Death of second social worker sparks fresh call for PPE
Nina Jacobs
Friday, April 24, 2020
Social work leaders have renewed urgent calls for practitioners to be given personal protective equipment (PPE) following news of the death of another social worker from coronavirus.
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) said it was deeply saddened to learn that Muhammad Islam, who worked for Birmingham’s Children’s Trust, had died after contracting Covid-19.
News of his death comes as Liverpool City Council said on Thursday a children’s services worker had also died after being infected with the virus.
-
Coronavirus: Social workers forced to make ‘DIY protection kits’ for visits
-
Why we changed careers to work with children
BASW said the loss of Islam, together with that of another social worker in Southwark who died from coronavirus last month, were the only social worker deaths known to have been reported.
“Dreadfully, we don’t know how many others there are, or how many social workers are suffering from the virus right now,” said BASW chief executive officer Ruth Allen.
Paying tribute to Islam, Allen said social workers were part of a “tight-knit” community and the tragic news had hugely affected the sector.
“We send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Muhammad,” she said.
Allen said BASW would continue its efforts for all frontline social workers delivering support to communities to get the PPE they needed to ensure they were protected and could, in turn, protect the vulnerable families they were supporting.
“What we do know is that social workers continue to work tirelessly, knocking on doors, delivering vital services out in communities, and thus, like their health colleagues, are at greater personal risk,” Allen added.
Andy Couldrick, chief executive of Birmingham Children’s Trust, said Islam was a well-respected and highly valued member of the care leavers’ team who supported many young people in Birmingham.
“Muhammad was passionate about providing the best care for young people and he will be sorely missed by his colleagues and the young people he supported.”
BASW issued a call for PPE, including masks, overalls and hand sanitiser, to be provided to social work teams at the beginning of April after it emerged staff had been forced to make their own.
News of Islam's death came hours before Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced testing for Covid-19 would be available for all key workers, including social workers, teachers, health visitors and childcare practitioners, and their families as of today (24 April) through a new online portal.
Key workers can enter their details and will then receive a text or email the same day inviting them to either book an appointment at one of more than 30 drive-through testing sites across the country, or receive a home testing kit, the government said.
