I've been listening with interest to the Radio 4 programme ' Who'd be a Social Worker?' and was really struck by the situation of the newly qualified social worker who was asked to remove children from a family. I should explain that following a long career in social work (all children and families ) I'm writing a TV soap with social workers as the central protagonists, and my first episode mirrors some of the issues broadcast. I'd like to appeal to Community Care readers for help in two ways: firstly, to look critically at some of my work and to let me know what you think of it, and secondly: to come up with ideas about how to engage TV companies. If you have any contacts, do let me know and please pass the message on to anyone who could conceivably be helpful! If you're interested, please look at my website: http://chrisstringer.weebly.com/ . My email address is: chrisRstringer@gmail.com My primary motivation for all this isn't money-after all I have a local authority gold-plated pension!-but I'd really like to see social workers with more of the public image we deserve.
Have read the example script - awful, just awful. No. it's not that good!!!!
I am a naive student to be and I read your script. Is that really how it happens? My understanding (albeit limited at this stage) is that a SW would not remove a child in this manner? Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong but I thought a police escort was required?
Tried to look at the site, but it said it hadn't been published- couldn't access it.
What is so awful about it RupertM? I think it isn't too bad for beginning thoughts.
Hope their will be some laughter in it somewhere though and that its not all going to be doom and gloom.
My placement would make a good soap opera, I think residential settings do kind of lend themselves to it.
This is the beginning of a play about an inexperienced social worker who has to arrange for a baby with an unexplained head injury to live in a kinship placement-maternal grandmother-whilst her parents are assessed. The title is BABYSNATCHER.Day, interior, hospital.We see Mick,a young, good-looking Afro-Caribbean man wearing jeans and a leather jacket. He looks like a DJ and is seriously cool. He is walking down a hospital corridor carrying a baby chair and a bag. Next to him is Miranda, a young, white, fashionably-dressed good looking woman of about thirty. She is crying uncontrollably and carrying Victoria, a three month baby. She stops occasionally to fish a handkerchief out of her handbag, and wipes her nose. She and Mick are dodging trolleys and wheelchairs as they proceed down the corridor.As they walk, patients and staff stare curiously at them. Mick is looking very embarrassed. He doesn't know what to do or how to behave. There is noise and clatter so it is impossible to hear what Mick is saying to Miranda but his body language and his expression suggest that he is trying to comfort Miranda but her response is to turn and stare venomously at him.They leave the hospital, cross the car park and get into a battered Ford Fiesta. Mick helps Miranda to put the baby in her seat, well secured. He drives off.V.O. Mick: (in a slightly ironic voice, received pronounciation)I think it's fair to say that this wasn't one of my better days as a social worker.Cut to: Inside the car.Mick is trying to help.Mick:You know, you can visit her as often as you like-provided your mother is there.Miranda turns her head sharply to ignore him but changes her mind and speaks, almost spitting with anger. Her voice is educated.Miranda: I don't know how you can sleep at night!Mick is hapless. He clearly doesn't know what to say.Mick:I'm sorry.Miranda:Sorry! Sorry! you don't know the meaning of the word!Jump cut: the car arrives at a prosperous detached house. Mick and Miranda get out, collect the baby and luggage ; Miranda approaches the door and rings the bell. the door is opened by a smart-looking woman in her fifties. Miranda starts to cry again.Miranda:Oh Mum!Miranda's mother, Dolly, is sympathetic. She enfolds Miranda and Victoria in her arms.Dolly:come in, Mirry. don't take on so. I've just made some coffee.Her manner changes when she addresses Mick who is standing behind Miranda on the doorstep. She becomes hostile and cold.Dolly:But not for you. Oh don't worry. I've got the message. I'm to spy on my own daughter.Miranda's expression lightens. She is grateful for the support. After she and Victoria have walked over the threshold Dolly slams the door in Mick's face. He tries to hide it but looks a bit hurt. He goes back to his car and drives off.Chris Stringer
An unexplained head injury!
Any explanation? Assessment?
A move to what is a 'hostile' kinship Care placement! So how will cooperation be achieved? How can the grandmother protect?
Just the sort of situation to allocate to an 'inexperienced social worker.'
It's just ludicrous in the extreme.
supersonic:Cwot - you don't need a police escort to remove a child if the parents agree (section 20) or you have an order (epo/ico) and you have risk assessed the removal, the majority of parents I have worked with have been annoyed, angry, pissed off, but generally compliant. I've only had police presence once because the dad said he had a gun and would shoot me if I went to the house ...
Thanks Supersonic! :-)
Hate to tell you but its a hard slog. I and others have been trying to do this since 2001.
I suggest that you join VLV [ voice of the listener and viewer] this is where you can meet key radio and tv folk
It's hard I know ...but you have to try.....go on
Definitely a hard slog. The number of people who would have to be involved and the costs would be extreme. Because not only does a production company have to get on board with a budget-less (I guess) idea, then they also have to convince TV networks (usually with a pilot).
Over the past few years, I have met and spoken to a fair few media professionals on various stuff not just related to social work. What is clear from them, is that TV must be informative as well as entertaining... that sounds like a simple idea but in fact it is very difficult with issues around social work... and particularly a soap. You would have to be careful with storylines so that they don't become too intense, yet are realistic with drama, that the public would understand (so no legal jargon etc or make it look too complicated [watch Doctors and look how simple that all comes across]).
In order for a TV network to accept it, that tends [tho not always] to be through a production company. They would have to match the technical and creative elements to whichever channel they wish to target.... have a look at BBC commissioning website... you will see what I mean, every time slot and every BBC channel is looking for something very specific creatively and all have different technical and other factors to consider.
Something social work and the media have in common is the need to raise public awareness but to achieve this requires multi-professional working (for a soap you need all those people on the credits at the end, PR, marketing, journallists on board etc). But your first step would be to get key people to look at, and scrutinise your idea. Take the knock backs... thats how to succeed in media apparently.... they owe you nothing and believe me when it comes to a project that could potentially become a multi-million pound production, you can understand why some mainstream media professionals can be a little blunt to say the least.
However.... if you got a top notch script together a production company is more likely to listen. But look carefully. Dont just pick the first one you see/hear of- again they all focus on different things. But be careful of things like 'babysnatcher'.... although that might sound like something the public will be drawn too, it will also imediately get the backs up of your audience and they wont trust your characters.... if its to be successful your audience needs to believe in and trust your characters (this also helps dramatise a baddy). Lets not forget, if an entire soap was created and it continuously showed unrealistic pieces of work etc and you lose the support from the social work community, discontent from social workers will travel very far.... and before you know it, you need some top notch expensive PR to limit the tabloid feud between social work and this brand new soap, potentially losing you your contract with a network or any consultants from the profession to help (believe it or not, Eastenders and such hire consultants to help mould their social worker characters.... God only knows whose assisting them!!)
Anyway, sorry for the ramble, just wanted to get a few ideas across to you that it wont be easy; not that I believe you think that. Its late so there might not be any structure to what I have written. Best bet... seek advice from those that know what they are doing. Perhaps even find someone to press release the idea.... i'm not overly sure but I am pretty confident that this idea has been played about with by production companies.... a press release offering your expertise in that area might help but i'm clueless when it comes to all that.
p.s you've also got to think of the storylines and whether actors will play them. Yes they play abusers all the time, but be very cautious of how sensitive the storylines are (e.g sexual abuse of a baby would be highly inappropriate, rather a domestic violence situation far more acceptable). Unfortunately it would be about picking and chosing the side of social work that most can understand/empathise with. Look at the recent outcry over the eastenders baby-snatch story... the public empathised with the character over losing her baby... but as soon as it became something people either don't want to acknowlege (unless very carefully crafted) or complete nonsense then people get VERY angry and will show it.
*I'm obviously getting way to into this* ... but just think about as much as possible before pitching. For a newbie to TV stuff (I guess) there will be a lot to prove. People are more willing to listen if they see YOU have attempted to understand THEIR professions
You have to admire Rupert's effort but therein lies the problem. It is not entertainment. The appeal is to be familiar with the scenario. Take that away and what do you have; tedium.
We are not "normal" people.
It's not my effort - I'd be far too embarrassed!
good luck - ive posted on another thread i think that a prog based along the lines of house would work for social work
you may know this already but the bbc have a site where u post your work up and other professionals give u constructive feedback. Think u can submit work to the bbc thru that as well.
i used to work with a writer who had work done on TV and he dsaid its all about the dialogue - which u dont have much of in that example
In a soap especially its all about human relationships rather than fancy story lines
Clare in the Community ? Not a soap but a comedy on radio 4 which makes social workers look like idiots.
However I quite like it for some reason.
Chris
Which Genre of social work would you choose ? you appear to have decided on children's services.
A good scenario might be like Frost, with an old experienced social worker who hates IT having to come to terms with the new world and seen as old fashiioned by her / his bosses and some new social workers but always getting the results. He / She scoffs at personalisation but gradually see the benefits that this may bring to certain service users and embrace it in a way that the new social workers had never thought of.
Or a series of short plays, each in a different social work setting e.g. hospital, children's services, Older people, LD, Transition etc. You could also involve service users and their ideas and get them involved in the scripts and use it as a way of raising their issues as well as the issues that social workers face. This collabarative approach could appeal to service user groups and television executives and could explore some of the issues faced by all of us and investigate policies.
Personally I like your idea and although the first paragraph was a bit tongue in cheek the rest isn't.
Good luck.
...thats interesting, on a very diffrent note,
Can someone work with children who have not had their CRB's cleared. A unit that recently opened had most of their staff uncleared by CRB, then brought in agency who have CRB but not enough to supervise staff on shift!! basically, 3 permanant staff were supervised by 1 agency and 1 other permanant staff member with a CRB a caring for 1x 1:1 patient and 1x 2:1 patient.....this is illegal is'nt it??
Thanks-as the would-be author,I appreciate all your comments and hope for more from others.. I will amend my scripts accordingly. Please see my website http://chrisstringer.weebly.com. where I have posted more of the same script.
I have assumed, rightly or wrongly, that Ed Balls and Ofsted ran for cover because of populist pressures. My aim is to write a populist soap that will present the public with some of the complexities of social work.
ChrisStringer: Thanks-as the would-be author,I appreciate all your comments and hope for more from others.. I will amend my scripts accordingly. Please see my website http://chrisstringer.weebly.com. where I have posted more of the same script. I have assumed, rightly or wrongly, that Ed Balls and Ofsted ran for cover because of populist pressures. My aim is to write a populist soap that will present the public with some of the complexities of social work. I have concentrated on bringing out the following aspects: accurate assessments are sometimes difficult to obtain, social workers often work in a hostile climate without much support, they are sometimes presented with a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation, objectivity and appropriate professional boundaries are sometimes difficult to maintain, and finally, that they are overworked and over bureaucratised. I'm away for a month but if you have any constructive comments I'd be really pleased to hear them. Chris Stringer
not sure what you mean by populist pressures???
i think something that could be highlighted is the way that social work has to compromise its values due to resources meaning service users can sometimes recieve shocking care - could actually be a winner as resources are big big news generally
a social work soap could actually be rerally interesting as you have so much scope to explore ideas as social workers do so much
following on from julians idea you could maybe do a soap based on a non-specialised social work team (i underrsdtand there are still some left??) so you can cover all the service user groups
theres possibly a market for a politicised soap in these tough times - people seen to be engaging with politics more now anyway.
lots of scope for personalities and social dynamics within the team as well
ill definitely keep reading
Constructive comment - abandon it, it's getting worse!