We've done a survey of journalists about their knowledge of social work. Makes for interesting reading - two-thirds believe "care worker" is a social work role while less than half know that the minimum qualification required to become a social worker is a degree.
But other interesting points raised by the survey include the difficulties journalists have in accessing/contacting social workers, which feeds into our campaign aim of encouraging local authority press offices to promote positive stories.
We've also done a leader comment on the survey.
Let's face it, if journalists cant understand what social workers do and the distinction between social workers and care workers - what chance do the general public have?
A failure to understand the social care system means that reporting of social care issues will be at best vague, at worst completely misleading.
Despite endless calls for raising the profile of social care there does seem to have been a fundemental failure in policy in this matter. Not that the Government should fully shoulder the blame for this one. Institutions already exist to do the job but they all appear to have failed. The General Social Care Council has failed to promote and capitalise on both its "Roles and Tasks of Social Work" project and the 'Protection of Title' for Social Workers. The Social Care Institue of Excellence, which is supposed to diseminate information and best practice, seems to offer little for journalists or the public in distinguishing the roles in social care. The BASW must also shoulder some blame for failing to be more pro-active in promoting social work and what being a social worker means.
The suggestion that a National College of Social Work would make any difference is, unfortuantely, somewhat misguided - the National College would simply replace the BASW! Additionally would a new Quango work - after all how many journalists have heard of the newly formed National Skills Academy for Social Care - more to the point how many social workers or care workers have actually heard of it!!
Community Care is moving the way forward but it needs Governemtn and Institutions to start talking to the public to help raise the awareness of social care and the roles each of us undertake in delivering social care.