Are the lines between education and social work blurring?

Few would argue that the role of a social worker can be an incredibly challenging one. As many of you who work with families in crisis will know, the media spotlight can often shine brightest when things go wrong.
 
According to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan a sea change is needed in the way that social work is seen in this country. She outlined a raft of reforms in her recent speech at the National Children and Adult Services conference designed to help champion excellence in social care.

It occurred to me on reading the speech that social care and teaching have many parallels. Children often need wide-ranging support to help them to learn effectively so schools have a duty to provide good pastoral care. For some of the most vulnerable children in society, the specialist support of a social worker may be needed to help the family unravel and deal with the challenges they face.

But a more joined-up approach has increasingly become the key focus for ensuring children and their families get the right help at the right time to overcome what can, for some, be a multitude of complex difficulties.

Knowing when things change

When a child’s progress or concentration in lessons starts to drift, their school will step in to help. In good schools, teachers are more likely to scratch a little deeper to explore reasons why this could be happening. A child who suddenly starts to fall behind with their homework might be a cause for concern, but having a bit more detail about their family situation could reveal that their time is frequently taken up caring for a relative who is elderly or unwell.

This approach can work both ways. If you are a social worker involved with a child at risk, finding out from their school that their attendance has begun to dip, or their behaviour is suddenly becoming a worry might alert you to an issue at home that needs to be addressed. When more timely information is available to the different professionals working with children and families, they get a clearer picture of what is going on and are in a much better position to make good decisions about what help might be needed to improve their lives.

Working together

The "team around a child" approach has brought more and more services together – social care, schools, health and the police – and the early help agenda is changing the way we tackle the problems that vulnerable families experience.

Gone are the days when a child or an issue is dealt with in isolation too. There is a growing recognition that a holistic view is the best starting point for providing effective and sustainable support sooner. This means all professionals being aware of the raft of issues having an impact on the life of the child, not just those relating to their own team.

It seems this need is being recognised at government level too. Closer liaison between the departments for health and education has resulted in new guidance to help teachers spot the difference between bad behaviour and underlying mental health problems, for example.

There may be some of you working with children and families who feel that the lines of responsibility between social workers and school staff are becoming increasingly blurred. But could this just be a reflection of the growing need for strong partnerships to exist between the different professionals committed to giving more children the chance to live healthier, happier lives?

Phil Neal is managing director at Capita One