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Inquiry Into the State of Social Work Report

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Inquiry Into the State of Social Work Report ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP ON SOCIAL WORK 2013 Inquiry into the State of Social Work report Published by the British Association of Social Workers on behalf of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Work The British Association of Social Workers is the Secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Work Publications More details about the APPG on Social Work are available at: www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/ social-work.htm Contact Details All correspondence should be addressed to: Cat Smith British Association of Social Workers 16 Kent Street Birmingham B5 6RD The telephone number for general enquiries is 0121 622 3911 The APPG on Social Work’s email address is: [email protected] Published 3rd December 2013 Published by the British Association of Social Workers on behalf of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Work 2 CONTENTS www All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Work ............................................................................ 4 Foreword ........................................................................................................................................ 5 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 6 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 7 Summary of recommendations ................................................................................................................ 10 Section One – Child protection social work .................................................................................. 11 The reform agenda .......................................................................................................................................... 12 Is the child protection system fit for purpose? .................................................................................... 12 Social work versus bureaucracy – how IT systems and administration are hampering practice ............................................................................................................................ 13 A better way of working ................................................................................................................................ 14 Ever-increasing pressures on children’s services social workers ................................................ 14 Difficult decisions and unmanageable caseloads .............................................................................. 15 The impact of cuts on child protection services .................................................................................. 16 Better supporting new entrants to the profession .............................................................................. 17 Adoption reforms and securing the best result for children .......................................................... 18 Section Two – Social work with adults .......................................................................................... 19 Social work’s status .......................................................................................................................................... 20 Demonstrating social work value .............................................................................................................. 21 Referrals ................................................................................................................................................................ 22 Protection of the social work role ............................................................................................................ 22 Rising thresholds and increased risk ........................................................................................................ 23 Elder abuse .......................................................................................................................................................... 24 Independent Living Fund .............................................................................................................................. 24 Mental health legislation ................................................................................................................................ 24 Section Three – Wider cultural and workplace challenges .......................................................... 25 Hot desking ........................................................................................................................................................ 26 Car allowances .................................................................................................................................................. 26 Restructuring and service closures ............................................................................................................ 26 Terms and conditions of service ................................................................................................................ 27 Social worker hate sites ................................................................................................................................ 28 Source Material ............................................................................................................................ 29 List of witnesses ................................................................................................................................................ 29 References .......................................................................................................................................................... 30 3 www ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP ON SOCIAL WORK The All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Work was launched on 24 January 2012 following lobbying from the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). Current Membership: Chair Ann Clwyd MP (Labour) Vice Chair Mike Wood MP (Labour) Secretary Hywel Williams MP (Plaid Cymru) Treasurer Peter Bottomley MP (Conservative) Government Peter Bottomley (Con) John Leech (LD) Annette Brooke MP (LD) Baroness V Linklater (LD) John Hemming (LD) Baroness Randerson (LD) Andrea Leadsom (Con) Michael Thornton (LD) Jessica Lee (Con) Henry Smith (Con) Opposition Heidi Alexander (Lab) Natascha Engel (Lab) Dave Anderson (Lab) Paul Flynn (Lab) Baroness H. Armstrong (Lab) Paul Goggins (Lab) Roberta Blackman-Woods (Lab) Nia Griffith (Lab) Tom Blenkinsop (Lab) Julie Hilling (Lab) Jenny Chapman (Lab) Sharon Hodgson (Lab) Ann Clwyd (Lab) Kelvin Hopkins (Lab) Jeremy Corbyn (Lab) Emma Lewell-Buck (Lab) Tony Cunningham (Lab) Steve McCabe (Lab) Jim Dobbin (Lab) John McDonnell (Lab) Frank Dobson (Lab) Madeline Moon (Lab) Frank Doran (Lab) Bridget Philipson (Lab) Julie Elliott (Lab) Mike Wood (Lab) Other Mark Durkan (SDLP) Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru) 4 FOREWORD www ocial workers are among the most essential yet maligned of public servants. They are criticised Sto such an extent that their work is often discussed and their profession roundly disparaged by the public at large. In contrast, little, if anything, is ever heard of their successes. The reality, however, of social work in the United Kingdom, is far from the commonly held public perception. Social work is one of those rare professions where, if you make a mistake, vulnerable children and people suffer, even die. And tragically it happens. But social work is difficult, complicated and time consuming. It is about as far from an exact science as it is possible to get. There is no formula and there are an infinite number of variables compounding the difficulty of every task. While this report does not seek to excuse bad practice or downplay serious errors and mistakes made by practitioners, it does seek to stand up for social workers and look, on their behalf and on behalf of the vulnerable people they serve, at finding ways of improving practice, reducing failings and ensuring everyone can be better served. Reports suggest there are presently three serious case reviews every week in this country. This means social workers and their managers are increasingly spending their time looking backwards, instead of focussing on the vulnerable people they are trained and committed to protecting and assisting. The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and Members of Parliament from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Work conducted an inquiry drawing on the experiences of social work professionals from a range of different fields. In doing so we are seeking to allow for reflection on the broader practices and procedures social workers follow. We seek to offer an objective, informed and constructive insight into social work, but to do so beyond the bounds of individual cases, which sadly is often the only context in which social workers reflect on their practice. We want to enable local authorities, their social services departments and the practitioners themselves to move forward and improve the vital service they provide to the most vulnerable people in our society. At a time of unprecedented cuts to public spending and massive reductions in the funds available to local authorities, the work done by social services departments is more than ever under pressure. This is on top of the more natural, the more usual, pressures that exist within such departments. One witness who gave evidence at our inquiry spoke of new social workers being “cannon fodder”
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