Haringey Council is bidding to be an 'outstanding' children's services authority by 2012, according to a safeguarding action plan published and submitted to government on Friday.
As we report, one of the crucial means of delivering this ambitious aim is a better deal for social workers. The council is promising high-quality supervision, the opportunity for reflective practice, balanced workloads, investment in office and IT systems and the recruitment of more support staff to help free up social workers to spend time with families.
Such reforms will come with quite a heavy price tag so it will be interesting to see how the council goes about delivering these reforms.
So why weren't these things in place already!!!??? If it takes 2 high profile child deaths then something serious is wrong with the profession - too many chiefs, too much chasing of Performance Indicators at the expense of high quality outcome-based and assessed social work are 2 of them - if employers / Government had looked after those of us who are retired / approaching retirement then many would not have left the profession - and if Recruitment and Retention were taken seriously then the profession would not be in the crisis that it is.
Quite agree
here is my email and response to the possible sun award
Rachel
Thank you for your note which Bob Satchwell has seen.
Regards
Angela
Society of Editors
www.societyofeditors.org
Phone: 01223 304080
Fax: 01223 304090
Mobile: 07860 562 815
Email: info@societyofeditors.org
University Centre
Mill Lane
Cambridge CB2 1RU
Director: Bob Satchwell
Home: 01223 277 313
The Society of Editors has more than 400 members in national, regional and local newspapers, magazines, broadcasting and new media, journalism education and media law. It campaigns for media freedom, self regulation, the public's right to know and the maintenance of standards in journalism.
From: Rachel Bramble [mailto:rachelbramble@yahoo.co.uk] Sent: 26 February 2009 16:59To: info@societyofeditors.orgSubject: Baby P -campaign of the year surely not!!
Dear Bob Satchwell
As chair of the panel of judges I hope that you vote against the Baby P campaign as all it has done is increase negativity towards social workers.
I have offered since 2002 to meet with any Journalists to talk about social work but only one has actually come to meet me who I have a great deal of respect for. Well done David Rose.
The offer is still and will remain open.
When I contacted the Sun a couple of years ago their response was ' we don't write stories about social work'
I just think that it is such a shame to live in such a negative world.
campaigns should be about making things better not worse.
Lets campaign to have good positive social workers who support people.
I, in my 25 years plus career have always supported people and tried not to be a hypocrit.
I hope your award ceremony goes well but that you think carefully about the section with the campaigns
Best wishes
Rachel Bramble
Perhaps Community Care can contact Bob Satchwell through this number and interview him as well as Bob Satchwell
Pity only just saw questions for Ed Balls
It's hard I know ...but you have to try.....go on
Community Care has written a letter of complaint to Bob Satchwell, chair of thejudges for the British Press Awards. Our community editor Simeon Brody has published the text of the letter in a blog entry.
We think that it would really help if readers also wrote to Satchwell. You could write your own letter. We have also provided a form letter that you can download and use or amend. Let us know if you decide to write too.
Can't get either of these Links to work!
Links now working!
Bob Satchwell responded to me to say that the awards have been judged by a panel of experienced journalists. Not sure I feel I can comment on that reply, doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
I have also written to Unison to ask what their response to this award is - not only are they one of the key unions for social workers but they are one of the sponsors of the press awards.
It will be interesting to hear what Unison have to say.