in memory loss and depression. Luckily she wasn't physically hurt in the second crash, although it must have shaken her up.

Watt told the paper she wants to work with people with acquired brain injuries, to help them cope with stress and depression and understand there's "light at the end of the tunnel".

Unison's festival against the government's public sector cuts kicks of tomorrow.

Highlights will include the launch of Dave Anderson's new topical satire show, performances from Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate, a public speaking workshop with renowned author Denise Mina and cartooning with the Guardian's Martin Rowson.

Unison's Scottish secretary, Mike Kirby, said: "Mobilise is about bringing people together to prepare for action. We must fight against the Government's savage public sector cuts and the Festival is a creative way to reach out and get more people involved in our campaign."

Community Care's culture vulture reviews social care-themed shows at this year's Fringe

The Mirror has picked up on the story of Natasha Reid, who admitted at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court today that she stole a TV from Comet during the recent rioting/looting. Reid, you see, is a 24-year-old graduate who "hoped to become a social worker", The Mirror reports. Interesting use of the past tense, which almost seems to imply that Reid has ruined her chances of becoming a social worker. 

A criminal conviction for theft would not preclude her from studying social work some time in the future, particularly as she has admitted her guilt and - by all accounts - shown remorse. 

Although the General Social Care Council cannot comment on individual cases, the regulator did have this to say: "In general, a criminal conviction is not in itself a bar to registering with the GSCC.

"We treat all cases individually and will consider various factors such as the length of time since the offence, evidence of rehabilitation and references from other social work professionals. Cases may be referred to an independent committee for further consideration and they may choose to refuse registration or impose conditions."

Share your experiences of the riots on CareSpace

Photo of riots in Hackney by London News Pictures/Rex Features

Good piece by David Torrance today about the growing support for joining up health and social care budgets and provision in Scotland, following recommendations to that effect in the Christie Commission's report on the Future Delivery of Public Services, published at the end of June.

Seven of the eight councils in Scotland who have agreed to pool their social care commissioning and training resources are also considering how they could work more closely together on social care provision, the BBC reports.

The councils - West and East Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, Glasgow and North Lanarkshire - claimed in October that they have no plans to merge their services with an eighth council, South Lanarkshire, and become a "super council".

Southampton council will bit hit by a second wave of strikes from social workers, angry at pay cuts of around 5%, tomorrow as talks remain deadlocked.

Unions and the council have not made any progress since social workers staged a one day walk out last week. Although the local paper reports a deal may have been brokered in preparation for tomorrow's mass meeting of union members, when I spoke to union officials earlier today they were downbeat on the prospect of a deal. However, they may have just been doing that so as not to be pressured to reveal any details ad both parties have agreed to keep talks confidential.

Though I dare say accusations by the council leader that strikers are only walking out because they are on full pay from the unions, are doing little to smooth over the situation.

However, the local paper also reports today that an employment tribunal hearing over the mass dismissal and reemployment of staff has been postponed at the council's request, so maybe there is progress.

A meeting of all union members is scheduled for tomorrow to discuss further action.

In case you missed it here's our podcast on last weeks strikes.

I asked the College of Social Work and British Association of Social Workers for an update today on the third-party mediation talks, which took place on 2 August. As a quick re-cap, the two organisations are trying to reach an agreement on merging into a single college.

They jointly issued the following statement in response: "Mediation is progressing well and both organisations are working towards and are fully committed to a single, strong and cohesive college."

Sadly this tells us absolutely nothing, except that the talks went ahead. So the tens of thousands of social workers the college will eventually target for full membership are left none the wiser. Will the two organisations merge? And, if not, what will BASW do, re-launch as a rival college?

On the one hand, it seems entirely sensible to thrash out the detail of the merger behind closed doors, rather than having a public dispute. But surely social workers deserve to be kept informed of the latest developments, as it is, in fact, their college?

Listen to our podcast on the strikes in Southampton, featuring social workers, union leaders, the Conservative council leader and lots of car horns, chanting and the annoyingly distinctive sound of vuvuzelas in the distance.

Professionals can now apply for the second year of Step Up to Social Work, the Children's Workforce Development Council's scheme to attract high calibre graduates into social work. The programme offers the opportunity to earn as you learn and train to be a social worker in 18 months.

Some of last year's cohort (pictured) discuss their course

Yesterday, social workers in Southampton went on strike to protest against cuts of up to 5.5% to their pay. They are the first social workers to go on strike since the government introduced its spending cut plans last year.

Council leader Royston Smith has claimed social workers striking over salary cuts in Southampton are only doing it because they are on full pay from unions.

Meanwhile, Community Care can also reveal the council is facing over 300 claims of unfair dismissal from social workers and other staff.

Talks at the council remain deadlocked and further strikes are scheduled for next Wednesday.





More pictures after the jump...

Southampton Council leader Royston Smith has claimed social workers striking over salary cuts in Southampton are only doing it because they are on full pay from unions.

Meanwhile, Community Care can also reveal the council is facing over 300 claims of unfair dismissal from social workers and other staff.

Another strike has been scheduled for next Wednesday.

Social workers in Southampton are striking today over the council's pay cuts.

Here Vern Pitt reports live from the picket line, including interviews with those striking and senior officials, pictures of the protests and breaking developments. (Audio player may not appear in some browsers)

____________________________________________________________________

12:05am:

Our reporter Vern Pitt has just interviewed Royston Smith, leader of Southampton Council. News story to follow this afternoon.

12:04am

Vern Pitt: Unison's social worker members have gone into a meeting to discuss future strike action.

11:33am

Southampton social worker: "It's not a 5% pay cut, it's more like 9% and I'm struggling"

http://audioboo.fm/boos/428963-southampton-social-worker-it-s-not-a-5-pay-cut-it-s-more-like-9-and-i-m-struggling

11:31am

Vern Pitt: Unions are calling for the leader of Southampton council to resign over pay cuts. Meanwhile Southampton foster carers pledge their support for the striking social workers.

11:13am

Past strikes at Southampton

This is the first time that social workers have gone on strike following the coalition governments austerity measures, but it's not the first time staff in Southampton have walked out.

In 2007 care staff went on strike over at protest over cuts to unsocial hours payments.

After that dispute the staff concerned got an uplift in their salaries to compensate for the loss of the payments. Plus, the plans were phased in over two years.

"Care workers have proved that low-paid part-time workers can fight back and defend their pay and conditions," said Unison branch secretary Mike Tucker, at the time.

So there's real hope that today's strikes could make a difference.

10:58am

Situation elsewhere

Southampton social workers are from the only ones feeling the pinch in the current tough financial climate.

Shropshire - The Tory led council has told staff they must take a 5.4% pay cut or face the sack as it plans mass changes to staff's terms and conditions.

Nottinghamshire - Social workers have begrudgingly accepted a cut in annual leave and the scrapping of their car allowances.

Derby Council - Cuts to care allowances were eventually forced through last year after unions accepted the establishment of a car pooling scheme and a one-off payment for members.

10:57am

Vern is off to get the council's perspective on the strike. Meanwhile the rally is about to begin.

Click below to read more...

Social workers should avoid "friending" service users and carers on Facebook because it leaves them open to allegations, the Scottish Social Services Council has said.

Here are the regulator's top tips on using social media websites:

1. Check your personal security settings. To keep your accounts private choose settings that mean only the people on your "friends", followers or contacts lists can see your information, photos, videos and posts. And check that location tracking services are turned off unless you need it turned on.
2. Don't allow people who use services and their carers to be your online friends as it creates a personal relationship and it can leave you open to allegations regarding comments they may make online.
3. Avoid putting personal information up on your page eg where you work, your phone number etc.
4. Be responsible about what you post.
5. Find out about your "web shadow" - search for yourself online and see what comes up. You'll be surprised how much could be online even if you're not in the public eye like Cheryl Cole or Charlie Sheen!

Fresh from her role as a social worker in Oranges and Sunshine, Emily Watson is to play yet another social worker (well, social work student Janet Leach) in the upcoming TV drama about Fred West, Appropriate Adult.

Have directors everywhere decided Emily Watson is the embodiment of a typical social worker?

Oranges and Sunshine director Jim Loach and star Emily Watson talk about social worker Margaret Humphreys

Photo by McPix Ltd/Rex Features