Social Work News - Summer 2022

The magazine for social workers, by social workers

SOCIAL WORK NEWS SUMMER 22

BEING A SOCIAL WORKER IS AMAZING

THERE IS NOTHING ELSE I WOULD RATHER DO

IN THIS ISSUE...

COLUMNISTS:

08

BEING A SOCIAL WORKER IS AMAZING, THERE’S NOTHING I’D RATHER DO

10

SOCIAL WORKERS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO HAVE NAPS DURING THE DAY

Child protection expert, Vince Peart, reveals why he chooses to focus on the success stories and ‘wow’ moments that make social work an amazing sector to work in.

Social worker, Matt Bee, explores the science behind the snooze, and explains why he believes all local authorities should be supporting the idea of a productive power nap.

14

REMOVING A CHILD ALWAYS BREAKS MY HEART, NO MATTER HOW OFTEN I DO IT

36

I KNOW I’M ONLY 17, BUT THIS IS WHY I KNOW I WANT TO BE A SOCIAL WORKER

Millie Glass takes us inside the head of a child protection officer during one of their toughest duties, and explains why it will never be ‘just another day on the job’ for her.

“I have been warned by lots of people - most of them social workers - to pick an easier career, but I’m going into it with my eyes wide open.” - Social Work Confessions

05

The Ultimate Social Workers Playlist!

12 ASK THE PANEL What is the best piece of advice you would give a new social worker? We put the question to our expert panel of experienced social workers, and this is what they had to say...

26 FEATURE

Every wondered if it’s time for you to be taking a step onto the first rungs of the managerial ladder?

Here are 6 signs you’re ready to become a social work manager - how many have you spotted?

32 CPD READ

Do you truly know the difference between ‘disclosure’ and ‘allegation’? Social Work Sorted breaks down the two common terms, and explains why it’s so important they are not mixed up.

34 DISNEY FANS

Have you looked at these fan favourites through a social work lens? We take a closer peek at the qualities that we think prove these Disney characters would make awesome colleagues.

23 ASHLEY JOHN-BAPTISTE

The BBC journalist reveals how his social worker’s decision to go above and beyond for him changed his life for good.

44 THE DEBATE

11 years after HMRC set the mileage rate, and with no reviews in sight, we asked our social work community: is 45p a mile still enough to cover work mileage costs? This is what they had to say...

03

EDITOR’S FOREWORD Thank you social workers. I know you don’t hear that often enough and, after 18 months as Editor of Social Work News, I know exactly how much you deserve to hear it.

As our Summer 2022 issue goes to print, I feel it’s important to acknowledge the incredible work being done by you all, every day, to ensure children are protected, adults are supported, and nobody is left alone.

In the past few years, this profession has dealt with a lot. Two years of a pandemic that brought the world to its knees - and many of us along with it - political and economic upheaval, and a terrifying and troubling war that has sent shockwaves around the globe. All of those things impact on the work being done quietly, in homes and offices across the country, and indeed the world, by social workers like you.

We’ve seen social workers going above and beyond for the families in their care. We’ve seen social workers brushing up on their basic Ukranian, pooling resources, and lining up practical aid to help care for thousands of refugees. We’ve seen social workers doing their best to manage their own anxieties and mental health, while watching out for those most vulnerable members of our - and other - societies.

We know you do this with enormous dedication, and little recognition, because social work is a calling. We’ve seen how you live and fight for that good outcome, for every child and adult. And so, to the thriving community of social workers across this planet, we say: your work matters, and it does not go unnoticed. We say thank you.

28 YOUR DREAM JOB

In this four-page guide, crammed with expert insights and tips, social care manager Tilly Baden outlines everything you need to know to find the right job, make the perfect application, and ace the interview.

XX

PRESS@MYSOCIALWORKNEWS.COM @MYSWNEWS

P14

MEET OUR SUMMER COLUMNISTS! We take pride in being the voice of social workers and in this issue, we’re featuring some of our favourite contributions, from those working on the frontline...

P26

P08

P32

P46

P22

Millie Glass’s first article for Social Work News was an open letter to Boris Johnson, in which she asked him to stop supporting a narrative that opportunies were being ‘missed’ in social work, and admit instead that resources were inadequate, adding: “You perpetuate the idea that services ‘fail’ rather than that they are broken by successive government cuts spanning decades.” This article, one of our most popular of 2021, cemented this opinonated columnist’s popularity with our SWN audience.

Since then, our newest addition has used her weekly column to write with refreshing honestly and openess in support of social workers, and about the challenges they face, gaining her thousands of loyal readers, and - more recently - an invitation to share her views on Good Morning Britain.

Millie, a frontline children’s social worker, represents what Social Work News is all about - social workers sharing their voices and opinions, loudly and proudly.

Social work manager Tilly Baden has drawn on her vast experience and expertise to create this issue’s fourpage guide into finding, applying, and interviewing for your perfect social work role, laden with tips to help you land that dream job. Her regular columns for mysocialworknews.com are firm favourites with our audience, whether she’s exploring which Disney characters would make awesome social workers, breaking down the importance of good social work practice right to the grave, or explaining why she’s launched ‘bring your pet to work day’ at her own office. (Yes, really - she’s a

much-loved social work manager!)

Child protection expert, and SWN’s consultant editor, Vince Peart is no stranger to writing about social work.

His gritty and gripping reads for mysocialworknews.com include ‘How to talk to your children about the war in Ukraine,’ ‘The impact that witnessing domestic abuse has on children,’ and ‘What happens to children in the womb shapes their entires lives.’

This issue, he does us proud by calling for social workers to share their positivity for the profession, their love for the work they do, and the true impact of this incredible sector.

Social Work Sorted’s #TheoryThursday columns are heavenly CPD nuggets, injected with plenty of advice and insight, and a healthy dose of humour.

Her ‘guide to...’ articles have broken down everything from disclosure vs allegation, and shadowing, to writing case records, and where you should sit on home visits. And she’s showing no signs of slowing! Her realistic advice, steeped in experience, is likely to make your work easier - whether you’re a student or NQSW, or have been doing the job for years.

Adult social worker Matt Bee’s columns offers a filter-free insight into the realities of adult services, with reads such as: ‘Should a social worker help a client to find love?’ ‘Why do we care more about the death of a child than the death of an adult?’ and ‘What if I don’t want to be a social work manager?’ Affectionately known as SWN’s Victor Meldrew for his cynical responses to our weekly ‘Ask The Panel’ questions, Matt has no problem saying what we’re all thinking!

THE ULTIMATE SOCIAL WORKER PLAYLIST - AS VOTED FOR BY YOU! So many of you out there are Under Pressure; we understand that sometimes Everybody Hurts, and we all need a little Help! When you feel like you’re Going Slightly Mad, we’re here to remind you to Hold On. Search for The Ultimate Social Worker Playlist on Spotify this summer, whether you’re driving between assessments and visits, or knocking out a little air guitar in the office!

Tell yourself: I Will Survive. I’m Still Standing. I Get Knocked Down...But I Get Up Again.

1. Livin’ On A Prayer - Jon Bon Jovi

26. A Hard Day’s Night - The Beatles

2. The Climb - Miley Cyrus

27. We Can Work It Out - The Beatles

3. Imagine - John Lennon

28. I’m Going Slightly Mad - Queen

4. Stronger - Kelly Clarkson

29. When You Believe - Whitney Houston

5. Under Pressure - David Bowie

30. Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley

6. I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston

31. You Can’t Always Get What You Want - Rolling Stones

7. Everybody Hurts - REM

32. Here I Go Again - Whitesnake

8. Help! - The Beatles

33. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship

9. I’ll Be There For You - The Rembrandts

34. Hold On - Wilson Phillips

10. I’m Still Standing - Elton John

35. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

11. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor

36. Things Can Only Get Better - D:Ream

12. Frolic (Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Luciano Michelini

37. Don’t Give Up - Paris Music

13. Benny Hill - TV Themes

38. 9 To 5 - Dolly Parton

14. Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr

39. We Didn’t Start The Fire - Billy Joel

15. Human - Rag’n’Bone Man

40. Don’t Stop Believin’ - Journey

16. Insomnia - Faithless

41. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield

17. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

42. House Of Fun - Madness

18. Let It Go - Idina Menzel

43. One Way Or Another - Blondie

19. You’ll Never Walk Alone - Gerry & The Pacemakers

44. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

20. Beauty In The World - Macy Gray

45. On The Road Again - Willie Nelson

21. Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees

46. Something Inside So Strong - Labi Siffre

22. We Are The Champions - Queen

47. Stand By Me - Ben E. King

23. Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor

48. Geraldine - Glasvegas

24. Simply The Best - Tina Turner

49. Always Look On The Bride Side Of Life - Monty Python

25. All By Myself - Celine Dion

50. Hurts 2B Human - P!nk ft Khalid 05

S

ummertime has officially arrived, with the heavenly aroma of BBQ and the sounds of children splashing Millie Glass in paddling pools emanating from many of the gardens I pass by on the way to complete my visits.

For many, the summer of 2022 will provide an opportunity to spend time with family and friends - never again to be taken for granted - enjoying the glorious sunshine.

For social workers, however, this merriment is preceded by what has been (unaffectionately) dubbed ‘hell week’ by my colleagues and I - the week before the schools break up, when an influx of referrals into the inboxes of front door teams everywhere will find social workers with 99 problems, none of which have a flake on top.

Ultimately this means that instead of running a mile a day to tone up my summer body, my mind will be busy running a mile a minute as I try to make sense of genograms with more interconnecting lines than a map of the London Underground, chronologies with a word count equal to War and Peace, and a caseload that is expanding faster than my waistline.

With school out for the summer, it is no surprise that safeguarding takes priority for the teachers who have spent the academic year monitoring students welfare, and supporting families without statutory involvement.

THE WARMER DAYS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PROFESSIONAL OVERSIGHT AND, AS TEMPERATURES RISE, SO TOO DO CASELOADS. With many families having been supported through the academic term by schools, early help finds itself stepping in as a substitute over the summer break to provide continued support with food parcels, finances, and full support for those who require it. Even with the warmer weather providing some respite from soaring energy costs - with more time spent outside, less need for heating, and lighter evenings - the impact of our current cost of living crisis on even the most pivotal of provisions, means these preventative teams may well be in for a long summer.

In my own office, my colleagues and I will be vying for pole position next to the windows (because air conditioning is not a perk of the job) whilst we respond to an increase in alcoholfuelled incidents as a result of the seasonal draw of pub gardens and

07

social events, which each year bring with them an increase in recreational drinking, corresponding with an upswing in referrals. This, combined with the increased stress of having children present without the reprieve of the term-time routine, will find us all needing a holiday, rather than enjoying one.

That being said, with schools not in session, we do find ourselves having more time to spend with families during our working days, and (usually) good weather enables us to promote families to spend quality time together, outside of cramped contact rooms with condensation pressing on the windows.

And although the chances of a summer holiday seem slim, I did raise an observation with my manager that, as overdue visits are usually a cause for outrage, it may be an entirely appropriate use of funding to send me out to Majorca for a day or two, to complete a statutory visit that will be due whilst a family are away…

I WAS, OF COURSE, ADVISED THE BETTER SOLUTION WOULD BE TO COMPLETE ADDITIONAL VISITS EITHER SIDE OF THE FAMILY’S BREAK. Still, I suppose I might be able to catch a bit of a tan on my right arm, if I rest it on the car door whilst driving all over the city.

BEING A SOCIAL WORKER IS AMAZING

THERE IS NOTHING ELSE I WOULD RATHER DO T here is a great deal of doom and gloom surrounding social work. Some of this, sadly, is Vince Peart unavoidable given the nature of our profession. After all, we are tasked with supporting people at what are often the lowest moments of their lives.

Such is the nature of intervening during these moments of crisis that we will inevitably see the worst of our fellow human beings, both in their suffering and in their acts. We do great work but it can, at times, come at a great cost to ourselves, as the daily stresses and strains of the job impact our own wellbeing.

This is not the be all and end all of social work though, despite what the generally prevailing narrative may dictate. Although the political discourse around social work tends to focus upon perceived failings, tragedies, reviews, and promises that ‘lessons will be learned,’ the truth is there are tens of thousands of successes for every single failure. Yet those successes rarely, if ever, gain any sort of political traction, because they cannot be used

as a stick to beat the opposition with.

Behind the political arguments, negative headlines, and toxic campaigns and complaints though, there is a profession that is quietly and humbly doing amazing things that make a real world difference to millions of people every single day, all over the world. These stories of greatness are not ours to tell because they belong to the people that we support, but their untold nature does not make them any less true.

off an entire profession as toxic, corrupt, and inept.

I GENUINELY BELIEVE THAT BEING A SOCIAL WORKER IS AMAZING AND THERE IS NOTHING ELSE I WOULD RATHER DO.

I feel incredibly lucky to be a social worker and there is barely a day that passes when I do not experience a ‘wow’ moment, as I recognise how grateful I am to do this for a living. Most people I speak with feel the same way BEHIND THESE STORIES ARE MANY it is just that those happy stories do not SOCIAL WORKERS WHO ARE HAPPY, make good headlines, abrasive political THRIVING, AND LOVING LIFE. arguments, snappy campaign slogans, or titillating pseudo-intellectual tweets.

Indeed, most of those social workers are far too busy out there making a difference in the world to want to engage with the toxic narrative that the profession is failing or being failed.

That is not to say that our profession is without problems, or that we should simply accept poor practice if we see it - far from it. There is a valid need to strive to improve social work and call for meaningful action on behalf of those we support. However there is a marked difference between suggesting there is work to do and that we could, of course, be doing better, and writing 09

It is a shame that our politicians, journalists, and even some of our own fellow social workers would rather sow negativity for the sake of their own agendas than spend more time showcasing how great social workers are and how great the work we achieve is. Rather than wait for these people to stop singing their sad laments, let us instead apply another social work technique and be solution-focused.

That includes me too of course, so watch this space for many more positive stories about how amazing being a social worker is!

N

apping is good for you. Cats know it. Dogs know it. Babies know it. So, does that mean social Matt Bee workers should be doing the responsible thing, and factoring a daily snooze into their workflow? Hmm, perhaps.

Her colleague - resting her head on her desk, a light spittle pooling from the corner of her mouth and slowly gluing a court report to her cheek - does not.

Put simply, we don’t like the idea of napping on the job no matter what the evidence says. We assume it means a person is lazy and work-shy.

LET’S EXPLORE THE SCIENCE. A STUDY BY NASA FOUND THAT DOZING FOR JUST 26 MINUTES IMPROVED PERFORMANCE BY 34% AND ALERTNESS BY 54%.

After NASA published its findings, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that air traffic controllers should be given nap time to improve their performance. Fatigue had contributed to many fatal air crashes over the years, so this seemed like a very sound idea.

Countless studies say the same thing. In short: there is simply no way, however you look at it, that napping is bad for you or makes you worse at your job. Quite the contrary, in fact.

The then-US Transport Secretary Ray LaHood didn’t think so, though.

He went on record saying workers shouldn’t be paid for sleep – he suggested hiring more managers instead to ensure they stayed awake.

10-20 minutes is not a long time.

What else can you do in that time that bolsters your performance by a third and your alertness by a half? The answer, of course, is ingest mountains of caffeine supplemented with lashings of sugar. In theory this is even better than napping, because you can continue working without stopping.

However, caffeine, sugar, and highfat foods that artificially prop us up when we are tired, don’t address the fundamental problem – that we are tired. You can’t put off the inevitable forever. You’re going to hit the wall.

So there you have it - Albert Einstein believed fervently in taking a nap to keep his brilliant mind in slick, running order. So did JFK, amongst other leading lights.

So why not take a nap?

It comes down to appearances, right?

A worker sitting at their desk chugging an espresso and furiously typing away looks busy, efficient, and dedicated.

11

This highlights a wider problem. We are governed, not so much by science and best practice, but by how things appear.

LET’S BE CLEAR. UNDOUBTEDLY, UNQUESTIONABLY, YOU WILL BE BETTER AT YOUR JOB FOR TAKING A SNOOZE, IDEALLY BETWEEN 1PM AND 3PM WHEN HUMANS EXPERIENCE A NATURAL LULL. Everything in social work these days is about performance management, so you’d have thought that incorporating a 10-20 minute activity - totally free, wholly enjoyable, benefits health and wellbeing, and leaves the worker a third more productive - would be ‘on point.’ And with so many of us homeworking these days, we have easy access to a bed. Who’s going to argue with that?

Probably those who aren’t getting enough sleep, and therefore aren’t thinking clearly.

ASK THE PANEL WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE A NEW SOCIAL WORKER?

TILLY BADEN

MATT BEE

VINCE PEART

Adult Social Care Manager and Best Interests Assessor

Social work trainer, writer, and podcast host

Consultant editor, child protection expert, and independent social worker

“The thing I wish I’d known when I started was how to recognise and deal with burnout. I wish someone had told me that no matter how resilient you think you are, some situations will leave you emotionally exhausted and ready to leave social work for good.

“Whilst it’s perfectly normal to have down days, if you start dreading going into work, or have knots in your stomach every time the phone rings these are signs you are not OK. “We give so much of ourselves to our profession, but the old cliché, ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup’ is so true. If you’re not in the right headspace to deal with all the trauma we are confronted with, you are not going to be effective at your job.

“Talk to people. Stay connected with friends and family. Build a fulfilling life outside of work. Demand regular, good quality supervision. Speak to your doctor if you need to.

“There is no shame in therapy, using mental health services or taking medication. Switch teams or fields if you need to. Do whatever you need to do to for your mental health.

“For some reason, this wasn’t talked about enough at university. We’d had cursory mentions of being resilient and we’d all heard the statistics that most social workers don’t make it past seven years post qualifying, but that was it.

“Maybe it’s better now, and students and lecturers alike feel more comfortable talking about the mental health of social workers. I hope so, but given the dropout rates, I’m guessing it’s not. “It’s OK to not be OK.”

“It’s hard to answer this question without becoming overly sentimental, idealistic, and just a little bit vomit-inducing. I don’t want to embrace a new starter, hold them close, and have an Oprah moment by saying: ‘Be true to yourself.’

Particularly since, I think, this is exactly what I would say to a new social worker.

“Seriously, people always start out their social work careers on the right foot.

They want to make a difference and do the right thing. And then, at some point, they wake up and all they want – all they really, really want – is for there to be less tasks in their inbox.

“Somehow, social work as a modern institution does this. It packages up people’s lives into tasks, stacks them in a pile, and then hands these over to a worker to worry about.

“But don’t worry about those tasks.

Instead, always worry about whatever made you fill out your application form in the first place. Namely: why is the world so unfair, cruel, and unkind to some children and adults? And how do we stand up for them?

“Stick to that starting point and you won’t go far wrong.

“THE MOMENT YOU FIND YOURSELF WORRYING ABOUT THE PAPERWORK MORE THAN THE PEOPLE IS THE MOMENT YOU’VE STOPPED DOING SOCIAL WORK AND STARTED DOING SOMETHING ELSE. “Stay on track. Stay focused on what brought you here. Nobody came here to worry about all the forms.”

13

“There are many things I would like to say here. I would like to talk about burnout, personcentred practice, camaraderie, and humour.

“I would like to mention the importance of a work-life balance, of prioritising risk, and of collaborative working.

However, I will stick to one very simple piece of advice that really did change my entire working life: timeboxing.

“Put simply, timeboxing means allocating blocks of time in your day to specific tasks and doing your utmost to only spend that portion of your day on that task. This means getting rid of your to-do list and, when you have a task, finding a space in your Outlook calendar and scheduling it in before it is due.

“Taking control of my day in this manner has helped me bring some order to the often chaotic world of social work and exert more control over my time.

“Of course there are inevitably times when a crisis will come about or an urgent matter means a total rescheduling of my tasks, but the key thing is that I always find space where I can move work to, and always refine my working to the time allotted.

“Prior to timeboxing I had a long ‘to do’ list that would be constantly scribbled out, rewritten, and rejigged as priorities changed. This cluttered and unrefined way of working resulted in poor productivity on my part. Whilst timeboxing may not be for everyone, it has worked wonders for me and is something that I wish I had known as a newly qualified social worker.”

S

tanding by the side of my car, the chill of the evening starting to set in as I watched a mother strap Millie Glass her child into the backseat, I shivered, not from the night air, but from the weight of the situation.

Hours earlier, we had been the ‘applicant’ and ‘defendant’ in a courtroom, but now the enormity of the order granted was evident.

WHILST SHE ATTEMPTED TO SMILE AT HER CHILD THROUGH HER TEARS, I FOUND MYSELF BITING BACK MY OWN. There was no seminar that could

possibly have prepared me for these situations.

There’s a clear direction in our ethical standards that we should demonstrate compassion, and provide an empathetic response. But in reality, not one thing I could say would lessen the pain of that moment. I couldn’t even reach out to offer a consoling touch.

I was doing the right thing, as far as my professional duty was concerned. The judge saw it that way, the evidencebase supported it, and I’d also felt the same when I was writing my social work evidence template and putting together an interim care plan.

But away from the courtroom and the words on paper, and instead looking at the grief on a mother’s face, you do start to question whether the argument

that you were ‘acting in the child’s best interests’ is really as valid as you claimed. Because ‘doing the right thing’ couldn’t feel closer to doing the wrong thing when recognising the role we have in causing that pain.

DESPITE ALL OF OUR DIFFERENCES, SHE’S A MOTHER, AND I’M NOT; SHE’S FIGHTING FOR HER CHILD TO BE IN HER CARE, AND I’M ADVOCATING TO THE CONTRARY. We were united as two people who just wanted to do the right thing. I couldn’t help but wish that we could agree on the same ‘right thing’ to do.

I also wished that the changes made sporadically could have been sustained. There was six months of early help support, a year of child

in need plans, 18 months of child protection plans, and three months of pre-proceedings under the public law outline in a final effort to keep the family together.

But none of it worked, despite all of my efforts, and despite all of hers.

She is in no way a bad person, and I have never for a moment doubted that she loves her child, but love alone couldn’t provide the safety and security that was so desperately needed. Love couldn’t prevent her child from witnessing distressing and scarring events, or prevent the people intending to cause her harm from doing so. I could be there to try, Monday to Friday, but when I went home there was nobody there to take over, and nobody to protect her, and her child from continued abuse.

“WHICH IS WHY WE FOUND OURSELVES SITTING BEHIND BARRISTERS, RATHER THAN BESIDE ONE ANOTHER. DESPITE THE COURT ORDER, THE EVIDENCE BASE, AND KNOWING THAT WE’D WORKED FOR YEARS TO AVOID THIS HAPPENING, IT DIDN’T MAKE IT ANY EASIER. My colleagues mean well when they tell me to focus on the fact that a child is safe, or that it was the best possible outcome in the long-term. But when I return home, feeling so desperately helpless after the day is complete, this comforts me as inadequately as I was able to comfort her, stood on the side of that road. To know that there is nothing I can do to alleviate the distress of someone I have worked

15

alongside for so long is not easy to overlook.

Social workers are not heartless.

Thanks to the connections we cultivate in our profession, we find ourselves after the decisions are made - party not to proceedings, but to the heartache of those we support. Regardless of how much solace we take in the knowledge that our interventions keep those we work with safe, we are bound to carry out functions that will ultimately cause suffering in order to establish safety; and these two things sit against each other in such a jarring way.

TAKING A CHILD AWAY FROM THEIR PARENT WILL ALWAYS BREAK MY HEART; NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I AM CALLED UPON TO DO IT.

NSPCC Learning is here for anyone who works with children. You can access research and resources, learn about key topics and find training to help you protect children.

Training

Resources

Consultancy

We have a range of elearning courses, live virtual training and face-to-face training.

We keep you up to date with the latest child protection research, policy and practice, and can send you regular safeguarding news.

We provide safeguarding information, guidance, and consultancy services led by child protection experts.

Find out more at nspcc.org.uk/learning

Meet the social worker behind Instagram’s anonymous relationship educator…

LALALALETMEEXPLAIN

I

“PEOPLE SOMETIMES ASK WHEN f you’re a fan of the ‘Gram I STOPPED BEING A SOCIAL (Instagram, to those of us not WORKER, BUT I FEEL AS IF I STILL so in the know…) then the name LaLaLaLetMeExplain is one you may be AM, JUST IN A DIFFERENT WAY,” SHE EXPLAINS WITH A SMILE. familiar with.

The anonymous love, sex and relationship educator has gained a massive following since launching her page back in 2017, bringing her distinct brand of no-nonsense quick wit and fierce female charm to advice and guidance on everything from porn, and abusive relationships, to infidelity, and the realities of dating as a single mum.

Five years on from her first blog, LaLa - as she goes by - is now a Sunday Times Bestselling author, writes a regular column in Okay magazine, and has accrued 210,000 followers, including celebrity fans such as Katie Piper, Winnie Harlow, and Laverne Cox. But what is perhaps lesser known is that Lala is a registered social worker, with 11 years under her belt working as a children and families practitioner for a local authority.

“When I first qualified, in 2007, I’d planned to work in adult services, and had a real interest in work in prisons, and with people with HIV, which were my two placements. However, I ended up making the move to children’s, and simply never left.”

It was here, LaLa explains, that she found herself getting very quickly caught up in the damaging cycle of high caseloads, high stress, and a lack of time and support which leads to burnout in so many social workers, and - she reveals - she was no exception.

“I’d say I encountered burnout early on in my career - from my first week to be honest,” she confirms.

“I had the privilege of working for a few years under a Labour government,

17

and then for a few years under a Conservative government, and the difference was stark. I started as an NQSW with 75 families on my caseload, so it always felt like too much, but then after the Tory government came in, and austerity really hit, it felt almost unmanageable most days. We existed in crisis at all times.

“I remember at my interview, I was really honest about my lack of experience in children’s services. I was told they’d provide a mentor, that I’d have an induction week, and that I’d be shadowing an experienced social worker to begin with. In reality, there was none of that. I turned up, and was thrown in at the deep end.

“These days, I know things are even worse. In 2007, when I started, we had so many resources within our department - a teen pregnancy team, teen drugs team, a team for parents struggling to manage under 5s - but it all just got cut to the point it felt like we were barely functioning, and unless

someone’s head was falling off, we couldn’t help.”

LaLa reveals it was during this time, while working as a social worker and spending her days helping people to identify abuse in their own relationships, that she was first inspired to blog about her own life.

“I was spending my days helping people to leave abusive relationships, and all the while I was dating men who were treating me with ambivalence, who were emotionally abusive, and I wasn’t connecting the dots with what I was dealing with professionally.

“I wasn’t applying any of what I knew to my own life.

“After ending a bad relationship in 2016, I finally had an epiphany, as I realised that I deserved to be treated in the same way that I was spending my days telling other people they

deserved to be treated. It was a lightbulb moment, and I decided to write about how I was feeling.”

Lala began a blog, sharing insights and opinions garnered from both her personal and professional lives, and people quickly began to take notice.

“Suddenly people were reading what I had to say, and sharing it with their friends and colleagues.”

LaLa recalls that that first year was incredibly difficult, as she worked hard to keep on top of her job, care for her son as a single mum, and put in hours each week building LaLaLaLetMeExplain - blogging, and responding to letters and messages from her growing band of followers.

“IN THE END, MY DECISION TO LEAVE STATUTORY SOCIAL WORK IN 2018, AND TAKE THE PLUNGE WITH LALA FULL TIME, CAME

ABOUT QUITE ORGANICALLY, AFTER THE LOCAL AUTHORITY I WAS WORKING FOR UNDERWENT YET ANOTHER RESTRUCTURE - IT’S THIRD IN FOUR YEARS. “Good people were losing their jobs, rubbish people were being made managers, and there was a lot of nepotism. Our team was great, but every time the management changed, they’d start over from scratch, with no interest in the opinions of those of us who’d been there through it all.

“I eventually decided I couldn’t do it anymore. It had been a long time coming.

“For the first year, I never mentioned I was a social worker in my LaLa blogs.

It was only after making the leap to do this full time that I revealed I was a social worker, and suddenly things

really began to take off, as it became clear to people there was some real knowledge and education behind my advice.”

Today, in addition to her blogs and podcasts - many of which can be used by social workers for CPD accreditation - LaLa also holds one-to-one sessions with people who reach out to her, listening to their relationship problems and offering guidance and advice.

“People have very varied needs, and I enjoy working with people to help give them perspective on their situation.

I’m very clear with them that I’m not a therapist, and I pay for supervision of all my calls, which is expensive but important.”

And while she says she always knew her work would see her retain her anonymity, that doesn’t mean it is always the easy option.

“THE REALITY IS, THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHOSE CHILDREN I REMOVED AT COURT, AND I DON’T NEED THEM SEEING MY FACE IN THE MEDIA, OR KNOWING WHERE I AM, AND WHAT I’M DOING,” SHE SAYS. “It does, though, make me feel a bit like I’ve lost my identity sometimes. There are only a small group of friends who know the truth about what I do, and I hate feeling like I’m lying to people when I bump into former colleagues who enquire what I’m doing now, and I can only mutter something vague about ‘doing some consulting work.’

“Lala has had some fantastic success, and as much as I’d like to shout loud and proud about being a Sunday Times Bestselling author, or writing for Okay magazine, my celebrations have to be clandestine and sometimes that can

19

make me feel a bit disconnected.

“Of course I absolutely love what I do now, but I do miss having colleagues, people to sound off to about things, and I miss the fast-paced urgency of the work I did, but not enough to ever want to go back.

“That’s not to say that I wasn’t proud to be a social worker. I’m so proud of the work we do. Maybe one day, the media will stop painting us the way it does, the public’s perception will shift, and we won’t have to feel we have to hide our occupations when we meet people at parties, or during the ‘get to know you’ chat on first dates.

“Until then, to all social workers out there, I would say keep on going. I’ll continue to do my part, shouting loud and proud about how wonderful social workers really are.”

Visitlinktree.com/blockdeletemoveon to buy Lala’s book, priced at £10.39.

1 - SOCIAL WORK IS NEVER-ENDING Our human nature is to see things through and work towards completing tasks. Most jobs require this drive to see projects and tasks through, but social work is different because our ‘projects’ are people’s lives.

Because we can never predict human nature, or direct the actions of others, this makes our work never-ending, no matter how late you work.

2 - INTEREST IN CLIENTS IS IMPORTANT, BUT SO IS INTEREST IN YOUR OWN FAMILY We need to care, and show unconditional positive regard, for those we go to work for, but not at the expense of our own families.

Many colleagues look back and regret missing out on their own children’s lives because of work. Devote time to your loved ones, and nurture those relationships above all else.

3 - MORE TO LIFE THAN WORK When the cost of failure in our jobs is so high, and the pressures so great, it’s

easy to let work consume you, but you are more than just a social worker.

The whole point of work/life balance is that you try to create an even balance - not snatch one hour every night with your family just before bed.

4 - YOU NEED TIME TO SOCIALISE, ENTERTAIN, RELAX, AND EXERCISE You must make time for your own interests and passions, otherwise your life will become faded.

As a vocation, social work can take over your life, and it is natural to spend some of your free time expanding your learning or engaging in activism. This is fulfilling, but relax and enjoy yourself too. Don’t be defined by work.

5 - IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT IF 37 HOURS ISN’T ENOUGH In many workplaces there is a culture of regular unpaid overtime, working into the early hours, and writing reports on a weekend to hit deadlines.

If these situations occur occasionally, and you claim your time back, fine. If this way of working becomes habitual, 21

and the only possible way of working ‘efficiently,’ then you are operating in a toxic environment and need to raise your concerns.

6 - YOU DID NOT STUDY HARD TO BECOME A MACHINE Becoming a social worker can take up to five years of studying and requires a great deal of dedication.

You didn’t work so hard to simply waste away the best years of your life sitting in front of a computer screen every evening. Work hard, but play hard too.

7 - STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND AVOID THE RISK OF BURNOUT Social workers who stand up for their rights, speak out when they are feeling unsafe, and try to get home on time, are much less likely to burn out in the long run.

If you are unpopular with your manager for daring to prioritise your self-care and family, you need to consider whether you want to work in a culture that can only function off the back of burned out employees.

MORE MALE WORKERS IN SOCIAL CARE WILL ENSURE WE’RE NOT REPLICATING TOXIC MASCULINITY TO YOUNG PEOPLE

S

tarting out in the social care sector was an unnerving time for me.

I remember sitting in the waiting Jay Carroll room at my first interview, and a woman in the office saying they were “pleased to see a man apply.” Another woman actually went as far as to say that I would get the job because I was a man, and sure enough, I did.

some very influential women, but I do wonder what impact a larger presence of men would have on kids in care, and on the industry as a whole. For many of the kids I speak to, a positive male role model is something that they are desperately seeking and have been hugely lacking for much of their lives.

I would like to see the negative connotations of a lack of male presence removed, and more work done to get more men into social care.

The presence of male support workers in the homes I run is incredibly beneficial for both the girls and boys I HAD ALWAYS ENJOYED WORKING who come to live there. Sadly, the stats WITH PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY for girls who suffer domestic abuse BUT, AFTER LEAVING COLLEGE, I DIDN’T REALLY FEEL I HAD ACCESS and trauma at the hands of men is very high. This is why I believe it is TO SOCIAL WORK AS A CAREER. imperative for young women to see how a positive male role model can I ended up doing what was seen as ‘the form part of a safe place, and support done thing’ for my gender at the time, them as they begin to make positive and worked as a labourer on a building connections with men in the future. site. I battled these stereotypes, with I ALSO BELIEVE THERE IS MUCH friends referring to my social care TO GAIN FROM YOUNG MALES interests as ‘women’s work,’ for a IN CARE WITNESSING THE long time before eventually taking IMPACT OF TRUSTWORTHY the plunge, and applying to work in MALE ROLE MODELS. support of children and young people.

I am pleased to say that in the 20 years since, I have seen glimpses of improvement in the social care sector, with a steady increase in males joining the industry.

Of course, I wouldn’t be here today without the support and guidance of

There are many common themes that rear their heads in conversations with teenage boys who are in care, and it is usually to do with the relationships they have or would like to have, but because they have had to fight for everything in their lives, or have been

exposed to people using intimidation or violence to get what they want, it can sometimes lead to them mirroring this behaviour with fighting and posturing.

A POSITIVE MALE ROLE MODEL CAN HELP THESE BOYS TO SEE THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS WITHOUT RESORTING TO INTIMIDATION OR VIOLENCE. Throughout my career I have learnt that every interaction with a young person can be used as a learning opportunity.

I feel more opportunities need to be available for careers in care, and more education on how men can enter this fulfilling and deserving sector.

Peer-led and experienced conversations are required for those men, like me, who will experience the challenges of being one of the few males wanting to work in an environment that has traditionally been seen as female-facing.

As someone who communicates my support for others, and demonstrates daily the benefits of leaving behind those toxic masculinity traits, I still get the odd funny look from boys in care, but I remain determined to demonstrate that supporting others is as much a bloke’s thing as it is a women’s thing.

I hope that my actions give one of the boys who witness it the permission, or incentive, to care too.

MY SOCIAL WORKER’S DECISION TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR ME CHANGED MY LIFE”

I

n the months since its release, Split Up In Care: Life Without Siblings has made tidal waves through the industry - provoking a national conversation among social workers, politicians, and those with personal experience.

The BBC documentary, presented by broadcast journalist Ashley JohnBaptiste, explores the lives of children and young people who have been forever changed by the impact of sibling separation while in care.

For journalist Ashley, this is something on which he has unique insight.

Ashley was just two years old when he himself entered the care system, moving between four foster families and a residential care home before leaving care at 18. Having grown up believing himself to be an only child, Ashley reveals he was stunned when,

in his mid-twenties, he was contacted by a man claiming to be his brother.

“It was such a shock,” Ashley recalls.

“I’D BEEN TOLD BY SOCIAL WORKERS THAT I WAS AN ONLY CHILD, SO WHEN MY BROTHER REACHED OUT, I WAS CONFUSED. I READ HIS MESSAGE OVER AND OVER BEFORE RESPONDING.” As Ashley and his brother spoke, they established they had the same dad, but different mothers, and that there were more siblings out there.

Most overwhelming for Ashey was the discovery that his brother lived close by, in the same area.

Despite the discovery, Ashley and his brother didn’t make plans to meet in person, and their first meeting, a few years later, was a chance one - “a

23

serendipitous moment,” Ashley calls it.

“My partner had given birth to our daughter in April of 2020, and we were at the hospital for a check-up when I passed this man near the entrance,” he says.

“I recognised him straightaway, from his pictures on social media.

“I called out to him sheepishly and, to my relief, he recognised me too. We had a really organic exchange, and spoke for what seemed like ages. It felt like we knew each other.

“This happened during lockdown, at a time when a lot of people were reflecting on their lives, and taking the chance to redress things from their past. Meeting my brother for the first time in person sparked all these questions for me. I’d known care experienced people who had been estranged from their siblings,

head to Scotland, where a new law is giving brothers and sisters in care more rights over their relationships than ever before. There, Ashley met with foster “Split Up In Care was the result of that.” carer Karen, who runs a farm where split-up siblings can meet to rebuild While some children in care, like their bonds.

Ashley, grow up completely unaware For the first time ever, cameras were of their siblings, it is more common to find cases of looked-after children who allowed to capture the reunion of five siblings who are living separated, and do know about their siblings, but are see each other two hours every two split up. months.

DESPITE THE LAW SAYING SIBLINGS “Travelling to Scotland, and seeing SHOULD STAY TOGETHER, IF Karen’s initiative was eye-opening,” IT IS SAFE AND APPROPRIATE, Ashley explains.

CURRENTLY AROUND HALF “Karen’s work demonstrated absolutely OF SIBLING GROUPS IN CARE that there’s no reason sibling groups IN THE UK ARE SEPARATED. can’t be in regular contact, even if they’re regions apart. We should be As well as speaking with people rolling out similar initiatives across directly impacted by sibling separation every council in the UK. in care, the documentary saw Ashley and meeting my brother sparked this real hyperfocus for me on the issue of facilitating relationships between siblings in care.

“I’m really pleased to see the documentary sparking conversations.

Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck raised the issue with the children’s minister during a debate in the House of Commons, and I know that’s an ongoing dialogue. Josh MacAllister, who is leading a review of the care system in England, raised it with his review cohort, and the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, went on the Today programme endorsing the need for greater protection for sibling relationships.

“I’ve had thousands of messages and comments from people affected by this, and even social workers from local authorities getting in touch to say they’ve spoken about it in their staff meetings, and it’s triggering new conversations. The impact has been

phenomenal.”

And Ashley says creating the documentary changed forever the way he sees the role of social workers.

“The documentary gave me a great empathy for social workers, because I think it’s easy for someone who’s been through the system to almost vilify social workers, as they’re seen as the ones making the decisions that sometimes impact you so detrimentally.

“Having spoken to them through the course of this, I have such a greater sense of the pressures they face, with ever diminishing budgets and a great rise in children going into care. I really do sympathise with the challenges they face.”

Ashley even credits one of his own social workers with bringing about real change in his life.

“I was expelled when I was seven or eight, and there were quite a few suspensions throughout my school years,” he says.

“BUT I WAS FORTUNATE TO GET GOOD GCSES, AND MY LIFE CHANGED COMPLETELY WHEN I WENT ON TO STUDY HISTORY AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY. That could have all been so different though, if my social worker at the time hadn’t spent her weekend taking me to my Cambridge University open day. It was on a Saturday, and there’s no way I would have gone, aged 16, on my own, if she hadn’t offered to take me. Her decision to go above and beyond to support me in my university aspirations changed my life, and put me on an entirely new trajectory.”

25

In terms of what he would like social workers to take away from Split Up In Care, Ashley says he would ask that they strive to facilitate sibling contact whenever they can.

“Maybe it’s about being a bit noisy in your local authorities, and making sure that the head of children’s services is doing the work to make those contact opportunities available. We must work together to ensure there is a greater investment in the national conversation of how sibling relationships are facilitated,” he says.

“For these young people, their siblings are often their only lifelong relationships - the only relationships that may last once they leave care.

“Giving a looked after child the opportunity to know their brother or sister is life changing.”

S

tepping into the world of social work management can be a daunting prospect.

Before I made the leap, I had so many questions swimming around my head: Will I miss daily face-to-face interaction with clients? How do I supervise experienced social workers who may have been qualified longer than I have? Will I be able to handle the extra pressure and responsibility?

Tilly Baden

information in front of you, sometimes on the spot. There is nothing more frustrating than a hesitant manager.

If you have developed a solid value base, which you can rely on when faced with any ethical dilemma, you may be ready for the responsibility that comes with schemes of delegation and decision-making power.

happens every day alongside professional development. It is incredibly humbling to be part of a person’s journey.

Although I don’t have a caseload as a manager, I often joke that my team are my caseload. Their wellbeing, their development and their achievements are just as important to me as my clients were when I was a frontline social worker.

5 - YOU HAVE IDEAS AND ARE KEEN TO PUT THEM INTO PRACTICE

The truth is, it’s a big decision, so here are six clues to look out for that could indicate the time is right for you.

3 - YOU YEARN FOR A NEW CHALLENGE

Do you ever find yourself thinking, if only I was in charge, I would do X, Y and Z? As a manager, you get more control in shaping the service and implementing the changes you feel would benefit the team and, ultimately, the people we support.

Don’t feel guilty about wanting to progress. I have seen social workers dissuaded from progressing into management because they fear being thought of as out-of-touch or lacking in chronological experience.

1 - YOU GET A BUZZ FROM SUPPORTING COLLEAGUES I get huge satisfaction from unpicking a juicy case with my colleagues and supporting others to reflect on their practice. Watching someone find that “ah ha!” moment gives me as much joy as discovering the solution myself.

In truth, we need both good frontine social workers and good managers for an effective service.

6 - YOU THINK YOU’D BE A GOOD MANAGER

If you find an endless line of colleagues queuing at your desk (or jumping on the phone to you every time you are ‘green’ on Teams), then it’s an indicator your colleagues trust your judgement 4 - YOU WANT TO SHAPE THE NEXT and value your opinion.

GENERATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS Good managers are good coaches, so if this resonates with you, then chances Supporting social workers to flourish into competent and confident are that you will enjoy management practitioners is one of the best parts of and leadership. the job. I’m a proud mamma bear when 2 - YOU THRIVE UNDER PRESSURE I get to see my team members achieve things they never thought possible.

Management within social work requires you to be good at making defensible decisions based on the

Social work is a fabulously human profession where personal growth 27

The fact that you have read this far suggests it could be time. My advice would be to chat to a trusted colleague and talk through your hopes and fears.

In an ideal world, you would be able to dip your toe into management through a secondment, as I did before I secured a permanent management post. If this is not possible, are there colleagues in the team that you could mentor or provide caseload supervision to? Is there an area of work that you could take responsibility for, such as overseeing the duty function of the team, or triaging new referrals?

Seek feedback and work on developing your leadership skills. Be persistent and you will succeed.

HOW TO FIND, APPLY, AND INTERVIEW FOR YOUR PERFECT SOCIAL WORK ROLE

W

hether you’re a seasoned social worker looking to make a change, or move up the ladder, or a student social worker looking to secure that all-important first job as an NQSW, this series - written by social work manager Tilly Baden - will guide you through the daunting process of searching for the right job, making the perfect application, and acing the interview.

to consider working as an agency or independent social worker. If you are looking to make the leap from a permanent role to an agency role, do your research. Your hourly wage may be higher as a locum, but there are other costs to consider - professional indemnity insurance, umbrella company fees, pension, training costs, and different tax rates. There will be more flexibility but more uncertainty.

FINDING THE RIGHT JOB

Whichever route you choose, it’s a good idea to speak with social workers who are already working in that way.

The prospect of finding a new job can be daunting, so break things down into bitesize chunks to make the process feel more manageable.

Create a checklist of your personal requirements. It’s important to keep an open mind, but if you have a strong affinity to an area of practice, that’s where you should focus your energy.

Ask yourself: do I want to work for a local authority, or in the charity or private sectors? You may also want

Are you looking to work in an urban or rural environment? How long would you be willing to commute? Are you thinking of moving? Also, think about the type of work you prefer, and the sort of people you prefer to work with.

Do you like longterm work, where you can build relationships over time? If so, a community or locality team may suit you best. Or do you prefer a faster paced setting, helping people in crisis?

If so, a hospital or assessment team might be more suitable.

Some roles will naturally be more suited to those who wish to work parttime, or remotely, whereas other roles are less flexible. These things may steer your job search. Once you have created your wish list, it’s time to start the search. If you have a particular LA or company in mind, look at their website for a list of current vacancies, or use a generic jobsite.

If a job sounds interesting, read the organisation’s website carefully, as it can tell you so much about their culture and ethos. What services do they offer? Who are their partner organisations? Do they offer meet and greets with their current staff? Look up the directors, executives, and principal social workers. Look at publicly available information such as finances and budgets.

If an organisation is inadequate or in special measures, it doesn’t mean you

should necessarily avoid them. Some organisations hit rock-bottom and then rebuild to be some of the best places to work. The important thing is that you know what to expect, and pick an organisation that is right for you.

CONSTRUCTING THE PERFECT APPLICATION Your application is how the employer shortlists for interview, so give yourself sufficient time before the deadline to ensure yours stands out.

If you’re asked to complete any online psychometric or verbal reasoning tests, practice these beforehand via online practice papers and YouTube tutorials, as there is a knack to scoring well.

Fill in each section of the form carefully and check for errors. When sifting through job applications, I can’t tell you how many silly mistakes I spot. I always think – if the person doesn’t check something as important as a job application, then what will their day-to-

day records and reports look like?

If you are a student or recently qualified, include placements in your employment history, as well as courses and training. Explain employment gaps.

The personal statement or role-specific questions are your chance to show your suitability for the role. Most organisations adopt some form of scoring system to assess candidates fairly, so read the job description and person specification carefully, and cover every point. Always tailor the application form to the job. If there is a word limit, stick to this, otherwise aim to write 2-3 sides of A4.

Another common mistake is when people regurgitate the job description without providing any specifics. Here is an example of how to include detail to score the maximum marks: “I have a good knowledge of safeguarding legislation.”

This isn’t going to score you anything.

29

“I have a good working knowledge of the Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, Children and Families Act 2014, Data Protection Act 2018 and the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance. In my placement, I was responsible for assessing children and families under Section 17 and Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and I ensured that my practice always complied with GDPR regulations.”

This will likely score 1 or 2 points.

“I have a good working knowledge of the Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, Children and Families Act 2014, Data Protection Act 2018 and the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance. During my placement, I undertook a variety of assessments under Section 17 and Section 47 of the Children Act 1989.

I used the statutory safeguarding legislation to carry out in depth assessments and ensure that the

child was kept at the centre of the assessment process. A specific example was when I worked with child X. I used the child assessment framework triangle to consider all aspects of child X’s safety and wellbeing. During the assessment, I became concerned about child X’s mother’s excessive alcohol use and discovered that she was neglecting child X’s physical and emotional needs when she was intoxicated. I used the framework of the Children Act 1989 to escalate my concerns and a strategy discussion lead to a Section 47 investigation. I ensured I contacted all the agencies involved with Child X to ensure that a holistic picture was built. Although child X’s mother didn’t give her consent for me to speak to their GP, Section 47 responsibilities override GDPR rights when a child is suspected of being at significant harm of abuse or neglect.

This principle is enshrined in the Working Together guidance which all statutory and voluntary agencies must follow.”

This answer would likely score you 3 points. You have shown that you are able to apply the relevant legislation to practice and demonstrated that you are aware when one piece of legislation takes precedence over another.

you what to expect - will you need to prepare a presentation or case study?

Are you meeting in person or virtually?

Within your personal statement, use your pre-application research to talk about how your values and practice fit within the vision of the organisation.

Why did you apply for this role? What motivated you to become a social worker? What skills and strengths will you bring to the role? How has your previous social work experience prepared you? What legislation applies to this role? What local resources are you aware of in the area? (Think health services, housing, education, voluntary and charity partners, crime prevention, technology services, youth services – whatever is relevant to the job). How do your values fit with

If virtual, make sure you have a backup plan, such as a phone number to call if your WiFi suddenly goes down. Shut pets in another room, send the children A good statement will link the criteria to a friend’s house, and tell your to their work and show us how partner they’re only allowed to enter they achieve this in practice. Use anonymised case examples, if you have the room if the house is on fire. them, or talk about some of the ethical Methodically preparing for your dilemmas you came across whilst interview will undoubtedly increase studying, and how you would approach your chances. I recommend preparing these in practice. answers to the following questions:

As with any application, be honest and accurate. Give detailed information, but don’t waffle. Written communication is important for social workers, so take the time to get this right, and score that all-important interview.

ACING THE INTERVIEW Your invite to interview should tell

our organisation’s values? What is your approach to making defensible decisions? What challenges do you envisage for this role? (Talk about how you will overcome these challenges) How do you manage conflict? How do you maintain your wellbeing? What does good supervision mean to you?

How do you prioritise your workload?

What is your approach to working with diversity? How do you ensure you practice in an anti-discriminatory way?

What are you proud of? What are your future career goals?

I also recommend preparing anonymised examples that you can use when speaking about: completing an assessment; strengths-based practice; person-centred intervention; overcoming difficulties with a person you are supporting; applying theory to practice; applying legislation to practice; working with limited resources; multi-agency working; supporting a colleague; respectfully challenging a colleague; crisis work; working with risk; promoting independence; difficult conversations;

overcoming an ethical dilemma; managing professional boundaries; using your autonomy; team working; advocacy; and demonstrating leadership skills.

NOW, LET’S CONSIDER HOW TO SCORE WELL FOR EACH QUESTION. Remember PEEL - Point, Evidence, Explain and Link - and STAR - Situation, Task, Action and Result. Use these to help you formulate your answers.

State your Point and answer the question, give Evidence in the form of examples to back up your point, Explain how your evidence supports your point, and Link your answer back to the question, to prove your point.

To help you structure the example you use in the Evidence stage, set the scene of the Situation you dealt with and provide relevant details. Explain the Task you needed to do, what Action you took and why, and the final Result, as well as what you learned.

This will help you demonstrate that you are capable of formulating a strong

31

argument backed by evidence. The more you practice, the more natural and fluent this process will become.

Also, interviews are a two-way process.

Prepare some positive questions, like: What is the structure of the team? What are the team’s strengths?

How does the team maintain close working relationships with partner agencies? What are the learning and development opportunities?

What opportunities are there for career progression? What are the arrangements for supervision? How is work allocated?

If you find yourself zooming through an answer, take a breath and slow down.

Remember it’s OK to pause to consider your answer, or ask for clarification.

Treat each interview as a learning experience. If you don’t get the job, ask for feedback and work through constructive criticism with a colleague.

Finally, every qualified social worker has been in this position. Determination and courage will get you your dream job, so believe in yourself.

DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A ‘DISCLOSURE’ AND AN ‘ALLEGATION’?

Social Work Sorted breaks down ‘Disclosure’ vs ‘Allegation,’ and explains why it’s so important the two terms are not mixed up.

DISCLOSURE VS ALLEGATION - WHY DOES IT MATTER? Back in 1987, at a hospital in Cleveland, in the Social Work Sorted north of England, two doctors began diagnosing cases of sexual abuse in children. To say the process was problematic would be to hugely undermine the detail of the report and the harm that was caused to children and families. Essentially, one of the main findings by Elizabeth Butler-Sloss was: if professionals are referring to an ‘interview’ as a ‘disclosure’ when they are talking to children about abuse, it means they are starting from a position where they

assume abuse has occurred.

WHY SHOULD WE SAY ‘ALLEGATION’?

Of course we, as the advocated of their wishes and feelings, have to value what children say. I too have felt the pull of emotion after a child shares their most sensitive information with me. I’ve felt the frustration when what has been said is ripped apart in court when presented as evidence; the disappointment when I have been so sure that a child has been telling the truth.

If we are seen to be stuck in a position of belief, we are ultimately opening ourselves up to criticism. If you automatically believe what someone says, then you automatically discount

any other explanations. It’s like saying to the court: ‘I’m closed minded and I don’t consider any other options...so maybe the rest of my evidence isn’t valid?’

WHY ARE WE STILL SAYING ‘DISCLOSURE’?

The word disclosure is still everywhere.

Maybe it’s because we work with the police, and in police terms, the word disclosure is used differently.

I think a lot of the time, it’s bad habits.

I can say that because it was a bad habit that I once had too. I picked up on how people in my office were talking, and allowed it to feed into how I communicated. We need to be informed and aware, so that we can pick up on it, and make changes.

WHY SHOULD WE STOP? Let’s use an analogy we’re all currently familiar with. Now, you’ll need to use your imagination because - as far as I’m aware - the family courts do not deal with matters in respect of illegal parties, but let’s imagine for a moment that they do.

In your social work report you state, ‘Tom made a disclosure that Noris had a party.’ The barrister cross examining you cracks their knuckles. ‘Social worker,’ they will say, ‘from the very beginning you worked on the basis that this party absolutely took place. Your views were marred because you were laser-focused on your belief that this party happened. You did not take into consideration the fact that the party

may not have happened. You have not been fair in your assessment of the information because, as far as you are concerned, your view is correct. How can we possibly know that you have made a balanced judgement?’

THINGS TO BE MINDFUL OF

The alternative is this: ‘Tom made an allegation that Noris had a party.’

Immediately you place yourself neutrally. Despite your personal beliefs, you are now demonstrating that you are prepared to consider all the evidence before you give your views. The rest of your evidence is now supported by one simple change in wording. The information you give has credibility because you are showing balance, and so - ultimately - this word can help you advocate for a child or adult that you want to help.

It is so important to talk about the wording of documents with the people that you work with. A survivor of domestic abuse may read the word ‘allegation’ and feel they are not being believed. Take the time to explain why you are using the word.

33

If nothing else, this topic demonstrates the power of words. We must always return to how, as social workers, we can build relationships of trust and honesty.

The people we work with share such sensitive information with us, we need to treat it with care.

You work too hard on your court statements to have it all undermined by a single word.

THE DISNEY CHARACTERS THAT WOULD HAVE MADE AWESOME SOCIAL WORKERS WOODY FROM TOY STORY “The important thing is that we stick together” This loveable cowboy toy captured the hearts of a generation. Woody is smart, determined, brave and fiercely loyal; but he is also perfectly flawed when we see him grappling with complex human emotions such as doubt, vulnerability, frustration, jealousy, and sadness. His story arc shows his development from a single-minded manager of the other toys, to a courageous, dependable, and compassionate leader. Woody has all the markings of a good social worker, and is a trusted confidant. He is determined to do the right thing and finds a creative solution to any problem – no matter how daunting. I could imagine him being unfazed when dealing with a duty crisis on a Friday afternoon and leading his team through the ups and downs of social work.

RAFIKI FROM THE LION KING “The past can hurt, the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it” This wise Sharman has a rather unique way of teaching life lessons, and whilst I’m certainly not advocating that social workers hit people with sticks to help them learn from the past, Rafiki’s energy gives him a strong social worker vibe. Rafiki doesn’t tell the other characters what to do – rather he gives them nuggets of advice which empower the characters to work out the answer for themselves. Once you

look beyond his eccentricities, you can see that Rafiki is a talented guide who would do well in resolving conflict and family mediation. I envisage Rafiki as an old-school maverick of a social worker who would challenge bureaucracy yet achieve results due to his intrinsic understanding of human nature and ability to solve complex problems.

JIMINY CRICKET FROM PINOCCHIO “Always let your conscience be your guide” Also known as the Lord Highkeeper of the Knowledge of Right and Wrong, Counsellor in Moments of High Temptation, and Guide Along the Straight and Narrow Path, Jiminy Cricket has the perfect value base to be an excellent social worker. This smart, witty and wise character offers counsel to Pinocchio and acts as his voice of reason. Jiminy is down to earth, practical, brave and humble. It’s not surprising that in the spin-off show Once Upon A Time, Jiminy Cricket’s alter ego is Archie Hopper - an empathetic psychiatrist who is a trusted therapist and mediator in Storybrooke.

ESMERALDA FROM THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME “You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help” Whilst many Disney films deal with the human condition, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is arguably one of the most ‘adult’ films from the family

35

collection, exposing the darker side of society. If you haven’t watched it since childhood, I urge you to go back and view it through a social work lens. It contains complex themes including discrimination, racism, misogyny, prejudice, lust, and grapples with the concept of what it means to be a monster. As one of the central characters, Esmeralda embodies righteousness and kindness, despite facing discrimination for being a Gypsy, and a working woman. Esmeralda is fearless, with a heart of gold. She doesn’t judge by appearances and is a passionate advocate for anyone who doesn’t fit in with what society deems “normal.” Her gentleness with Quasimodo, and her ability to listen and know exactly what to say, radiates social worker vibes.

MIRABEL FROM ENCANTO “Even in our darkest moments, there’s light where you least expect it” Mirabel’s empathy, tolerance, compassion and understanding would stand her in excellent stead for a career in social work. Her knowledge of intergenerational trauma makes her an expert by experience, which she could draw upon to support others in similar situations. From empowering Isabella to follow her own path, expertly comforting Antonio before his gift ceremony, and teaching Alma to accept each family member for who they are and not what they can do, Mirabel has the potential to be the type of social worker everyone should aspire to be.

I KNOW I’M ONLY 17, BUT THIS IS WHY I WANT TO BE A SOCIAL WORKER Share your Social Work Confessions with Social Work News by emailing your letters to press@mysocialworknews.com

I

know that I’m only seventeen years old, but I’m going into this career with my eyes wide open. I know exactly what I’ll face and, I know this sounds strange but, I feel lucky to have been exposed to the stress of social work for many years. I know that I have made an informed decision I can be confident of.

THAT BEING SAID, THE KNOWLEDGE THAT IN JUST OVER THREE YEARS I WILL BE A SOCIAL WORKER IS STILL TERRIFYING;

it was a huge decision to choose this path. My mother and aunty are both social workers and I have seen how it has changed them. I have seen my mum, slumped on the sofa, too exhausted to hold a conversation or comfort me because she has spent the day helping to build up others.

I’VE SEEN THE TEARS, THE LATENIGHT WORK CALLS, AND THE COST OF BEING A SOCIAL WORKER. My whole family has experienced the cancelled plans because mum was too busy helping families that weren’t doing so well.

We are also foster carers. Fostering has been a truly life changing experience for me. On the good side, meeting so many new people has made me openminded. Seeing how the care system works has also been a real eye opener.

On the bad side, privacy is scant, and we’ve been threatened, abused and stolen from by some of the people who have come into our family home.

It’s also been sad to see what it’s like to put all your time and energy into a child, to give them everything you’ve got to give, only to be hit with the realisation that, sometimes, nothing

37

can make up for the things that have happened to people before they came into care.

I SOMETIMES WONDER IF KNOWING WHAT SOCIAL WORK IS REALLY LIKE HAS MADE MY DECISION TO FOLLOW THIS CAREER HARDER. The media is filled with horror stories and I worry that being a social worker will see me neglect myself and the people I love.

Despite the stress I will inevitably face, this decision is the most exciting of my life. I am eager to start my career, to be able to meet and help so many different people. I have seen the good that social workers bring to people’s lives. I’ve watched children scream abuse at their social workers, wishing them dead, all because they trust their social worker enough to share those feelings that they kept bottled up for years before.

I have watched the relationships that my mum has developed with ‘her families’ (as she calls them) and I have seen the way some children light up in her presence. I hope that I meet many more people who are just as invested and caring as she is.

I HAVE BEEN WARNED BY LOTS OF PEOPLE - MOST OF THEM SOCIAL WORKERS - TO PICK AN EASIER CAREER. I am certain that there will be times when I wonder why I didn’t listen. But the difference for me is that I know I’m not just going to be able to ‘help people’ all the time, and that things will be hard most of the time.

I’m glad I’m going into this career with my eyes open, and I can’t wait to be a social worker.

Professor Paul Bywaters drops into the Bite-Sized Lecture hall to explain his latest research into the relationship between poverty and child abuse and neglect.

“The question of what causes child abuse and neglect and, in particular, the role that poverty has to play has long Paul Bywater been debated.

This article very briefly summarises some headline findings from a report which Guy Skinner and I have just written which reviews all the research on poverty, child abuse and neglect published between 2016 and 2021.

crisis has underlined the fact that, for large numbers of families, deep and persistent poverty and insecurity mean the essentials are out of reach.

“There is a great deal of detail in the report. We found a much larger evidence base, 90 new studies over these past five years, which strongly confirms that poverty is a key contributory causal factor in child abuse and neglect.”

“POVERTY IS NOT A STANDALONE PROBLEM. IT’S CONNECTED TO MANY OTHER ASPECTS OF DAILY LIFE. FOR EXAMPLE, POVERTY INCREASES THE CHANCE OF DOMESTIC DISPUTES AND ABUSE OR POOR HEALTH.

How does poverty cause CAN?

“Living in poverty is also hugely stressful. It’s not just a background problem, it affects every minute of the day, every decision you make and that is hugely wearing on people’s mental health and their relationships.

That increases the chances of people turning to drink, drugs and gambling to survive.

“OF COURSE, LIVING IN POVERTY DOESN’T MEAN YOU WANT ANY LESS FOR YOUR CHILDREN, NOR THAT YOU WILL HARM THEM, BUT IT DOES MAKE GOOD ENOUGH PARENTING MUCH HARDER.

“And if you do experience domestic violence or poor mental health that’s likely to make poverty worse. It’s a vicious circle. The interaction of poverty with age, gender, disability and ethnicity is another key issue for practice and policy.

“All parents need a basic infrastructure for family life: income, housing, employment rights, access to key services. When you don’t have these basics it forces you into impossible choices: heating vs eating; going out to work vs staying in to look after your children. The cost of living

“Austerity policies have meant poverty is much more widespread and deeper than in 2010. But the studies also found that, too often, children’s social care services don’t sufficiently engage with families around issues of poverty, debt and housing. It’s rarely seen as core business. This means that families’ often don’t feel understood, they don’t

Visit research.hud.ac.uk to read The Relationship Between Poverty and Child Abuse and Neglect: New Evidence in full.

39

feel their needs are recognised. And that creates a mismatch between what services offer – with too much focus on investigation and parenting behaviour – and what families want, often very practical and material help.

“What can be done about it?

“Children’s social care services cannot solve poverty or the rampant inequality across the whole of society. Ensuring that all families have the basics they need to flourish is the government’s job. We saw the government do this in the pandemic. It’s a matter of political will. There doesn’t have to be a hostile environment for families in poverty.

“But local children’s social care services also have to change their focus and what they offer to families. There needs to be much more understanding that money and housing affect every aspect of families’ functioning. Children’s services have to join strategically with other agencies to find real and creative ways of helping families with the basics. The fact that children’s social care has been starved of funds for a decade and more makes all this harder but it’s not only about money, it’s also about priorities, about responding to what families need “Currently more and more is being spent on looked after children and young people, and less on prevention.

“This recent research strongly underlines the need for a reset.”

TOO YOUNG TO RETIRE AND TOO OLD TO CHANGE JOBS Share your Social Work Confessions with Social Work News by emailing your letters to press@mysocialworknews.com

S

ometimes it feels like I’m stuck in social work because I’m too young to retire and too old for a career change.

I’m really worried that we’ve lost the skill of being able to manage risk with children in the home nowadays.

Instead we are turning to the easier When I first became a social worker, we option of knee-jerk reactions to risk by asking parents for consent to take their were in that weird in-between, where we were in the process of fully phasing children into care so we can ask them to make changes while their kids are over from paper files to recording everything on the computer. This meant kept artificially safe. that newer families had all their work I must sound so cynical and worn out, on the computer, and ones we’d known but the truth is that working this way has made me cynical and worn out. for longer - especially children who were now older and in care - had a mix I began training as a social worker of paper and electronic records. when I was 34, working for the same TO ME, THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THE OLD WAY OF WORKING THAT SEEMED A BIT MORE CARING AND MORE ‘SOCIAL WORKY.’

council in a different role before then.

Having a physical file for a child seemed to make the reports people wrote a little more special, and I also think they were more person-centred and family-friendly.

NOW I’M ALMOST 50, IT FEELS LIKE I’M STUCK IN SOCIAL WORK BECAUSE I’M TOO YOUNG TO RETIRE AND TOO OLD FOR A CAREER CHANGE.

There certainly didn’t seem to be this need for recording every little thing, and it just felt like we were trusted more back then. I can’t remember ever hearing ‘if it’s not recorded, it didn’t happen.’

I’m not sure if it’s society getting worse or social workers not being able to manage risk these days, but we didn’t have as many children going into care when I first started either.

IN MY FIRST FEW YEARS AS A SOCIAL WORKER, TAKING A CHILD INTO CARE SEEMED VERY RARE, BUT THESE DAYS IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN ALL THE TIME.

41

I’m glad I entered this career later on in my life, because I look at my colleagues with young children now and I don’t know how they do it.

When I read articles about how social work is hard, I see some responses in the comments that people need to stop being negative and just get another job. Well I don’t know what planet they live on but it certainly doesn’t feel as easy as that where I work.

Every few years I’ll read a new report into the state of social work, or hear a politician make a big speech about how they’re going to change the profession for the better, but nothing ever comes.

I’m not sure I believe anything will ever come of it either. I think perhaps social work is stuck the way it is, and I’m stuck in social work.

Specialist contractor accountants Smart online tools to easily manage your company finances.

Dedicated accounting team for advice and support.

Switching from another accountant or umbrella company is quick and easy.

Why choose Boox?

Thousands of contractors and freelancers run their limited company accounts with help from Boox.

They love our personal service and purpose-built accounting app.

Visit www.boox.co.uk or call Emily or Dom on 02392 883315 to switch. *All information stated is correct at time of printing (December 2018) and subject to change without notice. Prices quoted above are for a year-round limited company accountancy service, with one fee earner and no stock, not caught by IR35, not registered for VAT and excluding registered office services. All prices quoted are exclusive of VAT. In some circumstances fees may be payable to get your accounts up to date when you switch but this will be agreed in advance.

“OOH I NEED ONE OF THOSE!” Dive into our resources round-up - whether it’s out now, or coming soon, here are a few books we think you should be getting your hands on…

JUST ARRIVED OR COMING SOON...

SOCIAL WORK LAW: APPLYING THE LAW IN PRACTICE

GYPSIES, ROMA & TRAVELLERS: A CONTEMPORARY ANALYSIS

OUT OF THE SHADOWS: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN DISASTERS

An easy to navigate introduction to the law relevant to social work and how it can be applied in practice.

Contemporary, creative and studentfocused, this is a must-have textbook for qualifying undergraduates, Social Work degree apprentices, and newly qualified social workers. This book, by Michelle Evans and Denise Harvey, was published in May, and is available from criticalpublishing.com, priced at £23.99.

Essential reading for those who want to develop greater knowledge and awareness of the history, culture and lifestyles of GRT people. This book, written by Declan Henry, is due for publication on 22nd August, and can be pre-ordered now at criticalpublishing.com priced at £19.99.

Edited by Angie Bartoli, Maris Stratulis and Rebekah Pierre - this new publication shines a light on the personal stories of people with lived experiences and the important and valuable role that social workers have played in disaster response. This book is available now at criticalpublishing. com, priced at £18.99.

A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO PLACEMENTS IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE SETTINGS

THE SOCIAL WORK DEGREE APPRENTICESHIP

CREATIVE APPROACHES TO SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE LEARNING A guide to enable social work practice educators to be more creative in the teaching, supervision and assessment of students. Edited by Heidi Dix and Aisha Howells, and published in May. Visit criticalpublishing.com to buy, priced at £21.99.

Edited by Simon Williams and Diana Conroy, this accessible guide to placements provides a framework for students across the caring professions to understand the theory behind successful practice and the critical skills needed to apply it. This book is available now at criticalpublishing.com, priced at £21.99.

43

Edited by Clare Stone and Mary Shannon, this book was developed specifically for the social work degree apprenticeship to guide apprentices through the unique requirements of this new qualifying route. This book was published in the spring and is available now at criticalpublishing.com, priced at £21.99.

13% YES

87% NO

THE DEBATE

IS 45P A MILE STILL ENOUGH TO COVER WORK MILEAGE COSTS?

T

he current HMRC rate of 45p a mile was introduced in 2011. This rate remains in place, eleven years on, despite the fact that fuel costs, the price of cars, insurance, tyres, and associated maintenance costs have all increased. So, is it enough?

Consultant editor of Social Work News, Vince Peart, said: “Inflation in the UK is rising at its fastest rate for 30 years, and many observers expect it to reach double digits by the end of 2022.

“In this context, 45p a mile simply cannot be good enough given it was agreed and set at a time when prices were far lower.

“Social workers give enough time away for free, working an average of ten hours extra a week in unpaid overtime.

I do not think that we should be out of pocket when it comes to basic reimbursement of our travel expenses too.”

Hundreds of comments on SWN’s social media channels showed that most social workers practicing today agreed it was time for a review of the figure.

“It definitely isn’t enough,” commented Sarah Ann, a social worker from the East Midlands.

“When I started 20+ years ago, I remember different bands of mileage

rates depending on the size of your car engine. All those years ago, as I had a large car, I got something like 57p per mile!

“AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE COST OF HEATING AND ELECTRICITY FOR THOSE STILL WORKING AT HOME (I’M LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE IN AN OFFICE).

EMPLOYERS NEED TO PROPERLY COMPENSATE EMPLOYEES - YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO PAY OUT TO DO YOUR JOB!” Marie Ann, a social worker in the south east of England, agreed, adding: “This needs to be reviewed desperately. We will be paying to go to work at this rate!

“One of my colleagues was saying today that if they get a lease car from the local authority, then they only get 11p a mile, which is ridiculous. They will end up paying to do visits soon.

“I DON’T THINK THIS RATE HAS BEEN REVIEWED FOR MANY YEARS AND, ESPECIALLY IN TODAY’S CLIMATE, WE ARE ALL BEING AFFECTED.” Alex, who also works in the south east, wrote: “It’s absolutely nowhere near enough. Caseloads are higher, so we’re doing more mileage. If I was office-based I’d do 6,000 miles per 45

year, but I do an extra 10,000 mileage in visits. Over three years, that’s an extra 30,000 mileage on my car which will wipe out a huge chunk of its value.

That 45p per mile is now taken entirely with fuel, and doesn’t do anything to compensate me for the loss of value, or wear and tear of the vehicle.”

No, it’s not enough, but what’s the answer? Teams alternate visits?” asked Mandy, a social worker in Glasgow.

“I’m able, on occasion, to do Teams meetings instead of routine visits, but I know my colleagues in children and families teams cannot, so they will be harder hit.”

Ann Marie, who lives and works in the north east, said: “As a social worker who had a young person out-of-area, I was doing over 2,500 miles per month.

I have had to service my car twice in four months, due to high mileage, so the answer is, absolutely not. That amount doesn’t take into consideration wear and tear, tyres, brakes, oil, etc.”

Kate, a social worker living and working in London, add: “Who even gets the time to complete the mileage forms?!

They’re tedious, having to list the postcode of each location and work out the mileage. I’ve not claimed for over two years, and historically probably another six before that. I think it would make more sense for them to just give us a fuel/travel allowance.”

HOW IT FEELS AS A SOCIAL WORKER

WHEN YOUR CLIENT DIES

I

remember it well; sitting at my desk, working late, the last one in the office, when the phone rang. I Matt Bee was reluctant to answer it. It was late and I wanted to go home too.

As a longstanding social worker who cut his teeth on a hospital ward, and even saw a patient die right in front of him while on placement as a student, I ALWAYS ASSUMED I HAD DEVELOPED THE RESILIENCE TO DEAL WITH CALLS LIKE THIS.

Over the years numerous people have died on my caseload. Most were The next minutes have stayed with me elderly and chronically sick, so it was ever since. Even now I can remember the call vividly, right down to the feeling not unexpected. Sometimes it was a relief, given the suffering. But some of disbelief when the parent told me, deaths came out of the blue – like this. remarkably calmly, that their 28-yearold son – my client – had killed himself. This death was different. My client, They had just wanted to let me know. *Jack, had been doing so well. As I

spoke with his mother on the phone, numb in shock, I glanced over at a card received from Jack just days before, saying thank you for all my help. I still have that card today. In hindsight, I now realise it may have been his way of saying goodbye. But it hadn’t felt like it at the time. It had felt like he’d turned a corner.

MAYBE THAT’S WHAT WAS SO HARD TO ACCEPT. HE WAS YOUNG, WITH SO MUCH AHEAD OF HIM. HE HAD BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH. We had spent many hours talking candidly about his life and the

difficulties he’d faced, sitting in a small discussion room with comfy chairs, pens, paper, and cups of tea. We met at the same time every week.

There was a reason we worked this way. He had always struggled with keeping appointments and he always felt terrible for missing them, so much so that he would avoid my calls and we’d lose touch until a crisis brought him back again. So, we had made a deal. I’d be available every week, waiting in the same discussion room, and he could turn up if he wanted to for however long he felt he could manage.

After we made the deal, he never missed a session.

Tuesday afternoons at 2pm for many months afterwards were always poignant. They always felt like ‘his’ time. Every year when the anniversary of his death rolls around, I find myself thinking of him, and of his family.

I consider dropping his mother a line, before deciding this would be overstepping the mark.

I inadvertently triggered the thoughts that led to him ending his life?

Years have passed since, and I still think about Jack in quiet moments.

Probably I always will. I will always keep his card.

OF COURSE, I’VE WORKED MY WAY THROUGH A WHOLE LOAD OF EMOTIONS WITH THIS CASE. ANGER. GUILT. REGRET.

When I eventually got home that night, my partner enquired about my day and asked how I was, and I said I was fine. I said the same thing to my boss because it didn’t feel like I had any right to be anything else. Jack wasn’t my son, my family, my friend.

I’ve wracked my mind about the signs I must have missed, and even whether

But he was still important to me. I don’t think I’ll ever forget him – or receiving that phone call.

47

It’s a big and busy role, there’s no doubt about it,” smiles Millie Kerr, England’s first ever local authority Anti Racist Lead Practitioner.

“It’s a role I’m really passionate about, and I think it’s brave of Brighton & Hove to create this role with an explicit focus on enhancing anti racist practice within children’s services and social work, to enable our teams to work better with our Black, Minoritised and Global Majority children and families.

“After the murder of George Floyd, there was a flurry of organisations writing anti racist strategies, but there’s a sense that many of those strategies have remained strategies, with limited action. We are working hard to ensure we’re progressing our Anti Racist action plan, and bringing it to life, so that we can better meet the needs of the community we serve.

“And while many places scrambled to employ EDI officers or anti racist leads on short term contracts, my role is a permanent position, highlighting the fact that anti racist work is not a quick

fix. It’s a lifetime journey, and in fact I don’t think we’ll fix it completely in my lifetime. It will take time, as the next generations become more proactive.”

Millie first moved to Brighton over 20 years ago, after qualifying in 1994, and cutting her teeth in frontline children protection work in boroughs across London. Since taking on this role in November 2020, Millie has quickly turned ideas into actions, facilitating weekly anti racist discussion groups, and providing consultations and case formulations with social workers.

“Some people may think that weekly anti racist sessions must be a bit intense, but it is working for us, and everyone - from senior leadership to admin - is expected to attend on a rota basis,” she says.

“Every six weeks, I do a themed discussion workshop, on issues like stereotypes, perceptions of Black knife crime, or working with Black dads.

These sessions are geared towards getting people to think a bit more deeply about cultural sensitivities, and to reflect on cultural bias, prejudice,

assumptions, and discrimination. Every step of the way, Brighton & Hove is working with families with lived experience of racism. They are best placed to tell us how we can do better.”

Millie explains that a big part of her work is facilitating ‘uncomfortable conversations.’

“I always start our sessions by acknowledging that, of course, it’s uncomfortable to have uncomfortable conversations about race, but that the reason for these discussions is to enable us to sit with that discomfort.

“I GIVE PEOPLE PERMISSION TO GET IT WRONG NOW, IN THIS SAFE SPACE, AND BE REFLECTIVE, SO THAT WE CAN GET IT RIGHT GOING FORWARD WHEN IT MATTERS, FOR THE BLACK, MINORITISED, GLOBAL MAJORITY CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WE ARE SERVING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. “Somebody may come and want to discuss a family or young person they’re working with, and the challenges they’re experiencing.

We discuss everything from asylum seekers to cultural identity. One week we discussed the way in which certain communities view disability as a ‘punishment from God’ and we talked at length about how belief systems differ across different cultures, and the impact of that. The conversations can steer anywhere.

“The key is sensitive education. I don’t rush in there and make anybody feel bad, because I want people to come back to the next session, ready to learn, and develop the understanding they need to get it right when the time comes, within their language, assessments and court reports, and with their Black colleagues and peers.

Majority and Muslim communities across Brighton & Hove City Council.

“Some people are initially quite nervous, and may just sit and listen for a few sessions, and that’s OK. It’s about equipping our workers with the confidence to have these conversations with young people and their families on issues like racism and identity, and it can be a process.

“IT’S NOT ABOUT SHUTTING PEOPLE DOWN, OR SHAMING OR EMBARRASSING ANYONE.

“As a local authority, we’re holding ourselves up to the light, and providing data to show how we’re progressing in this area,” says Millie.

“We’ve had lots of social workers, as well as ASYEs and students on placements, admit they were worried about saying the wrong thing, and being thought of as racist, but now feel comfortable. It’s wonderful to see people starting to speak up.

“I sometimes hear things in sessions that are offensive, of course, when people have been relaying things that have happened.

“I want people to open their eyes to the ways we sometimes see the people we work with through a deficit lens born out of the stereotypes we’re constantly fed by the media.

“Of course it’s early days, but I can already see the impact of the work we are doing within children’s services and the council as a whole, and am encouraged to see families beginning to feel we are listening to them.”

Millie also meets monthly with the Anti Racist project board and senior leadership team, and engages and builds relationships with Black, Global

49

Brighton & Hove is also one of 18 local authorities piloting the Workforce Race Equality Standards to measure improvements within the workforce as regards the recruitment, retention and development of Black & Minoritised and Global Majority staff members.

“I’ve set up a Black & Minoritised workers support group, in addition to mentoring staff members within the council, to support retention, development, and career progression.”

In terms of how she views the years of work ahead of her, Millie says her goal is, ultimately, to affect change.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘It’s been two years since the death of George Floyd, can’t we move on now?’ My response is no, there’s nothing to move on from, we all need to continue working together to move towards enhancing anti racist practice in social work.”

HOW TO WRITE CASE RECORDS TO YOUNG CHILDREN, AND NOT ABOUT THEM

T Social Work Sorted

hese days, more local authorities are asking social workers to write case records to children, rather than about them.

I’m sure we’ve all experienced reading back through case files and not being able to make any sense of what has happened. Reading these as a social worker is one thing, but for young people or adults that have sight of their own records, this can understandably be traumatic.

The reality is that day-to-day practice often conflicts with the guidance that social workers are given. Well, that stops now. Here are my top tips for keeping children and young people firmly at the centre of all you do: DON’T DUMB IT DOWN There is a fine line between writing child-friendly records, and misrepresenting information. Language is everything.

The biggest mistake I see is when social workers are writing about domestic violence. I have seen this described as ‘mummy and daddy having an argument.’ It is vital to Writing to, instead of about, means be clear with the language we use. ‘unlearning’ a certain style of writing.

I’ve seen it all in reports. Social workers ‘Argument’ does not reflect a power imbalance, and absolves any sense of referring to themselves in the third accountability for perpetrators. There person, or using the word ‘concerned,’ followed by a string of elaborate jargon will always be difficulties in the level of information shared, but being as that could easily be condensed. I’ve transparent as possible with language done it myself. I’ve written ‘the local -. ‘kick, push, hit, shout’ - is better than authority’ when what I really mean is an umbrella term. ‘my managers, who disagreed with my opinion but still made me write this ATTACH NOTES TO DIRECT WORK report.’ I’ve used the best vocabulary A lot of direct work can look like I had access to when I wanted to a drawing or colouring on paper. impress at court.

There might be all kinds of different ALL MISTAKES. kinds of activities completed, where photographs can be taken and Changing your style to write to a child uploaded onto case files to add to changes your perspective. It affirms records. But whilst a child’s drawing your purpose as a social worker makes sense to you in the moment, and brings humanity back into the it needs context if it is going to mean paperwork. anything 20 years later.

Many NQSWs find it complicated, trying Take the time to record what the words to balance writing in a child-friendly say, if handwriting isn’t clear. Before way, with including all the information you photograph or scan, ask the child required for an assessment. I know if you can write a short sentence under local authorities advise not to include their picture to describe what they’ve everything on a child’s file, but then I drawn. You can explain that this is for also know social workers criticised in them, if they want to look back at it court for information gaps or lack of when they are grown up. clarity in their assessments.

51

WHAT ARE YOU LEAVING OUT? If you are excluding information based on whether it is relevant for a child to know, it can’t just be because it’s too difficult to put into words. Excluding information because you couldn’t ‘translate’ it into child-friendly terms means there will be considerable gaps and confusion.

Consult with your supervisor or manager; there may be a way you could put together certain pieces of information in a document clearly labelled as ‘sensitive,’ with a note to the child or young person to read it with someone with them for support.

BE KIND So much of what we do in frontline social work is based on ideas of safety.

Sometimes you start to question whether talking about positives will undermine evidence of risk, but it’s okay to find balance. There will always be a strength or a positive in a child’s life, and it’s your job to bring this to life in the records.

Writing with kindness about the people in a child’s life may help you stay true to that kindness in how you treat them.

Remember, all the parents we work with were children once. Our empathy shouldn’t switch off the minute someone turns 18.

REMEMBER EINSTEIN One of my favourite quotes is ‘if you can’t explain it to a six-year-old you don’t understand it yourself.’

Forget the jargon - writing in the most uncomplicated style you can is an underrated skill. If you can do this consistently, your communication skills will develop.

PUBLIC SECTOR SPECIALISTS

FAST, SIMPLE SIGN UP

COMPETITIVE MARGIN

SAME DAY PAYMENTS

FRIENDLY PERSONAL SERVICEERVICE

FULL INSURANCES (INCLUDING MEDICAL MALPRACTICEE)

“Honesty, patience and first class service every time I phone or email” Mike B If I knew how flexible Liquid Friday is I would have come to you earlier” Michaela H

FIND US INSTANTLY! CONTACT US: PHONE: 023 9288 3300 EMAIL: HELLO@LIQUIDFRIDAY.CO.UK WEBSITE: WWW.LIQUIDFRIDAY.CO.UK