Social Work Stories in the Media

Addiction counsellors in Cape Breton being replaced by nurses,social worker

THE CANADIAN PRESS,  Oct. 25, 2012.

SYDNEY, N.S. -- The Cape Breton District Health Authority says it is laying off six counsellor attendants who work in addiction and recovery programs.

The authority says the layoffs are not being done to reduce costs, but are part of ongoing changes to addiction care in the district.

The counsellor attendants -- who provide a support role to patients -- will be replaced with a team of registered health professionals, including nurses, a social worker and a recreational therapist.

They will work in the inpatient withdrawal management unit in Sydney, as well as opiate recovery and addiction day programs throughout the district.

Linda Courey, director of mental health and addiction services, says the layoffs are unfortunate, but the authority has a responsibility to ensure the best care possible for its patients.

The layoffs come into effect Jan. 1.

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Stories from the U.K.

What I learned from working behind the scenes in social work policy

MA student Charlene Legg explains how her previous experience working at the College of Social Work has helped her

The Guardian, Oct. 26, 2012. 

Like many social workers, I am attracted to social work because I want to make a difference. To help others and to empower people. But I also struggle with this notion and am aware of the complexities of statements such as these.

I grew up in a lone-parent family, living on the breadline. Like many social workers, I have experienced things in my personal life that have given me a passion and drive to change things for the better.

However, I am well aware that social workers have to make difficult decisions on a daily basis, and often lack the power or time to empower people each day. They are fire-fighting – often saving lives before they begin to try and improve them.

For the past year, I have been working for the College of Social Work. I helped to set up and co-ordinate the volunteering programmes that are on offer to its members.
I watched as experienced social workers provided mentoring to their newly qualified colleagues, often helping them to gain employment.

Timid social workers came to the office for media spokesperson training, and I felt a great sense of pride to hear them on the radio or watch them on a news clip a few weeks later. It's great to see social workers expressing a stronger, more positive voice in the media.

I spent my final six months at the College of Social Work in the communications team, where I promoted the new professional capabilities framework and the communities of interest practice debates, and helped produce a series of toolkits to make it easier for social workers and students to understand the changes that are being implemented as a result of the social work reform board.

Prior to the college, I worked for a small migrant and refugee charity called the Forum as part of a management graduate scheme in social care with the National Skills Academy. I conducted case work with migrants and refugees with mental health problems, ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to depression.

I spent a year helping people apply for benefits, locate housing and find their way around London. I was shocked and appalled at the abuse the people I worked with suffered on a daily basis – both from professionals and the general public.

I read an article recently that said that social work students were not political any more. This certainly isn't the case for me, and for many of my fellow students on the MA in social work course at university.

We are well aware of the cuts to vital services that are having an impact on people who use services as a result of the current government's austerity measures, and are determined to challenge these as we enter the profession.

During my first week at Goldsmiths on the MA social work course, I have already watched my fellow students get to grips with the professional capabilities framework and we will be using it to demonstrate our skills and knowledge to potential placement providers.

I feel privileged to have come into contact with so many inspiring and talented social workers during my time at the college. My advice to fellow students is not to believe everything you read.

Yes there is a high burnout rate and jobs are hard to come by. But there are social workers who are passionate, who find ways to relax in their spare time, who are politically active, who use social media to debate social work issues and who adore their jobs. I feel lucky to have met them, and will be embracing this positive attitude as I embark on my training.

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Demand for child protection social work continues to rise

Local authorities are having variable amounts of success in using early help services to reduce demand on child protection social workers, according to the latest research.

 

Judy Cooper, October 25 2012, Community Care.

Most local authorities have seen child protection referrals increase over the past year, although a few have seen decreases of 30% or more, according to research from the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS).

The number of children on a child protection plan increased by 51% between 2007-8 and 2011-12, the study showed. But this overall increase masked significant variation at a local level, with some authorities seeing rises of up to 100% in some types of activity, while others reporting decreases of 30% or more.

Directors who had seen an increase in referrals expected pressures to continue to rise in future years.

Those who had seen a decrease in child protection referrals attributed it to improved early help services, better multi-agency working and speeding up the process of finding permanent placements for children.

However, ADCS president Debbie Jones warned against seeing early help services as “quick fix or magic bullet”, adding that they require "sustained and sustainable funding over a number of years to have the effect that we are all seeking".

The study showed more child protection plans are being categorised as “multiple”, involving more than one form of abuse, which correlates with evidence that social workers are faced with increasingly complex caseloads.

While neglect was the most commonly-cited reason for children to be referred, qualitative research found a deepening concern about rising domestic violence issues.

The research also showed that 40% of looked after children had not been in a stable placement for the last three years. However, 40 local authorities reported changing the placement of a looked after child because of a risk of sexual exploitation during the same period.