UK’s view of social care too negative, says Platt

Social work has nothing like the status in the UK that the
profession carries abroad, the chair of the Commission for Social
Care Inspection has said at Community Care’s Question Time
tonight.

Denise Platt said social workers from abroad were shocked at the
low esteem in which the profession was held in the UK, and laid
much of the blame on the Department of Health.

She said: “It’s an internationally respected
profession. So why is the DoH saying that it doesn’t know
what social workers do? I’m fed up with that. People who come
from abroad are amazed by the disrespect the profession receives
[here].”

Question time was chaired by BBC presenter Jeremy Vine and the
other panellists were Brunel University professor of social policy
Peter Beresford, Social Care Institute of Excellence chair Jane
Campbell, REU director Ratna Dutt, Association of Directors of
Social Services president Tony Hunter, NCH chief executive Claire
Tickell and Community Care editor Polly Neate.