Social workers criticise Care Review over 'blame culture'
Fiona Simpson
Monday, June 21, 2021
Social workers have told the Care Review to avoid “blaming” practitioners for gaps in the children’s social care system following the publication of its first report.
The Case for Change was published last week, laying out the priorities of review chair Josh MacAlister in reforming children’s social care in England.
Read more:
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Care Review: Six things we learnt from the Case for Change
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Care Review lays out key reforms for ‘shaky’ social care system in first report
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Case for Change: Sector responds to Care Review’s first report
The report hails social workers as social care’s “greatest asset” but adds that in practitioners’ day-to-day work “process continues to dominate over direct work with families, and decision making and risk assessment are too often underpinned by a lack of knowledge”.
“In many cases, social workers have not acquired the knowledge to properly identify and assess risk,” it states.
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) has urged MacAlister to “avoid re-iterating a government ‘blame culture’” around the workforce.
In its response to the report, BASW states: “While scrutiny of social worker practice is welcome, the review needs to avoid re-iterating a government ‘blame culture’ and negative narratives around a workforce that has tirelessly worked pre and during the pandemic to deliver support, compassion and kindness to children and families hand in hand with undertaking assessments and safeguarding investigations in challenging circumstances.”
Others have criticised the Case for Change on Twitter over claims it “patronises” practitioners.
One children’s safeguarding professional wrote: “What’s being said in these statements is extremely patronising and disrespectful to all the very knowledgeable and experienced practitioners around the country.”
A social worker specialising in mental health added: “The hardest thing for me to see, being someone who hasn’t followed the review into children’s social care too closely, is how cyclical this all becomes. Blaming social work isn’t new. Changing social work isn’t new. There’s a lack of courage in changing the big stuff. Blame is easy.”
Matthew Tagg, a children and families social worker, argued that “consistency of social work would improve with working conditions and increased funding”.
He said of the report: “Whilst it felt pretty damning as usual of social work at least it brings attention to the issue.”
Charlotte Ramsden, president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, added: “Social workers operate within a strict legislative framework and under intense scrutiny from many different angles. Yes, the workforce must be empowered to make the best decisions for children and families, but appropriate and measured checks and balances are also needed to support this life-changing work, which can be absolutely transformative for children and families. For too long external influences have driven risk-averse cultures and we need to challenge this.”
Others have likened the review's comments on social work to those made in a Blueprint for Children’s Social Care, published in 2019, which advocates for social workers to spend 80 per cent of their time with families.
Joe Hanley, lecturer in social work at the Open University, said: “Despite some placating sentiments, the Care Review’s Case for Change also makes a number of sweeping statements about the poor quality of social workers (and their decision making) consistent with MacAlister's previous work.”
Carolyne Willow, director of children’s rights charity Article 39, added: “The content on social worker supervision, social workers leaving direct work with children and young people and new models of social work chimes with Frontline’s Blueprint published in 2019 (authored by the review’s chair).”
In response to the report, the Social Work Union is backing calls for the profession to be celebrated on social media through the hashtag #SocialWorkAtItsBest alongside positive stories of social work.
In a tweet shared by the union, social worker Sophie Ayers wrote: “In a positive step forward, from the profoundly difficult week for the social work profession, due to the interim report published by Josh MacAlister. We would like to promote the following hashtag on Monday: #SocialWorkAtItsBest.”
