Support through standards

Social work has continued to stay high up the political and media agenda over the last few months. This rising level of interest is a double-edged sword. In some cases, such as the establishment of a government taskforce to look into improvements in practice, and Lord Laming’s progress report on child protection we welcome the positive and long overdue attention that the profession is receiving. On the other hand, with increased scrutiny has also come a negative portrayal of social workers in the media. This has called into question, and undermined the work of a profession that deals with the most intractable problems in our society.

Some of you have asked why the GSCC has not ‘stood up’ for social workers in response to criticism. The answer is simple – as the regulator, rather than a professional body, our role is to drive up standards. We help to raise the standing of social work by ensuring that only suitable people enter the workforce and that those who do not abide by the codes of practice are held to account. The death of Baby P and other tragic cases highlight the importance of a system for investigating potential wrongdoing and taking action where it is found. The overwhelming majority of social workers carry out their duties conscientiously and professionally, we ensure public confidence in their work by being seen to uphold and enforce high standards across the profession.

Those who register with us must understand that they will be under scrutiny if standards are not met. However, we always emphasise that it is a very small minority of social workers that we need to investigate, and we also take every opportunity to promote social work. Later in this edition we detail activities we are organising to mark World Social Work Day, which focus on raising awareness of the challenges involved in social work.

It is heartening to see that so many commentators and high profile figures have berated those who have cast aspersions over social work. In particular, we welcome Community Care’s attempts to defend the profession, which includes an e-petition to the Prime Minister. Let’s hope this marks the beginnings of a sea change in people’s attitudes towards social work and results in greater support for frontline practitioners.

Rosie Varley OBE
GSCC Chair

Feature
The 2020 children’s workforce strategy Who would want to be a social worker in children's services? The recent bad press for social work has discouraged some, but fortunately there are still plenty of people who are attracted to the rewarding role. Furthermore, the GSCC, in tandem with key partners, is working on a package of reforms that we hope will attract more people to the profession - and just as important, retain them.     How we are training social workers In December’s edition, we reported on the social work degree. Since then, we have published our annual report: Raising Standards - Social work education in England 2007-08. This reports on the overall picture of social work education and training for the academic year 2007-2008, based on our role in inspecting the quality of social work education.     Poll reveals social workers feel undervalued ‘Meddling’, ‘Nazis’ ‘bunglers’ – just a few examples of the words used in the tabloid press to describe social workers in recent months. Similar descriptions could also be found in letters to the editor from members of the public.     Setting boundaries Inappropriate relationships between social workers and people who use services have been a consistent theme in allegations of misconduct made to the GSCC, and 40 % of these allegations have been taken through to a conduct committee.     Introducing an online service for registrants We regularly remind you to update your personal details, and of course pay your annual fee. Many of you have pointed out that this would be quicker and easier using the Internet. We have listened, and are pleased to announce the roll out of an online self-service account for GSCC registrants.     GSCC parliamentary reception The GSCC hosted a parliamentary reception on 25 February 2009, which saw over 100 MPs, Peers and representatives from social care organisations gather in the House of Lords to talk about the work of the GSCC and the future of social work.
News
	Social work: making a world of difference By IFSW President, David N Jones Today (17 March) is World Social Work Day, a day to celebrate the contribution of social work to national and community life, recognise its international context and explore the evolving role of social work in a changing world.
	Could you be an Accolades 2009 winner? The Accolades was first launched in 2003 to commend and celebrate best practice in social care workforce development. It was the first awards scheme to reward organisations for the support and development of individuals, rather than rewarding the individuals themselves.
	Draft outcome statements for newly qualified social workers in adult services The Department of Health is working with Skills for Care, the GSCC and SCIE to develop a newly-qualified social worker (NQSW) scheme for social work in adult services. A similar framework is being introduced for NQSWs in children’s services.
	Talk to the media – volunteers wanted! There is no substitute for hearing firsthand experience – newspapers, magazines, television and radio are always on the look out for people to discuss their knowledge and understanding of a story – it’s the personal touch that brings a story to life.
	C4EO launches ‘one stop shop’ for children’s services The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services (C4EO) is a dynamic new organisation, developed for the children’s sector, from the children’s sector.
	Free training resources from SCIE Strong communication and leadership skills are vital for social workers if they are to provide excellent social care, and it is crucial that they continually develop and update their learning in these areas.
	Keep in touch and stay registered! Please let us know promptly of any changes to your contact details. If we need to get in touch we will usually write to you, so we need to know your current address. But it’s also important for us to have an up-to-date telephone number and email address for you, especially as we are increasingly using electronic forms of communication.