My friend is a social worker and she had over 60 case loads. She was off work for months with stress.
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Whatever.
I really wish now I hadn’t said anything at all but thanks to everyone piling on and especially the pie chart poster …. It has made my day !
Have a lovely happy Sunday all
I really wish now I hadn’t said anything at all but thanks to everyone piling on and especially the pie chart poster …. It has made my day !
Have a lovely happy Sunday all
I am a social worker…not with children. The caseloads across the board are insane. I have colleagues in childrens services and always think of them when these sorts of cases are publicised and also reflect how easily it could be a child (or a vulnerable adult) on any one of our caseloads.
no social worker goes into this job to so badly at it. The pay and conditions are terrible for the hours and stress and personal sacrifices necessary to feel like you’re treading water and keeping afloat.
my heart breaks for Arthur and star and all the other children and adults who have experienced (and continue to experience) harm from those who should care for them. Those are the ones that are responsible for their actions, not the individual worker.
the serious case reviews always reveal the same ‘learning’ - better communication between agencies, smaller case loads, better supervision etc…butall of that is outside of the control of theindividual social worker just trying to do their best with on the resources the et have. The problem is bigger. It’s the systematic underfunding and underresroucing of social services, the stripping of childrens centres, pulling funding from charitable organisations etc. the truth is this government will never invest properly in social care as it doesn’t benefit them to look after these groups of society.
It is just heartbreaking.
I haven’t been able to get Arthur or star out of my head. Every time my son comes for a cuddle I just wish I could have done the same for them.
no social worker goes into this job to so badly at it. The pay and conditions are terrible for the hours and stress and personal sacrifices necessary to feel like you’re treading water and keeping afloat.
my heart breaks for Arthur and star and all the other children and adults who have experienced (and continue to experience) harm from those who should care for them. Those are the ones that are responsible for their actions, not the individual worker.
the serious case reviews always reveal the same ‘learning’ - better communication between agencies, smaller case loads, better supervision etc…butall of that is outside of the control of theindividual social worker just trying to do their best with on the resources the et have. The problem is bigger. It’s the systematic underfunding and underresroucing of social services, the stripping of childrens centres, pulling funding from charitable organisations etc. the truth is this government will never invest properly in social care as it doesn’t benefit them to look after these groups of society.
It is just heartbreaking.
I haven’t been able to get Arthur or star out of my head. Every time my son comes for a cuddle I just wish I could have done the same for them.
Until we have a government that wants to invest money in the public sector for children, this will never happen. And I’m not really talking about any particular party because none of them care about disadvantaged people really.
Im sorry if my post made you feel picked on - that wasn’t my intention honestly.Whatever.
I really wish now I hadn’t said anything at all but thanks to everyone piling on and especially the pie chart poster …. It has made my day !
Have a lovely happy Sunday all
I couldn’t agree more. This particular government waxes lyrical about social mobility. But if they cared about social mobility, they wouldn’t actively encourage disparity from birth. And that’s what they do.
The misery from underfunding and cuts that has been inflicted on the children and parents, that need the most help in society makes me very angry so I won’t rant for too long about that. I cannot even find it within myself to sit and laugh along at the bumbling antics of BJ. He is an IDIOT of the highest order and not in an endearing way. His actions are of the utmost seriousness. I would say this about any PM of any party that had inflicted this much damage on the most vulnerable of society.
Once again I am feeling deeply for the jury, this weekend has been all about Arthur, the clapping at football yesterday was so emotional, then news that 'local' MP is referring to Attorney General for sentences being too lenient and now " The killing of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes will be the subject of a national review to protect other children from such evil crimes, the government says. " Well I guess the gov. had to step in say something, the review will blame covid but what about all those before and after ... you only have to look at above posts to see it's about funding and resources, it makes me so angry that some people choose the path of helping others to then be let down by what is effectively their employer.
But my original point was this news will have heaped pressure on the 11 people who will have spent this pre-Christmas weekend agonising over decisions they must make this week.
But my original point was this news will have heaped pressure on the 11 people who will have spent this pre-Christmas weekend agonising over decisions they must make this week.
It’s really troubling me that poor Arthur has not yet been buried 
surely someone should be able to step in now so he can get the send off he deserves
surely someone should be able to step in now so he can get the send off he deserves
Same, god rest his little soul xxIt’s really troubling me that poor Arthur has not yet been buried
When i was a newly qualified social worker my case load was 24 and it only increased. I have known other workers to have approx 50+ children/families. It is absolutely awful, and 'social work' is nothing like it used to be. I remember being able to be really hands on, i used to take families shopping, i even helped clean their houses with them. Now everything is micromanaged by management (they are ultimately the people who make the decisions), the paperwork is insane, the IT system is not fit for purpose (Liquid Logic is bloody awful to use). Also bullying is a massive issue. A colleague of mine actually committed suicide due to bullying, and how she was treated by management (she did have a caseload of approx 50 and although she was very very experienced, she simply couldnt cope with the sheer numbers which is understandable and she became very poorly, and management took the piss out of her, did nothing to help her, and they simply added on more pressure).
There is so much that goes on that people who dont work in that environment wouldnt know about. Both good things and bad things.
EDIT TO ADD* I am out of social work now, i too became sick and decided to hand my notice in. and it was the best decision i ever made, and i would never go back to work in Children's services if you paid me £1 million.
I really feel for social workers, they often get the blame unfairly when it's the system, the huge caseloads, the constant cuts in funding, poor management, shortage of staff etc. It's an amazing profession made almost impossible. This is what should be invested in.
You know, although i have read all the posts on here i have not posted due to my own anxiety. As i know exactly how some people view social workers, i mean i probably would too if i had never experienced it.
I think the whole system needs an overhaul, starting with the training and degree's. I was lucky because i did my MA in social work from Lancaster University (which at the time was the best in the country), i am sure it is still up there now as one of the best, along with Warwick university. Anyway, the modules we studied are different to other uni's! And as good as Lancaster is, just down the road is UCLAN and their social work degree's are tit!! And sadly, it was often obvious when students were on placements with us that we had a good idea of where they studied based on their practice. I think the curriculam should be exactly the same across the board. Its madness to me that at my uni we did an entire module on Drugs/substance misuse when other uni's dont teach anything like that! I also think it should bring back the age policy where you have to be 25 to study and become a social worker. I have seen far too many 21 year olds straight out of uni having done their BA degree with no experience other than the placements they were put on while studying. I would even go further and argue it should only be a MA in social work you can do to obtain the qualification and HCPC registration. I honestly believe changes need to made from the very beginning (studying to become a social worker).
I personally had a really tit start in life, i almost died, suffered massive trauma, neglect, emotional harm. But i was lucky in the fact i was quite intelligent and went to uni, so i feel i had a mix of intelligence and life experience which is vital for any social worker. Not that im saying in order to be a good social worker you need to have suffered the way i did, but it really did help me- with my empathy, emotional intelligence, resilience, build positive working relationships and so on.
It is sad that the profession i once loved and was so passionate about is now something i would discourage anyone from joining. Dont get me wrong, during my many years i know i made things better for some children and i did save children from harm. And i loved working with children and their families, but i hated being tied to the office having to fill out unnecessary paperwork because that was taking my time away from doing direct work with children. We had a lot of agency staff as well, which is not good for consistency, and quite often they used to just leave- meaning a lot of their cases went into drift. But we relied on agency staff otherwise we would not have had any and i dread to think what the caseload numbers would be like then!
I had a really bad experience with managers, so i am probably biased and projecting my own experience when i talk about that; and im sure there are many amazing managers, but our management team were bullies, not supportive, and more concerned with targets than meaningful work. It was not a nice working environment at all, and the lack of supervision we had was astonishing.
It is sad that i have left because i went into the profession wanting to make a difference, full of passion and hope. and i left an anxious bloody mess, and i have now been diagnosed with my own mental health issues. I had to leave for the sake of my own children, my relationship, and for myself. I have absolutely no idea what i want to do now, but i am enjoying being at home with my children, actually being present and doing normal things with them.
Sorry for waffling, i could talk for hours about this
Both of your posts have been very eye opening for me thanks for sharing your experience.You know, although i have read all the posts on here i have not posted due to my own anxiety. As i know exactly how some people view social workers, i mean i probably would too if i had never experienced it.
I think the whole system needs an overhaul, starting with the training and degree's. I was lucky because i did my MA in social work from Lancaster University (which at the time was the best in the country), i am sure it is still up there now as one of the best, along with Warwick university. Anyway, the modules we studied are different to other uni's! And as good as Lancaster is, just down the road is UCLAN and their social work degree's are tit!! And sadly, it was often obvious when students were on placements with us that we had a good idea of where they studied based on their practice. I think the curriculam should be exactly the same across the board. Its madness to me that at my uni we did an entire module on Drugs/substance misuse when other uni's dont teach anything like that! I also think it should bring back the age policy where you have to be 25 to study and become a social worker. I have seen far too many 21 year olds straight out of uni having done their BA degree with no experience other than the placements they were put on while studying. I would even go further and argue it should only be a MA in social work you can do to obtain the qualification and HCPC registration. I honestly believe changes need to made from the very beginning (studying to become a social worker).
I personally had a really tit start in life, i almost died, suffered massive trauma, neglect, emotional harm. But i was lucky in the fact i was quite intelligent and went to uni, so i feel i had a mix of intelligence and life experience which is vital for any social worker. Not that im saying in order to be a good social worker you need to have suffered the way i did, but it really did help me- with my empathy, emotional intelligence, resilience, build positive working relationships and so on.
It is sad that the profession i once loved and was so passionate about is now something i would discourage anyone from joining. Dont get me wrong, during my many years i know i made things better for some children and i did save children from harm. And i loved working with children and their families, but i hated being tied to the office having to fill out unnecessary paperwork because that was taking my time away from doing direct work with children. We had a lot of agency staff as well, which is not good for consistency, and quite often they used to just leave- meaning a lot of their cases went into drift. But we relied on agency staff otherwise we would not have had any and i dread to think what the caseload numbers would be like then!
I had a really bad experience with managers, so i am probably biased and projecting my own experience when i talk about that; and im sure there are many amazing managers, but our management team were bullies, not supportive, and more concerned with targets than meaningful work. It was not a nice working environment at all, and the lack of supervision we had was astonishing.
It is sad that i have left because i went into the profession wanting to make a difference, full of passion and hope. and i left an anxious bloody mess, and i have now been diagnosed with my own mental health issues. I had to leave for the sake of my own children, my relationship, and for myself. I have absolutely no idea what i want to do now, but i am enjoying being at home with my children, actually being present and doing normal things with them.
Sorry for waffling, i could talk for hours about this
My DIL who is a social worker just shared this with me
Sharing this as its spot on and people should know the facts...
Before you blame social workers for children's deaths, there is only 2 people that can remove a child a COURT JUDGE and a POLICE OFFICER... not a social worker! You can show a social worker a picture of a bruise all you want but if a doctor is not prepared to say someone caused it and it is not accidental what can a social worker do?
Did you know only when a doctor confims an injury none accidental can police and social workers act on that information? Did you know some doctors will not even see a child if they are happy with a picture that the injury appears accidental? Did you know there is no shared system between one department to the next never mind between professionals? So how can information be fully shared without human error and they have to call the general number like everyone else
Do you know parents can be good liars and decieve all those around them including family..Children are also taught to lie despite what happens to them to schools and other professionals and despite what that child is going through, they will cover for parents because the consequences of telling the truth are far worse. Children are taught the care system is a scary place by society so why would they speak out?
Yes you get rubbish professionals who fail but the parents are to blame!!
Do you know social workers when they do remove children can be out all night taking part in a number of important roles and they do so unpaid? Their own child care not taken into account and not seeing their own families because they are out helping others... they are not paid for this?
Did you know that they sometimes pay out their own pocket to buy kids clothing and food. Did you know police and social workers are sometimes sat with families late at night in offices trying to find somewhere for children safe to go and sometimes their parents because there is a lack of housing and foster homes! These kind of things are never taken into consideration when there's a tragedy
Sharing this as its spot on and people should know the facts...
Before you blame social workers for children's deaths, there is only 2 people that can remove a child a COURT JUDGE and a POLICE OFFICER... not a social worker! You can show a social worker a picture of a bruise all you want but if a doctor is not prepared to say someone caused it and it is not accidental what can a social worker do?
Did you know only when a doctor confims an injury none accidental can police and social workers act on that information? Did you know some doctors will not even see a child if they are happy with a picture that the injury appears accidental? Did you know there is no shared system between one department to the next never mind between professionals? So how can information be fully shared without human error and they have to call the general number like everyone else
Do you know parents can be good liars and decieve all those around them including family..Children are also taught to lie despite what happens to them to schools and other professionals and despite what that child is going through, they will cover for parents because the consequences of telling the truth are far worse. Children are taught the care system is a scary place by society so why would they speak out?
Yes you get rubbish professionals who fail but the parents are to blame!!
Do you know social workers when they do remove children can be out all night taking part in a number of important roles and they do so unpaid? Their own child care not taken into account and not seeing their own families because they are out helping others... they are not paid for this?
Did you know that they sometimes pay out their own pocket to buy kids clothing and food. Did you know police and social workers are sometimes sat with families late at night in offices trying to find somewhere for children safe to go and sometimes their parents because there is a lack of housing and foster homes! These kind of things are never taken into consideration when there's a tragedy
Brilliantly written.My DIL who is a social worker just shared this with me
Sharing this as its spot on and people should know the facts...
Before you blame social workers for children's deaths, there is only 2 people that can remove a child a COURT JUDGE and a POLICE OFFICER... not a social worker! You can show a social worker a picture of a bruise all you want but if a doctor is not prepared to say someone caused it and it is not accidental what can a social worker do?
Did you know only when a doctor confims an injury none accidental can police and social workers act on that information? Did you know some doctors will not even see a child if they are happy with a picture that the injury appears accidental? Did you know there is no shared system between one department to the next never mind between professionals? So how can information be fully shared without human error and they have to call the general number like everyone else
Do you know parents can be good liars and decieve all those around them including family..Children are also taught to lie despite what happens to them to schools and other professionals and despite what that child is going through, they will cover for parents because the consequences of telling the truth are far worse. Children are taught the care system is a scary place by society so why would they speak out?
Yes you get rubbish professionals who fail but the parents are to blame!!
Do you know social workers when they do remove children can be out all night taking part in a number of important roles and they do so unpaid? Their own child care not taken into account and not seeing their own families because they are out helping others... they are not paid for this?
Did you know that they sometimes pay out their own pocket to buy kids clothing and food. Did you know police and social workers are sometimes sat with families late at night in offices trying to find somewhere for children safe to go and sometimes their parents because there is a lack of housing and foster homes! These kind of things are never taken into consideration when there's a tragedy
for every child like Arthur who has been killed or harmed in any way by their caregiver, there are hundreds more around the country who social workers are working to try and save improve the life of.
In the london borough I work for they only had about 3 full time social workers, the rest were agency. Each time we had a multi agency meetings to discuss a child it would be a different social worker each time. I agree with much of your previous post. It needs an overhaul
Yes I know a few social workers and all are bloody hard working people - people who would go out of their way above and beyond. None are gullible or daft or lazy - they put their soul into work. From the sounds of it the case loads are ridiculous. Sorry but this government doesn’t give a hoot about where resources are needed. Shame the media can’t do some good for once and shine the spotlight onto the government who seem to make cuts here their mates don’t work.
Likewise. My friend was a 'mature student', quit her day job to study SW after she had a baby - with the promise that she would be making a difference to young people's lives. She qualified and started her first substantive role.
Less than 10 years later, she packed it all in. The paperwork was horrendous and the only people she seemed to be helping was management. She felt guilty but she's much happier now.
Perfectly put.My DIL who is a social worker just shared this with me
Sharing this as its spot on and people should know the facts...
Before you blame social workers for children's deaths, there is only 2 people that can remove a child a COURT JUDGE and a POLICE OFFICER... not a social worker! You can show a social worker a picture of a bruise all you want but if a doctor is not prepared to say someone caused it and it is not accidental what can a social worker do?
Did you know only when a doctor confims an injury none accidental can police and social workers act on that information? Did you know some doctors will not even see a child if they are happy with a picture that the injury appears accidental? Did you know there is no shared system between one department to the next never mind between professionals? So how can information be fully shared without human error and they have to call the general number like everyone else
Do you know parents can be good liars and decieve all those around them including family..Children are also taught to lie despite what happens to them to schools and other professionals and despite what that child is going through, they will cover for parents because the consequences of telling the truth are far worse. Children are taught the care system is a scary place by society so why would they speak out?
Yes you get rubbish professionals who fail but the parents are to blame!!
Do you know social workers when they do remove children can be out all night taking part in a number of important roles and they do so unpaid? Their own child care not taken into account and not seeing their own families because they are out helping others... they are not paid for this?
Did you know that they sometimes pay out their own pocket to buy kids clothing and food. Did you know police and social workers are sometimes sat with families late at night in offices trying to find somewhere for children safe to go and sometimes their parents because there is a lack of housing and foster homes! These kind of things are never taken into consideration when there's a tragedy
You know, although i have read all the threads and posts here, i have not posted (although at times i really wanted to!). I have seen lots of speculation and i was worried that this would be seen as factual, when some posts have been so far from the truth. Its really difficult because unless people have worked as a social worker, they dont really fully understand what it entails, Which is understandable. I do think the media, especially the Daily Mail have a lot to answer for! But its a sad reality that positive social work stories would not sell papers, and that is why the only time we are mentioned is when a tragedy has occurred.
It is also not only the social workers decision to place a child on a child protection plan. It is a vote that occurs during the ICPC and every other professional involved also has a say in it. We noticed that quite often that if we were asked first, then the other professionals would copy us and go with what we said. So a number of IRO's in my local authority actually ask all the other professionals first and ask us last.
Your comment about us not seeing our own children has really resonated with me; i used to often have to work on reports and casenotes when on holiday, even christmas eve and boxing day. I missed so much of my own children due to my job, and that is something i will never forget. I honestly felt at times i was neglecting my own children.
It is also a sad state that we are expected to go to places alone when the police would not even attend alone. I have been punched, i have been called every name under the sun, i had someone tell me they were going to set fire to my house, and get my partner and kids. But Social Workers are expected to put up with this as part of our job.
I do think there needs to be changes made, especially at the education and training level. I did my practice educator course, and i loved being involved with the students on placement but it did open my eyes to the lack of consistency.
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