Comment on Social Workers Union research

Steve Crocker, ADCS President, said:

“Creating the right working conditions for all members of our workforce is key if we are to provide the best support possible to children and families. We know that many people in the workforce who are unable to work full-time are keen to remain in the profession and it is important we can accommodate for them where possible. However, our focus must also remain on maintaining strong, consistent relationships with our children and families.

“Local authorities are keen to do all they can to create the best conditions for effective practice. The pandemic has opened up new ways of working, such as greater use of remote working, and we should explore these where they can better meet individual needs. However, new ways of working must be used to supplement face-to-face social work; we know there is no substitute to seeing children and families and in the family home.

“Social workers do incredibly important work on behalf of us all but in a context where need for help and support is increasing, we struggle to recruit and retain enough social workers nationally, especially after a decade of year on year cuts to local authority budgets. We know what is needed to secure the very best outcomes for children and families - we need enough high quality social workers to support children and families who need it and we need enough funding from national government to invest in the workforce.”

ENDS

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