Comments on: What will Lord Laming have found? http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2009/03/what-will-lord-laming-have-found_11.htm Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:02:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: AM http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2009/03/what-will-lord-laming-have-found_11.htm/comment-page-1#comment-1741 AM Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:22:00 +0000 http://localhost/wp28/?p=2125#comment-1741 Social workers perform an invaluable service. They are much maligned but in the Baby P case the damage was largely self-inflicted. Sharon Shoesmith's arrogance guaranteed severe censure. And the request to give Mommy Dreadful access to the child born in jail beggared belief. Social workers perform an invaluable service. They are much maligned but in the Baby P case the damage was largely self-inflicted. Sharon Shoesmith’s arrogance guaranteed severe censure. And the request to give Mommy Dreadful access to the child born in jail beggared belief.

]]> By: cb http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2009/03/what-will-lord-laming-have-found_11.htm/comment-page-1#comment-1740 cb Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:02:00 +0000 http://localhost/wp28/?p=2125#comment-1740 Social Workers and Medical Professionals and Health Visitors and Police and Hospital staff - but the focus is on the social workers solely. <br/>Without doubt choices have to be made and where should the buck lie? With Haringey who are forced to employ any social worker who responds to the job adverts - or those who might be working in a less than healthy culture. Of course the culture of a working environment affects the front line workers. If managers are slack and defensive, it is not an environment in which positive social work can be explored and created. That is what we need to work towards but the 'we' is becoming narrower as it becomes so fashionable to bash social workers at every possible opportunity. <br/>I don't work in Haringey. I don't know the specific details and am perhaps, extrapolating out from one tragic situation where clearly mistakes were made. I will not justify mistakes - rightly, the social workers involved are being investigated by the GSCC just as the doctors have been by the GMC. It is the trial by media though that seems to be exclusively reserved for the social work profession as a whole that I find more difficult to understand. <br/>I don't expect anyone to care because ultimately until these tragic cases come to light, no-one much cares for the recipients of social work input. Social Workers and Medical Professionals and Health Visitors and Police and Hospital staff – but the focus is on the social workers solely.
Without doubt choices have to be made and where should the buck lie? With Haringey who are forced to employ any social worker who responds to the job adverts – or those who might be working in a less than healthy culture. Of course the culture of a working environment affects the front line workers. If managers are slack and defensive, it is not an environment in which positive social work can be explored and created. That is what we need to work towards but the ‘we’ is becoming narrower as it becomes so fashionable to bash social workers at every possible opportunity.
I don’t work in Haringey. I don’t know the specific details and am perhaps, extrapolating out from one tragic situation where clearly mistakes were made. I will not justify mistakes – rightly, the social workers involved are being investigated by the GSCC just as the doctors have been by the GMC. It is the trial by media though that seems to be exclusively reserved for the social work profession as a whole that I find more difficult to understand.
I don’t expect anyone to care because ultimately until these tragic cases come to light, no-one much cares for the recipients of social work input.

]]> By: AM http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2009/03/what-will-lord-laming-have-found_11.htm/comment-page-1#comment-1739 AM Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:25:00 +0000 http://localhost/wp28/?p=2125#comment-1739 No matter what the failings of government approach, the structural limitations, policy constraints, too many people given pencils with erasers at each end, social workers could still have saved the life of Baby P with the minimum of effort. No matter what the failings of government approach, the structural limitations, policy constraints, too many people given pencils with erasers at each end, social workers could still have saved the life of Baby P with the minimum of effort.

]]> By: cb http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2009/03/what-will-lord-laming-have-found_11.htm/comment-page-1#comment-1738 cb Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:45:00 +0000 http://localhost/wp28/?p=2125#comment-1738 I don't think Haringey is unique with regards to a lot of these concerns. I think the formation of Childrens' Services has pushed the social services into the shade as while education is a clear vote-winner - social work is the preserve of 'other people'. Noone is particularly interested in the issues or funding for social workers until things go very wrong as they did and probably still do in Haringey. But it is a national problem which has been exacerbated by nationally imposed policies. The targets, the being-chained-behind-desks are all endemic in social services departments nationally as we (yes, I'm a social worker!) are being pushed to meet the targets by councils that are chasing meaningless stars at the expense of being given the time to provide the quality levels of support which we want to. <br/>I think the results of the report are somewhat predictable. I hope the central government has the guts to actually try to understand social work a bit better although I can't honestly believe it as long as they look to The Sun for political guidance. <br/><br/>What I want? Is for politicians to take social work seriously rather than using us as political footballs to do the work noone else wants to do and insult us in the process. I don’t think Haringey is unique with regards to a lot of these concerns. I think the formation of Childrens’ Services has pushed the social services into the shade as while education is a clear vote-winner – social work is the preserve of ‘other people’. Noone is particularly interested in the issues or funding for social workers until things go very wrong as they did and probably still do in Haringey. But it is a national problem which has been exacerbated by nationally imposed policies. The targets, the being-chained-behind-desks are all endemic in social services departments nationally as we (yes, I’m a social worker!) are being pushed to meet the targets by councils that are chasing meaningless stars at the expense of being given the time to provide the quality levels of support which we want to.
I think the results of the report are somewhat predictable. I hope the central government has the guts to actually try to understand social work a bit better although I can’t honestly believe it as long as they look to The Sun for political guidance.

What I want? Is for politicians to take social work seriously rather than using us as political footballs to do the work noone else wants to do and insult us in the process.

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