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THE PARIAH PROFESSION
Who would want to be a social worker in 21st century Britain?
There is a crisis in recruiting and retaining staff to do this difficult and sometimes dangerous job, yet society demands that it should be done.
Every tragedy such as the murder of Victoria Climbie or the stabbing of Jonathan Zito points our collective finger at social workers and their systems. Each time we expect them to prevent it ever happening again but is this expectation unrealistic?
In a series of three documentaries for Radio 4 Jenny Cuffe reports from the frontline of social work, witnessing some of the dramatic and intractable human problems social workers are called on to deal with, as well as the moments of success and black comedy.
Programme 1: After Climbié - Haringey (23/10/2003)
Pay for social workers has been boosted to unprecedented levels in a bid to attract high calibre staff to work in the London borough of Haringey where Victoria Climbie was murdered. New and impressive people have come, but will they be overwhelmed by the workload at a time when more children than ever are being put on the at risk register and every anonymous tip off from worried neighbours has to be pursued?
 Listen to the 23 October 2003 programme.
Programme 2: In Two Minds - Sheffield (30/10/2003)
Should David, who is psychotic with a history of violence, be let out of hospital? Are Paul's housing problems the result of drug abuse or mental illness? And what really happened to Dean's cat - did it fall or was it pushed? Judgements like these are all in a day's work for Mark Drummond, a social worker with Sheffield Care Trust.
Listen to the 30 October 2003 programme.
Programme 3: Brave Herts - Hertfordshire (06/11/2003)
The hospital rings the school to say to that a boy has been beaten up by his father. A 13 year old thrown out of class for fighting , wants to talk about her mum - who is under stress. These are just some of the problems dealt with by one of Hertfordshire's "Children Schools and Families workers" - a new breed created in a county which has done away with social services. In the light of the Government's recent call for reform and combined education and social services we see how Chris Hall, a CSF worker, is helping vulnerable pupils in a large comprehensive school. Is this be the blueprint for the future?
Listen to the 6 November 2003 programme.
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RELATED LINKS | | | Social work: The pariah profession - from BBC News Online
Social work: can its image be improved? - debate from BBC Radio 4's You and Yours
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