Reading the news today about social workers' pay & conditions made me even more concerned about the implementation of the Munro recommendations. Because although most social workers (especially those like me who qualified some time ago) would welcome the proposed shift away from reliance on forms and ‘bureaucracy' back towards giving more weight to drawing upon experience and professional judgement - we still have to be concerned about the impact of these changes in a climate of cuts and uncertainty.
The same goes for the new fostering regulations and standards. Again, as someone who was very involved in the consultation and campaigned for improving the quality of foster care for children and young people with formal recognition and respect for carers, I do believe that on paper they are a move in the right direction. But. If they are to be meaningful and make a real difference they clearly require a confident, well trained and supported workforce who communicate well with children and treat foster carers as part of the team. Without doubt there are some excellent social workers who are doing this already. Are there enough though? How do we encourage the ones who do it well to keep going? And how can we make sure that all future practice is shaped by these high standards?
The College of Social Work appears to be most concerned with improving the public image of the profession. Yet surely it shouldn't only be about the way things look....Helping people who've never had contact with social workers or the care system to understand why we need these services and why they must be well resourced can be an uphill struggle involving a commitment to challenging stereotypes and prejudice. So it will always involve taking a position and being political. In fact, speaking out to highlight contradictions or the unintended consequences of government policies and initiatives can make you very unpopular. But if the bodies who claim to represent the profession won't do it - who will?
