Interesting question - what would a re-branding of social work look like in B.C.? Is this necessary? I would argue that it is. As a mid-career social worker, an "unofficial" leader and a mentor to many students and new social workers in the province, I would say that it is time for a dialogue about the current status and the future of social work.
Articles like these, published in major media outlets, really get me thinking about how far ahead other jurisdictions are in the dialogue about the status of social work and it's practitioners. Our UK colleagues are also much further ahead in their ability to give visibility and voice to their leadership of the next generations of social workers through their relationship with the media. I admit to feeling somewhat envious that these other jurisdictions are intentionally creating the space for these dialogues to take place. But beyond dialogue, leaders in the profession are strategically DOING SOMETHING to develop the profession and those who chose to go into this field of practice. I don't believe we can say this is the case in B.C.
I've worked in enough practice settings to see that in many ways, the profession of social work in B.C., is at a critical point. Many social workers are desperately unhappy, stressed out and overworked in our organizations. Many are simply in survival mode, keeping their heads down and trying to just tread water. This refrain has fallen on ears that aren't listening for many years.
Many of us feel disconnected from our unions and do not feel our unions even have relevance to our struggles. They just aren't visible in our workplaces and few, if any, efforts are made to connect with us and hear what is going on. The work the unions might be doing on our behalf is invisible and few efforts are made to engage with front line social workers as a distinct profession within the multi-sectoral and multi-professional unions. We're a small number of voices amidst a throng of other, stronger, more vocal professional groups.
In the last two rounds of public sector bargaining, in two different unions, I tried to bring forward bargaining resolutions that would be of benefit to SW's around the province.
One was a no-cost resolution that would have RSW's included in the master agreements under Extended Health benefits. Another would be employers to pay part of our registration fees as mandatory registration in health care was coming down the pike. These resolutions have gone nowhere and worse.
In one ratification meeting, the Director of Negotiation of one of the major unions "representing" SW's told a room full of union members that the SW resolutions that had been brought forward had "not been seen as bargaining priorities." This was a shocking indictment of the state of "union representation" of our profession and it helped explain why we are stuck and going nowhere and even backwards in the SW profession in BC. My response got gasps from the room when I told this Director that it seemed as though this union no longer wanted to represent the SW profession in BC. This Director's mouth hung open too. It would be a major blow to this union if the SW's left as we pay amongst the highest union dues into their coffers because we are one of the highest paid workers in this union.
I regularly hear from both new and experienced social workers about how difficult it is to get hired into SW jobs to start out in their careers, or change jobs, or for those who have come from other countries. SW students and new SW's in BC are calling out for mentors to help them navigate the challenging world of SW employment and practice in this province. In organizations, I've heard many stories about how someone had to know someone before they could even get in for interviews.
I also hear from others that many of us feel stuck and frozen in our careers, with few training, professional development or leadership opportunities available to us.
Alternatively, there are social workers amongst us who are doing the work they love, helping the people they want to be helping. So often, our helping work is complicated within the contexts of systems that we work inside of and with in our assistance and support to clients. This is what makes our work so difficult at times because we work in the gaps, we work in the margins between people and systems, trying to bridge things and help our clients access the resources and supports they need.
I would love to hear comments from readers who might have some thoughts on the status of SW in BC. If you want to comment, just do so below. You can make Anonymous comments below too if you don't feel comfortable being identified. You can also e-mail me @ catalystbc7@gmail.com
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Frontline can help rebrand social work
A proposed scheme called Frontline aims to improve social work's image and attract the best recruits to the profession
Josh MacAlister
The Guardian,
November 6, 2012.
One of the most difficult things to learn as a teacher is the
limits of your own influence. Nothing made this clearer to me than
working with pupils who were looked after or in need of protection. Life
outside school for these children made learning inside school
impossible.
The social worker who was working with one pupil was an agency member of staff and was the child's sixth social worker in 12 months. Social work appeared to be a profession overstretched and demoralised. Yet I've met many inspirational social workers who are true leaders – able to bring different agencies together and solve problems in the child's best interests. I am proposing a graduate fast-track programme that draws on the Teach First scheme and is about getting more of these leaders into children's social work.
When the team at the IPPR thinktank investigated the problem, it quickly became clear there were three points most people agree on: the status of the social work profession is low, the work requires a demanding mix of skills and attributes, and protecting vulnerable children is one of the most vital and rewarding professions. So my work was to develop something radical that could raise the prestige of the profession and prepare the most sought-after graduates and career switchers to be excellent social workers.
Like Teach First, our Frontline proposal, which was launched last month, aims to attract the most academically able, highly skilled and motivated people into the profession with a simple message: make a difference and learn to be a leader. And, like Teach First, the majority would stay in the profession for the long term while those who leave would be connected to the mission of challenging social disadvantage.
We would also aim to give Frontline participants the best training and preparation so that they are able to practise as a social worker after a year. I have been speaking with social workers over the last year to design the outline of best-in-class training. It would include theory and the essentials of social work degree courses, but would focus on skills such as risk assessments, intervention methods, care planning and court work.
To succeed, Frontline also needs to include opportunities for experienced practitioners to spread their wisdom, so that local authorities become better at training and supporting new social workers. We would also prepare Frontline participants by giving them leadership development.
Many professional bodies have said that at a time of cuts and record demand, social work is under even greater pressure and more resources are needed. However, money alone will not transform social work. Reform is also required to rebrand the profession and make it more attractive to top graduates. Frontline could play a valuable part in this, as Teach First has done for teaching.
• Josh MacAlister is the project leader for Frontline, an associate fellow at the IPPR and a teacher in Greater Manchester
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'Fast-track high-fliers' into front-line social work
There is a shortage of social workers and problems recruiting top graduates.It is hoped the scheme, known as Frontline, would change that.
The report says the profession needs an innovative plan to raise the quality of applicants, improve standards on the front line and help stem the staffing crisis.
"It is not inevitable that social work remains one of Britain's least appealing careers when it is in fact one of the most demanding and important.
"A scheme like this could transform perceptions of social work and contribute to the huge task of tackling social disadvantage."
Under the plan, high-fliers in their final year of undergraduate study would be recruited by Frontline.
Once selected, they would attend an intensive summer school followed by on-the-job training alongside their final year of university.
Subject to reaching the required standard, recruits would receive a social work qualification after a year. They would then be expected to stay working for their local authority for a further year, during which they would undertake further training.
"For tens of thousands of children each year, social workers not only make a profound difference to their life chances, they are often the single bridge between danger and safety in a child's life.
The social worker who was working with one pupil was an agency member of staff and was the child's sixth social worker in 12 months. Social work appeared to be a profession overstretched and demoralised. Yet I've met many inspirational social workers who are true leaders – able to bring different agencies together and solve problems in the child's best interests. I am proposing a graduate fast-track programme that draws on the Teach First scheme and is about getting more of these leaders into children's social work.
When the team at the IPPR thinktank investigated the problem, it quickly became clear there were three points most people agree on: the status of the social work profession is low, the work requires a demanding mix of skills and attributes, and protecting vulnerable children is one of the most vital and rewarding professions. So my work was to develop something radical that could raise the prestige of the profession and prepare the most sought-after graduates and career switchers to be excellent social workers.
Like Teach First, our Frontline proposal, which was launched last month, aims to attract the most academically able, highly skilled and motivated people into the profession with a simple message: make a difference and learn to be a leader. And, like Teach First, the majority would stay in the profession for the long term while those who leave would be connected to the mission of challenging social disadvantage.
We would also aim to give Frontline participants the best training and preparation so that they are able to practise as a social worker after a year. I have been speaking with social workers over the last year to design the outline of best-in-class training. It would include theory and the essentials of social work degree courses, but would focus on skills such as risk assessments, intervention methods, care planning and court work.
To succeed, Frontline also needs to include opportunities for experienced practitioners to spread their wisdom, so that local authorities become better at training and supporting new social workers. We would also prepare Frontline participants by giving them leadership development.
Many professional bodies have said that at a time of cuts and record demand, social work is under even greater pressure and more resources are needed. However, money alone will not transform social work. Reform is also required to rebrand the profession and make it more attractive to top graduates. Frontline could play a valuable part in this, as Teach First has done for teaching.
• Josh MacAlister is the project leader for Frontline, an associate fellow at the IPPR and a teacher in Greater Manchester
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'Fast-track high-fliers' into front-line social work
October 4, 2012.
A report by think tank IPPR calls for a scheme based on the successful Teach First model, which selects and trains high-flying graduates to become teachers in tough areas.There is a shortage of social workers and problems recruiting top graduates.It is hoped the scheme, known as Frontline, would change that.
The report says the profession needs an innovative plan to raise the quality of applicants, improve standards on the front line and help stem the staffing crisis.
"It is not inevitable that social work remains one of Britain's least appealing careers when it is in fact one of the most demanding and important.
"A scheme like this could transform perceptions of social work and contribute to the huge task of tackling social disadvantage."
Under the plan, high-fliers in their final year of undergraduate study would be recruited by Frontline.
Once selected, they would attend an intensive summer school followed by on-the-job training alongside their final year of university.
Subject to reaching the required standard, recruits would receive a social work qualification after a year. They would then be expected to stay working for their local authority for a further year, during which they would undertake further training.
"For tens of thousands of children each year, social workers not only make a profound difference to their life chances, they are often the single bridge between danger and safety in a child's life.
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