Baby P – a professional approach to tragedy

A warm welcome to your third, but my first issue of Social Work Connections, the GSCC’s quarterly newsletter.

I am new to the GSCC – I started as Chair on 1 November – and lead a Council of ten members, who meet six times a year and determine the GSCC’s strategic direction. I feel fortunate to join the GSCC at a time when social care is firmly on the national policy agenda, and radical changes are afoot to bring choice and control to people who use services and to ensure a system equipped to deal with an ageing population. I firmly believe that social care workers will play a critical part in making this a reality.

My first few weeks have been largely dominated by the tragic case of Baby P, which again focuses the country and the national media on the work and professionalism of social workers.

We are conducting enquiries into whether the actions of social workers involved in the case have any bearing on their suitability to remain on the register. However, we do not yet know if there has been misconduct on the part of any social workers, and until the facts are clear, it is important that all professionals involved in this case are treated fairly, with understanding and are not prejudged.

Cases like Baby P highlight just how challenging social work can be. This is why all social workers are trained professionals, who are required to register with the GSCC – and who can be held to account if they are found to have breached the standards set out in the GSCC’s code of practice. We expect all registrants to meet these standards and it is important to emphasise that tens of thousands of social workers successfully work to these rules every day.

The GSCC is also the regulator of social work education and training, and this case further underlines the need for high quality support and training, which cannot guarantee that tragic cases like this will not happen, but can help reduce the risk. However, training is not a substitute for experience and the support social workers receive on the job is crucial.

Rosie Varley OBE
GSCC Chair

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Feature
Messages from conduct hearings 'I never thought of social workers doing bad things before. I've always thought of them like doctors and nurses. You know... really good, caring people who want to help people like me...' Read more » Update on the social work degree The degree in social work was introduced in 2003 to improve the supply, quality and status of social workers. Five years on, government and some employers have raised questions about whether all social work graduates are confident and competent to practise in a rapidly changing workplace. Read more » Learning together to safeguard children The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has launched a 'systems approach' to learning from serious case reviews (SCRs). Read more » Post-registration training and learning Keeping skills and knowledge updated is absolutely essential for all social workers. Most of us would be pretty unhappy if we knew that we were being treated by a doctor who had made no effort to keep informed about new medical knowledge. People who depend on social work support need to know that their worker understands the latest research and is informed about the good practice that is constantly developing in fields like mental health, foster care, palliative care and safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. Read more » Personalisation: a rough guide Personalisation is at the centre of the vision to transform adult social care. It means starting with the individual; responding to their preferences and needs with appropriate services, rather than making everyone fit into an existing service. The aim is to give people more choice and control over their lives and the care they receive. Read more » Notifiable Occupations Scheme The Notifiable Occupations Scheme covers professions or occupations that carry special trust or responsibility. Read more » Social care bodies under the microscope The Department of Health has recently commissioned a review of three workforce delivery agencies providing support, regulation, training and research in social care: the GSCC, the Social Care Institute for Excellence and Skills for Care. Read more »
News
Update on post-qualifying courses Studying for an approved post-qualifying award is an ideal way to develop the specialist knowledge and skills for undertaking more complex work and keeping up to date with policy and practice development. Read more »
Proposals for newly qualified social workers The Options for Excellence report, published at the end of 2006, set out a range of proposals for improving the support given to the social work workforce. Government welcomed the report, and a key recommendation – ensuring that social workers who have just qualified and who are starting their first job get extra support – is now being taken forward by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and by Skills for Care (SfC). Read more »
Skills for Care Accolades 2008 The Skills for Care Accolades celebrate outstanding achievement in social care workforce development. The awards ceremony took place on 7 November, with the GSCC sponsoring the award for best involvement of people who use services and/or carers in developing social care. Read more »
	Change of details Don't forget to let us know as soon as possible if any of your details change. We need up-to-date contact details so that we can get in touch with any important information throughout the year. Read more »
	Newsflash – message to social workers We are looking for the perspectives of people who use services on the articles in Social Work Connections and their thoughts on current issues. Read more »