I have just read the article in this weeks CommunityCare in relation to the GSCC wishing to make employers adhere to a code of conduct. What do other Social Workers feel about this. It could, if monitored correctly lead to Social Workers being vindicated in cases where it is quite obvious they were following advice given by their managers and where managers realising that they were wrong have tried to distance themselves from the fallout. However, would the GSCC enforce the mandatory code and if so would this mean that managers would be relieved of their posts or put on probation.

I do feel it is about time that our alleged governing body has recognised that it is not the employee who makes the final decision within cases but it is in fact the employer. Should I hold my breathe?

 I completely agree - I can't think of anything else more eloquent to add but I think it would be a positive move. 

I wouldn't hold your breath for too long unless you can absorb oxygen through your skin in sufficient amounts to survive. Accountability only seems to apply to those at the very bottom of the heap!

I hope that the gscc or some other body is given the right to hold employers accountable for not following policy/proceedure/protocol.  I have emailed 4 seperate govenment bodies, including the gscc, and made several phone calls to try to find support for myself and my co-workers as we have practice concerns regarding our managers and the service.  Unfortunately, I have not found a route to address our concerns.  We as a group have discussed our concerns and wish to change our environment to make our conditions better thereby improving our service as a whole.  However, we are at a loss as to what to do.  As a result, several social workers have decided to leave or have left and when new social workers start, they don't stay. 

As social workers, we are registered and expected to abide by a code of conduct and work on improving our practice while completing on-going training.  These are expectations that are supposed to enhance our service delivery and ensure professionalism.  So why not the Local Authority.  What happens when the actions of the LA affect a social worker's ability to maintain the gscc's expectations (I am thinking about the SW who was brought up for misconduct because she was behind in her paperwork).  Although the gscc recognized the LA's responsiblity in her case, who will hold this LA to improving the conditions? Who will check to see if they address the concerns?  To continue to practice, the social worker will have to prove, somehow, that she has changed but who will monitor the LA. 

Local Authorities should be held accountable for their decisions.  The budget allocated to our departments affects how we provide some of our supports, ie specialist assessments and bringing children into care, and greatly affects staffing levels, thereby affecting caseload numbers and we are told and expected to get on with it no matter how high the number is.  However, when something happens, and something will, there is a great desire to point at the frontline social worker who has been overworked and stressed as a result of the working conditions.  Although each LA does get inspected, these inspections are planned and management spends a great deal of time and sometimes money prior to the inspection to ensuring that everything looks good.  These inspections are needed to ensure standards and outcomes, however, they do not address the day-to-day issues arising from the limited budgets and bullying culture that exsists in some LAs.  There needs to be as mechanism for social workers to raise their concerns about their employers practice outside of the inspections so that we are all held accountable for the delivery of the service on a daily basis, not just when inspected.

I think we just have to get used to the idea that the GSCC is not a professional body. It is not there for Social Workers, it is there to regulate social workers with an agenda not set by Social workers. It is wonderfull that we also get to pay for it. As far as I can see the members of the GSCC are dependant for their positions on the Gov't, it is unlikely that they will advocate very strongly for anything that might rock the boat.    

 I must agree with my colleagues, the GSCC are not here for us Social Workers, they are a law unto themselves. I have attempted to compalin about two incidents, but have not had a reply and tel calls tend not to get anywhere.

The GSCC have to abide by their own policies, but then who polices them. I would love to hear from someone in authority from the GSCC and tell us where the problems are and what they can and intend to do about the many complaints that they receive yet do nothing.

So, I leave this up to the GSCC to respond. Maybe the Ed can do something about it?? Up to you Ed.

Rev Jack. 

I would have to agree that at this time the GSCC does not feel like it is here for social workers.  I emailed them and spoke with them about my employer with no help.  Same when I spoke with CSCI and the Dept Children & Family.  There effectively is no place at this time for us to go to voice our concerns so  it would be nice for some agency to be able to get involved, to have the "statutory power" to enforce an employer code of conduct.  If not the GSCC then someone else.  Just do it!  Give social workers a place to make their employers accountable for the conditions that we are working in.

 i find this amazing as some of the recommendations from the laming report was about accountability from the top to the bottom and if employers are not accountable then that is wrong. could someone give me the link to this story in community care please

 Hi lizzer

 You should be able to find the article here.

Simeon 

 I think we need a code of conduct for the GSCC.

 Wilt 

good point wilt who does regulate the regulators?  

 In the end it has to be Government for setting up these Organisations in the first place.