JUST A THOUGHT ON - 'SURVIVING SOCIAL WORK. PART 8.

 

And, in the case of the involved social worker and other social work staff, they, also, would have their 'social services agency support subsystem, and interagency subsystem, such as the 'core group.'

Of course,  irrespective of what the expectations are, or what senior managers and politicians might say.  

The occasions when a social worker or social services team or departments will have sufficient amount of the relevant resources to perform their work competently, is either rare or never or both. 

This is, after all, a service sector where the demand has already, and will always exceed the service's capacity and ability to meet it. Social services.

Which is probably why I will, occasionally, if not often, find myself thinking that the social work/social services industry needs to be applying more innovation and technology to how they operate. 

As well as ensuring the safety of the children and families whose safeguarding and welfare they are charged with, social work professionals need to have their own safety secured. 

This will or should involved, in the relevant cases, two workers visiting the families of children who have or are at risk of suffering significant harm. 

This would, in the first instance, enable the worker visiting the family to feel safer than one worker would or might have felt, visiting on his/her own. 

And, secondly, it would remove or reduce any fears they might have or perceived members of the child's family to pose toward their safety.  

Thereby enabling them to more appropriately and thoroughly apply themselves to assessing the situation they are presented with on their visit, and how they might better meet the child's and families needs. 

As the saying goes; two pairs of eyes, two pairs of ears and two brains taking in and analysing information, are more likely to be better than only one set. 

To be continued!