An extra 14 social workers are being recruited in Barnsley to work in children’s services. But what do they actually do? Mike Cotton met three Barnsley social workers to find out.
ASK someone in the street what a social worker’s job is and they might say it’s to take children away from but that’s the last thing they want.
In fact it’s for courts to decide whether a child should be removed from a family, albeit based on recommendations from social workers.
But as three Barnsley social workers put it to the Chronicle this week, while sometimes it is unavoidable it’s very much the last thing they want to do.
“It is a common misconception, people do often think we’re there to take their children away from them,” said Rachelle Hattersley, who has been a social worker in Barnsley for four-and-a-half years.
“The role of a social worker is to help and support families, and what we try to do is help keep children with their families.”
While she sees some harrowing cases, and acknowledges a social worker’s involvement is often feared by parents, Rachelle said being a social worker is far from the doom and gloom agent it is sometimes portrayed, and that many families are very receptive and welcoming of support.
“Don’t get me wrong, there are times when all you’ve wanted to do is sit in your car and cry, but we do get really positive feedback. I’ve actually had Christmas cards from families.
“I’d been working with a particular family for almost two years. There were four children in the family, and when we first began our involvement, they were sleeping on dirty mattresses, they weren’t attending school, it was a very difficult situation that had gone on for a very long time.
“But in the end they were sleeping in nice clean beds, they were going to school, the parents’ mental health had improved, everyone was happier.
“I remember when we closed that case it was actually quite emotional. They said thank you, and said ‘we couldn’t have done it without you’.
“They’re good days, when you can see the difference. When families are happier, and you can see it in their faces.”
Colleague Alice Thompson, a social worker for five years, said: “Our role is supporting children and families to be safe. Safe and happy. That’s the ultimate goal we want for every child and every family, and it’s about improving the outcomes for children.”
Alice said ‘improved outcomes’ might be about getting on better at school, or being at school more regularly, or in better housing, but it might be as simple as being registered with a doctor or a dentist.
“It’s about understanding why a family is not able to meet the needs of a child, and what support is needed to help meet those needs.”
Social workers only become involved after concerns have been identified by someone else, such as a school, doctor, health visitor, midwife, Childline, the NSPCC, other family members, members of the public or even the child themselves.
But often problems can be resolved before discussion about children going into care.
A major focus at the moment is on identifying issues earlier, and Barnsley Council has launched a campaign in partnership with the NSPCC called Neglect Matters.
The aim is to help spot the signs of neglect much sooner before long term problems arise.
About 400 professionals so far in Barnsley including social workers, teachers, midwives, health visitors and probation officers have been trained to use Graded Care Profile 2 a new way of looking at neglect which gives families a score in a number of areas and can help spot and tackle the early signs of neglect.
Debbie Mercer, head of children’s social care in Barnsley, said: “The longer the child is neglected the more likely they are to suffer long term damage.
“A huge focus on what we’re doing is about early intervention.”
