Social Work review in Scotland

Willy Roe, Chairman of the review, said: "Social work must change. We need to harness all our resources and expertise, across all sectors, to design services around the needs of people and shift focus from dealing with crises to prevention and early intervention."

The review comes against a backdrop of anxiety about child abuse cases, but aims to modernise all aspects of social work just as the Kilbrandon reforms resulted in the pioneering Social Work (Scotland) Act of 1968. Scotland's demographics have changed since Kilbrandon, the population has grown older, while drug abuse and social exclusion have resulted in more awareness of children at risk.
The review said the current model of social work delivery was "unsustainable" with staff working below their abilities, a one-size-fits-all approach and a lack of professional self-confidence.There was "overwhelming bureaucracy" which stopped them making the speedy decisions for those at riskand which was designed to protect staff by referring decisions upwards for approval.
One significant concern which the review has created is in relation to para-professionals. The new staff, akin to classroom assistants, would carry out basic duties, for example transporting children to family contact meetings or assessing the needs of old people, with the aim of allowing qualified social workers (QSWs) to focus on more complex casework.

The review found social workers' skills were being wasted "filing, ordering taxis, and filling in forms" and advocates a scheme already in use in Glasgow.
Christine Grahame, the SNP MSP who highlighted the social work failings in the Miss X case in the Borders, said: "We need people who can smell trouble on the front line, so I'm most concerned about para-professionals."I think it's to cover up the cracks and the fact they don't have enough social workers. Introducing para-professionals, whoever they are, means we have less qualified people on the front line and it could make matters worse, not better."

One senior council source wasquoted in the Scotsman as saying: "It's a missed opportunity. The executive is a one-trick pony. "It came up with these para-professionals for teaching and now it's doing it for social work. It's not impressive."

The paper also recommends social workers are kitted out with new gadgets such as Blackberrys, and includes a wealth of jargon, such as "accurate empathy" and "therapeutic genuineness".

Overall it was welcomed by professional bodies, councils and opposition parties, though on the assumption of adequate funding.

Peter Peacock, the education minister, said he had expected to be accused of offering "social work on the cheap", and strongly denied that suggestion."Meeting the modern-day needs in our society cannot fall to social workers alone, but their special skills are needed as part of complex care arrangements. The role of para-professionals can help relieve social workers of some of the tasks which don't necessarily occupy their full professional skills."

David Comley, director of social work services in Glasgow, said para-professionals had enabled his council to fill a 40% vacancy gap among social workers in two years.Glasgow now has two "social care workers" to each of its 350 qualified staff, and many of them are studying for social work qualifications themselves.

Recommendations
Services tailored to individuals
More early intervention
National priorities to clarify the social worker's role
Para-professionals to help ease workload on qualified workers
Explicit staff accountability
Stronger role for chief social work officer on councils
More learning from tough cases
More professional autonomy
Better career options and training
Budget and other decision-making devolved to the front line
More leadership training
Annual performance reports
National social work forum chaired by education minister

'Social Care' recruitment drive by DoH

The government has launched a new drive to recruit more people to work in the "caring careers".
The Department of Health (DoH) said there was a growing interest in social work and social care jobs.

Its national recruitment information line received more than 160,000 calls since May 2002 - with 40,000 of these inquiries in 2005.
Seven out of 10 of those who asked about social care work had gained employment in the profession or were looking for a suitable vacancy. More than 4,000 people started the new social work degree in 2004 after it was launched three years ago.
The DoH said research showed a key obstacle to recruiting social workers and care staff was lack of public understanding about what they do.
TV, press and radio ads during February and March will aim to show the diversity of careers and the benefits to workers.
Care Services Minister Liam Byrne said: "The aim of our campaign is to make people think seriously about social work and social care as career options.
"The social care professions play a vital role in caring for vulnerable groups. Social care workers deal with a wide range of clients including young people, older people and people with physical and learning disabilities."
Recently the Government announced plans to register, train and vet more than 750,000 care workers in England who look after vulnerable older people, adults and children. It is hoped that registering care staff, in a similar way to social workers, and making sure they are properly trained will combat problems such as elder abuse.


Social care staff should be on a par with other health workers and entitled to the same professional status as nurses and other healthcare professionals, according to Clare Smith, director of HR at leading disablity disability charity Leonard
"This scheme will herald a major leap in the right direction in recognising the essential contribution that social care staff make to our society," said Smith. "But it needs to be part of a wider effort to make social care a genuine career choice for people across the UK."
"That professionalism must be recognised not only by registration, but by increased investment in the sector to help increase pay, by developing real career paths in social care and by recognising and publicising the incredible work performed by social care workers every day," she added.

We found an interesting report on www.ayrshireblog.blogspot.com about lenient sentencing of child abusers in a case in Scotland. The UK courts must show more seriousness in their sentencing of such criminals. People such as this destroy lives and it is important that the sentencing of child abusers reflects this.