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Why Child Protection Work Needs Advocates Multi-Disciplinary Team Tackling Child Trafficking Extra Support for Newly Qualified S SOCIALWORK magazine MATTERSJUNE2013 Click below to turn page BEYOND OXFORD Why child protection work needs advocates Multi-disciplinary team tackling child traffi cking Extra support for newly qualifi ed social workers ABOUT THE MAGAZINE FROM THE EDITOR, MARK IVORY SOCIALWORK ocial Work celebrating the successes of social workers, and Matters is the their power to make a diff erence that matters MATTERS Snew, digital- in the lives of the people they work with. We only publication of The College of Social will analyse developments in practice, propose Work. Its focus is fi rmly on social workers policies that promote social work’s strengths themselves, their profession and how it can and criticise those that don’t, and consider the develop to meet the challenges confronting implications of new research for practitioners. it. The spotlight will be on policy, practice and Social workers are the heart of this magazine research. – and it will only beat if you contribute your Our own research tells us that social workers ideas for articles. Please do so by sending them want a positive, independent publication in to me at [email protected] which practitioners are prominent, both as Our solemn promise is to write in a clear, contributors and as subject matter. They want accessible way, devoid of the jargon that intelligent comment and stories that refl ect litters so much writing about social work. Since the experience and opinions of social workers this is a digital publication, we’re planning innovating, struggling and succeeding on to make good use of web technology as the the front line. magazine evolves. Here’s our guide to using So we will do what our title promises by your members’ magazine... Thumbnail TO DOWNLOAD the issue to your computer, click on the Options tab navigation on the top toolbar, and select ‘Download offl ine version’. Accessible via TO PRINT either the whole issue or selected pages, Contents tab click on the printer icon on the top toolbar. TOP TIP To make Social Work Matters easier to read on screen, maximise your browser window (press ‘F11’ in Internet Explorer) Digital interactivity To make Social Work Matters as easy UPDATE to use as possible, all interactive elements of content are coloured in INTERVIEW purple. Clicking on any purple item on Previous page/ Show/hide Knowledge & Case Links to other the pages will either take you to other Next page boxed content Study Buttons sections pages or sections, or reveal related e.g. CVs (above) show/hide related content. Examples include: Resources article 2 SOCIALWORKMATTERS JUNE13 Editorial team Editor Mark Ivory Tel: 020 8453 2922 [email protected] June 2013 Sub-editor Mike McNabb Design and Production CPL (Cambridge Publishers Ltd), 275 Newmarket Road, Cambridge CB5 8JE. www.cpl.co.uk Editorial advisory board Suzy Croft (Chair) Richard Barker, Pete Fleischmann, Perdeep Gill, Jill Manthorpe, Ben Martin, Brian Walsh Social Work Matters is a monthly digital-only publication written, commissioned and edited by The College of Social Work for its members. The College of Social Work, 30 Euston Square, London, NW1 2FB. www.tcsw.org.uk Social workers and all those with an interest in the profession are invited OPINION social workers who are trying to to contribute ideas for content. Ideas, Leader column comments and enquiries concerning raise awareness and encourage Professional ownership of roles the publication should be directed to 4 vigilance the editor, Mark Ivory, and tasks [email protected] Daisy Bogg To obtain a regular digital edition of PRACTICE Social Work Matters, you will need to 4 Returning to practice be a member of The College of Social Enver Solomon puts the case for Work. Join The College at At the Sharp End 12 statutory independent advocacy www.tcsw.org.uk 5 Peter Beresford says Norman in child protection cases The College of Social Work is a Lamb’s review into social work professional college developed and . Substance education is asking some big Book reviews led by social workers to set and raise misuse and mental health in practice standards, improve the public questions 15 image of the profession, and shape the the criminal justice system; and policies and procedures under which Madeleine Fullerton critical social work with children social work practitioners operate. 6 Indicative budgets hindering and families The opinions expressed in the editorial personalisation content do not necessarily represent Yvonne Sawbridge examines the views of The College of Social Bloglog Work. Unless specifi cally stated, 16 emotional exhaustion among goods or services mentioned in the 6 Thoughts from The College blog care professionals in light of the publication are not formally endorsed by The College of Social Work, which fi ndings in the Francis report does not guarantee or endorse or UPDATE accept liability for any goods or News from social work Southwark Council in London services featured in this publication. and The College 18 is taking an action learning 7 approach to the newly qualifi ed INTERVIEW social workers’ assessed and supported year in employment. Child traffi cking has gained explains 8 increased prominence in recent Nimal Jude years but relatively few cases With the new NHS reforms now come to services’ attention. 20 in place, Jo Webber looks at how Natalie Valios speaks to two social care can work with health THECOLLEGEOFSOCIALWORKMAGAZINE 3 OPINION Returning to practice FROM THE and the need to know EDITOR hile social work as a profession is, and MARK IVORY will continue to be for a while yet, in Wa state of fl ux it seems that there are hen we launched our Business still many practitioners returning to practice Case for Social Work with Adults after a break away and fi nding that the Wdiscussion paper in December, our learning curve can be just as steep as it is for message was partly about money. At a time newly qualifi ed colleagues. when employers are minded to lay off staff At The College of Social Work our because public sector fi nances are tight, we Knowledge @ The College helpdesk is often wanted to argue that investing now in social asked about how best to prepare for such a work saves money later. That is still true and return. The themes are usually very similar, plans are afoot to build on the business case such as getting up to date with practice in a so that no employer can aff ord to ignore the rapidly changing landscape. economic arguments. Keeping up to date with policy, law But that’s not the end of it, as our and emerging evidence can be a business case itself emphasises. There’s Keeping challenge for those of us who have also the issue of what social workers up to date consistently been in touch with should be employed to do as a matter with policy, law practice, let alone those who haven’t. of good practice. So we, as social work’s and emerging I am part of a team commissioned professional college, are setting out in evidence can be by the Department for Education to detail what social workers should be a challenge revise the previous returner training employed to do, whether they are in programme into a more fl exible open- adults’ or children’s services. learning package. Too many employers – local authorities The preparation for this project has given in particular – are unclear about the proper me pause to refl ect on what, as a social role of social workers and are too ready to worker, you absolutely need to know. And my replace them with other-qualifi ed or non- conclusions? Well, it depends on whom you qualifi ed staff . That shouldn’t happen, and ask, but knowing where to look and how to an important step to making certain it access the resources people need is often far doesn’t is that the profession generates and more valuable than having a vast array of takes ownership of its own roles and tasks. specialist knowledge in any given area. For this reason, we’d like as many College Social workers are advocates, befrienders, members as possible to respond to our commissioners, counsellors, development current consultation. Our “Advice Note” on workers, assessors and offi cers of the state roles and tasks goes well beyond the basic – the roles we play are as broad as we are, legal duties of social workers to take account and it is the generic skills and values, for of the growing body of evidence that they which the Professional Capabilities are invaluable in all sorts of settings where Framework sets out the expectations, they are now under-used. that I believe are the important Social workers are proud of the part they elements of a social worker’s toolkit. have to play in the lives of people who Everything else you can learn, look up use services and they have a right to be or ask. protective of it. This is a chance to show employers why social work matters. Daisy Bogg is practice development Advice Note: Roles and Tasks Requiring adviser at The College of Social Work Social Workers (consultation document). and an independent social worker 4 SOCIALWORKMATTERS JUNE13 CONTENTS UPDATE INTERVIEW PRACTICE BOOKS User view from Peter Beresford oing by the adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t mend There are widespread concerns for the future of it’, it doesn’t look as though this government social work with adults already among practitioners Ghas a lot of faith in social and service users. Social work education, into which workers have a vital and unique social care minister Norman contribution to make in relation Lamb has recently announced a to disabled people, older review.
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