. The Conservatives have highlighted the findings of a "volunteer social worker" pilot project in Bromley, Kent, and want to roll the scheme out more widely. The charity Community Service Volunteers worked with Bromley Council to match trained volunteers with families whose children are on the child protection register or deemed to be at risk of abuse or neglect
I think this is a fantastic idea, anyone work in Bromley who can give us some feedback on how this is going?
Thinkpink - I am not sure if you have got the wrong end of the stick on this one. The title "volunteer social workers" appears to be something assigned by the tories or the press. The official title is "volunteers in child protection" and it is clear that they are not there to replace social workers, but to be part of the team that supports the family ("working with social services"). It seems to just be a higher-end version of befriending, and that is not anything new.
I agree that muddling the titles isn't very helpful in the quest to improve public understanding of social work, but overall it seems like a very good scheme to me.
^^what he said^^
they aren't meant to do a SW role, else what the point of a SW degree be? But I for one would find them helpful, it's another pair of eyes out there, someone for the family/children to talk to etc as the family support workers on my team dont do family support work, they do contacts all day every day, they should be renamed family contact workers
If the volunteers are able to work on evenings and weekends (which presumably is when people who have other jobs will be able to volunteer) it could be very useful. It will also be a good opportunity for people who want to undertake social work training but don't have enough experience. I imagine the Tories think it will be something they can use to placate social workers with when all the budgets are cut but as they will do that anyway...
I truly do not believe that anyone in professional social care is entertaining this idea. But until I calm down I will have nothing more to say on the subject, except, just two things, and there are many many many more arguments. Hope they all have extensive CRB checks (!) and you all acknowledge that volunteers are just what they say VOLUNTEERS, if they chose not to turn up or they decide they don't like what they are doing they don't.
Hi Mary, I don't really get the two concerns you have noted. I am sure everyone working with the family would have an enhanced CRB.
And in terms of the risk of volunteers upping and leaving, well yes, that is of course a risk. But the charity can do things to try to reduce the chances of it happening, and even with that risk does that mean such a scheme shouldn't be used (so long as it is in addition to existing things, and not a replacement for the professionals)? Also, it is not as if there is always great continuity in the professionals. I have read lots of times of people complaining about their social worker changing.
My worry in these types of situation (as can sometimes happen with sure start volunteers) is that they will befriend to the degree that they are collusive with the family against the SW. These volunteers can be so accommodating to the parents needs that the more complex issues are overlooked. This can become counterproductive as the SW is trying to encourage change and the volunteer tells them they are doing great. I'm all for encouragement, but, I'm sorry, these are not great parents or they would not be involved in CP. Volunteering needs to happen before CP issues arise as part of a preventive service. I's too little, too late once kids are at risk...
excellent point redana, I find that some sure start/home start volunteers to be collusive with parents, which can be particularly frustrating when you're sitting in a core group telling parents that they need to do x y & z but you've got them saying how well they're doing
i think its a great idea! i'm currently a student who wants to be a social worker! i have experience with children with social/emotional and behavioural problems but only in a school setting, not direct social work experience, i would love to volunteer for something like this. Does anyone know if they're going to do anymore? And whether they would in Wales? I think it would also allow people to realise what they're signing up for by becoming a social worker instead of completing their degree, getting the job and then having to quit because its not what they thought/they cant handle it. Although there is the chance of volunteers quitting isnt it better to find out earlier than later rather than quitting when there's responsibility and people are depending on you.
JodieLouise: i think its a great idea! i'm currently a student who wants to be a social worker! i have experience with children with social/emotional and behavioural problems but only in a school setting, not direct social work experience, i would love to volunteer for something like this. Does anyone know if they're going to do anymore? And whether they would in Wales? I think it would also allow people to realise what they're signing up for by becoming a social worker instead of completing their degree, getting the job and then having to quit because its not what they thought/they cant handle it. Although there is the chance of volunteers quitting isnt it better to find out earlier than later rather than quitting when there's responsibility and people are depending on you.
That's great you're so positive and students need to start out like this-but actually doing the job of a SW is very different. Far from supporting the family and being accommodating to them-the SW is mainly involved in CP and punitive stuff. It is not so rewarding-a different experience all together. Even if you are a student in a childcare team, you will not experience the harshness of the care/control conflict until you are experienced and involved in care proceedings/removing children, implementing protection plans- so you do not know what it's like until you are in it. You are doing the nice bit and you are the family's 'friend'. As for quitting, those SW's that do have realised that it is not a personal responsibility-it's a structural one. And all this stuff will go on in a hundred years time, whether you are there or not. Of course people need to be consciencous and put in place good practice-but they should not flatter themselves that everyone depends on them. It's only your responsibility when you are being paid for it. Beyond that, SW's have lives and responsibilities of their own.
Interesting bit in the Grauniad's [sic] Society Daily section about this project: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jun/14/society-daily
I haven't had time to read the reports that it links through to but if the summary is accurate then it sounds like there may be a reasonable evidence base for the effectiveness of this sort of project.
(I'm not arguing with the concerns raised above, they sound very valid, but I don't think they should mean that the scheme is dismissed, especially if there is an evidence base to support it. I'll look into the reports a bit more later on and see what they say).
Hi Jodie. There is another charitiy yhat you could link up with. It's called Home-Start provides support and friendship for parents. There are 336 local Home-Starts, including 21 in Wales - so hopefully one near you. We already have 16,000 volunteers supporting parents thorugh isolation, multiple births, bereavement, disability, or illness by visiting them for a couple of hours a week in their own homes. Our more experienced volunteers are often part of the broad 'package' of support organised by social workers for very socially excluded families. Social work teams across country refer their families for Home-Start support (as do health visitors, midwives and GPs). But families are still crying out for our help and we always need to hear from new volunteers. All you need to volunteer is: the desire to do it, to have experience as a parent, to attend our extremely comprehensive training/preparation course (40 hours over ten weeks) and to be CRB checked, of course. We ask that once trained, you stay with us for a minimum of 12 months. We hear all the time how rewarding the volunteers find it and what a life saver we can be for families. Last year Home-Start supported 3,280 children on the child protection register, or with a child protection plan. 971 children we were involved with came off the CPR while we were supporting them. So good luck, and go for it! If you have children of your own, we'd love to hear from you. www.home-start.org.uk to find out more and to get the contact details for your nearest local Home-Start.