April 2011 - The Social Work Blog

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High turnover among social work line managers?

Anecdotal evidence suggests one of the reasons some social workers struggle, particularly when they are newly qualified, is because of high turnover among line managers. To help us build up a clearer picture of the situation, please take part in this...

Published 27 Apr 2011 5:33 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
Do social workers wear suits?

Unison has launched a poster campaign to highlight the impact of the government spending cuts, with this image showing an easily-recognisable refuse collector and a librarian, roles considered under threat. But hang on, who's the woman on the left...

Published 27 Apr 2011 11:43 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Media, social workers, workforce, social work, union
The rise and rise of 'cheap' unregulated workers

The government has reiterated its firm belief that healthcare assistants and unqualified social care workers in England should not face statutory regulation. In response, Katherine Murphy, chief exec of the Patients Association, claims in today's...

Published 20 Apr 2011 4:07 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
Employee-owned co-ops and public sector services

Interesting article in the Guardian about employee-owned co-operatives taking over public sector services . Read More...

Published 20 Apr 2011 10:38 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
Would you strike for a day to save your job?

Political activist Richard Seymour argues in favour of a general strike against cuts to public sector jobs and services in today's Guardian . I was living in Paris in 2006 when hundreds of thousands of French public sector workers held a one-day strike...

Published 18 Apr 2011 3:38 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
Social care: better off in the public or private sector?

CC's adult services team has designed a nifty survey on outsourcing, which asks: is opening up social care to providers from the private or voluntary sector a good idea ? Take the survey Photo by Ashley Cooper/SpecialistStock/SplashdownDirect/Rex...

Published 15 Apr 2011 5:39 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
Future funding of social work degree still undecided

Uncertainty continues to surround the future of bursaries for social work students in England. Most students pursuing non-vocational courses face tuition fees of up to £9,000 per year from 2012 onwards, following the coalition government's controversial...

Published 15 Apr 2011 12:30 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: funding, training, social work degree
How to deal with the media: a guide for social workers

Unison has produced a guide to help social workers deal with the media , with tips on how to promote positive stories and handle requests from journalists. Read More...

Published 14 Apr 2011 10:45 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
Twitter users reject DH defence of low pay in care

Here is a selection of the most amusing/outraged tweets in response to the government's claim that job satisfaction is more important to social care staff than pay (despite a report showing nearly one in 10 workers are paid below the minimum wage...

Published 13 Apr 2011 11:42 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, low pay
National Skills Academy celebrates 100 members

The National Skills Academy for Social Care has attracted more than 100 members following its official launch in February. The employer-led body has a remit to transform the quality of leadership, training, and commissioning. It is charging between £95...

Published 13 Apr 2011 11:26 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, training, skills academy for social care
Does Unison really represent 40,000 social workers?

BASW - The College of Social Work has challenged Unison to prove its social worker membership figures, which raises an interesting question about exactly who represents the professional at a national and local level. Unison claims to represent 40,000...

Published 12 Apr 2011 3:16 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, Unison, basw - the college of social work, trade union
Teacher becomes social worker 'to avoid stress'

I did a double take yesterday, reading the Daily Mail 's report on the teachers' strike at a school in Blackburn, Lancs . The journalist interviewed Basil Howard, a former head of religious education at a different school, about aggressive pupils...

Published 8 Apr 2011 11:00 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, teaching
Coxon: Agency social workers 'fulfil a vital role'

A damning report leaked to Community Care last week found agency social workers cost councils in the West Midlands 25% to 50% more than permanent staff but often delivered poorer quality services. Here, Jonathan Coxon, managing director of national recruitment...

Published 7 Apr 2011 4:54 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, agency social workers
Should EU relax rules on migrant social workers?

Should it become easier for European social workers to practise in the UK? The European Commission is looking at ways of reforming the system of mutual recognition of professional qualifications between European Union states, in a formal consultation...

Published 7 Apr 2011 3:20 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: social workers, workforce, training, europe
Who should be England's first chief social worker?

Care services minister Paul Burstow hinted last week that the government would create a chief social worker post in England . But who would you like to see in the role? Saviour of child protection, Eileen Munro? Outspoken BASW chief Hilton Dawson? Or...

Published 4 Apr 2011 4:50 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, chief social worker
Council social workers 'left 91-year-old in squalor'

Newcastle social workers have been criticised for failing to visit a 91-year-old blind woman when concerns were raised about her rubbish-strewn home, a local paper reports . Helping those who neglect themselves can prove an impossible task for social...

Published 4 Apr 2011 11:00 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
Scottish social care inspection changes a 'shambles'

The new regime for regulating social care in Scotland has been described as a "shambles" by a former Care Commission manager, The Scotsman reports . Read More...

Published 1 Apr 2011 11:39 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
A rose by any other name? College responds to consultation on capabilities framework

The first few trickles of feedback from social workers and managers show "general, if sometimes cautious, support" for the Social Work Reform Board's professional capabilities framework . To sum it up, they think the framework is good because...

Published 1 Apr 2011 3:45 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, social work reform board, college of social work, professional capabilities framework

April 2011 - The Social Work Blog

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High turnover among social work line managers?

Do social workers wear suits?

The rise and rise of 'cheap' unregulated workers

Employee-owned co-ops and public sector services

Would you strike for a day to save your job?

Social care: better off in the public or private sector?

Future funding of social work degree still undecided

How to deal with the media: a guide for social workers

Twitter users reject DH defence of low pay in care

National Skills Academy celebrates 100 members

Does Unison really represent 40,000 social workers?

Teacher becomes social worker 'to avoid stress'

Coxon: Agency social workers 'fulfil a vital role'

Should EU relax rules on migrant social workers?

Who should be England's first chief social worker?

Council social workers 'left 91-year-old in squalor'

Scottish social care inspection changes a 'shambles'

A rose by any other name? College responds to consultation on capabilities framework