The commissioners at Channel 4 are really spoiling us at the moment, with a whole host of programmes about social work in the pipeline.
Yesterday was the first episode of ‘15,000 Kids and Counting’, a series that boasts “unparalleled access” to the entire adoption process, filming social workers, birth parents and adopters.
It threw up all sorts of interesting practice issues and dilemmas and, with any luck, could boost the public image of children’s social work in the same way that BBC2’s Protecting Our Children managed to.
We organised a live chat so that all social care professionals watching on Thursday could react to the episode and discuss their views in a safe and engaging space. You can replay the chat below.
15,000 Kids and Counting will air on Channel 4 at 9pm on Thursday 3 April. More information on the series can be found here.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 
Hampshire County Council 
Lincolnshire County Council 
Norfolk County Council 
Northamptonshire Children’s Trust 
South Gloucestershire Council 
Wiltshire Council 
Wokingham Borough Council 
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How specialist refugee teams benefit young people and social workers 
Podcast: returning to social work after becoming a first-time parent 
Podcast: would you work for an inadequate-rated service? 
Family help: one local authority’s experience of the model 
‘We are all one big family’: how one council has built a culture of support 
Workforce Insights – showcasing a selection of the sector’s top recruiters 
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Needed explanation why Lorena could not go with her baby to the placement.
Not sure text messaging to SW’s very appropriate – certainly not 800 over one weekend!
In any of these fly on the wall programmes about social work I marvel at the lack of camera time spent highlighting the amount of paperwork/ processes that are undertaken. I know it’s not great TV but even to show a SW’ saying ‘now I will fill in this 20 page form along with that 15 page form and now it will go to this panel or that panel and then it will be inputted here and then it triggers these forms’ To show the actual time spent/ amount of forms would give people a truer picture of what is required in any 37 hour week . People must think we spend most of out time going from visit to visit jotting down the odd note. No wonder we are berated as being dippy and lacking initiative. Show the public how procedural the role is. And the true level of beaurocracy involved.