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Back in the 80s I had a close professional relationship with several social workers, the type of women (and one man) who would be called old-fashioned today because they wore smart suits and carried a well-earned air of authority. Their confidence had been achieved through many years of experience and their knowledge of their clients was second to none. I could acquire an answer to a question in minutes and these people saved me endless hours of research during which I often met a brick wall.
In 1988 I think it was, one of these ladies (there were 4 in my local office) telephoned me to say she wouldn't be attending a meeting we had arranged the following week. When I asked why she hesitatingly replied they had all been told to clear their desks 'as their services were no longer required'. Later than evening I spoke privately with another who had become a friend. The then Westminster government was insisting all social workers had relevant qualifications and it was felt it wouldn't be worthwhile to retrain these ladies as they were all in their 50s. Each had had an excellent education and an accumulation of various highers but that wasn't good enough.
They went quietly, similar to the manner with which they had carried out their duties, only to be replaced by casually dressed young go-getters who oozed with confidence. I suspect few of them are still social workers today.
It's not an easy job being a social worker but then many jobs aren't easy. Reading the Mail on Sunday London councils, who are short of staff, are employing young, inexperienced American social work graduates at an annual salary of £36.000. These youngsters can be deciding, among other things, which children should be removed from their parents. They are recruited through an agency called UK-Pro which specialises in social work vacancies.
Why can't the UK train our own social workers? True - social work seldom receives a good press but obviously that doesn't deter the American graduates. The salary they are being offered is more than an army captain, with ten years service, is paid in fact quite a bit more. Hopefully the Scottish government will ensure we produce enough homegrown social workers and we don't have to resort to bringing them thousands of miles to look after us. Shouldn't we be looking after our own?
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My oldest brother is just retiring from a career in social work - his finishing salary is about 75 thousand quid as a senior manager of an office in a large North American city. My youngest sister started out in social work as a senior manager running shelters for the homeless in a NA city with a population of around five million. She now does policy and contract oversight for the city and makes a ton of money.
I used be in that line of work as well - as a front line grunt in the Glasgow area. The salary was crap in those days, and neither my brother or sister would have lasted five minutes in the hoosin schemes I worked in. 35 grand for US social workers? What a joke.
subrosa,
As you are probably aware I have had dealings with social workers over the years and, in particular, those dealing with children in care.
New social workers come in all gung-ho and expecting appreciative "clients" or are they called "customers" now. What they often meet are abusive children and even more abusive parents so the shine soon wears off and they look for pastures new.
Consequently, those who are left are expected to deal with enormous case-loads, by senior office-bound managers who have probably never seen an angry child, and they always take the blame when things go wrong as they, invariably, do.
So the vicious circle goes on as frustration at not being able to adequately do the job they are trained for leads to previously dedicated workers leaving for work where they are appreciated.
Thus, there is are chronic shortages of social workers all over Scotland but, strangely, no shortage of managers.
Coincidentally I just done a blog on children in need and as I was doing it I noticed an ad for the NSPCC.
What a disgrace that the most vulnerable in our society, often, have to rely on charity whilst billions are squandered on weapons that will never be used.
When was the last time you saw an ad for a charity for nuclear subs?
You lot all sound like condescending outsiders who deign to Grace the (ungrateful)low life's with your presence....And you probably don't even realise it
nikos,
How many children have you fostered over the past 20 years?
Outsider? I'm still in the game Niko - just not generic social work. Over the years I've worked with juveniles - rapists and murderers mostly, severely aggressive and self injurious folks with developmental disabilities (the stuff of nightmares), and now folks with dual diagnosis living in the community.
Condescending? I've spent most of my life helping folks in crisis. WTF have you done?
nikos,
Being unable to post on your blog all I've got to say to you is that if your dog is not vicious then his master can learn a lot from him.
Really thoughtful posts scunnert and brownlie. The reason I posted this is because of the likes of you two - the old fashioned type of caring person that didn't necessarily have to have a list of HNDs and a 'degree' but had to have some emotion for their job and plenty empathy plus good old common sense.
Bringing in youngsters from another culture, particularly at that amount of salary, is bordering on the obscene.
Have you read their 'testimonials' on that website ie wonderful time in my 6 months in England and taking loads of money back with me - or something similar. Six months????
If I needed a social worker I'd call my pal Willie, he's now 77 years old but he could still sort out most problems in a ziffy and he's been retired 12 years.
I miss the old-styled social workers (mainly women in those days), they had a gentleness and sensible attitude but they put up with no nonsense, that's for sure.
Scunnert
wtf have i done i've lived all me life with "severely aggressive and self injurious folks with developmental disabilities (the stuff of nightmares), and now folks with dual diagnosis living in the community."
only i never got the opportunity to clock off and go home....
brownlie
i posted this on amw blog
AMW
Must be a blogger wide problem have found this on a few blog..i have disabled word verification to see w]if this makes a difference.......
subrosa,
Aye, it's good to have a 77year old Willie handy when you need one - to sort out your problems.
Experience, in all things, is better than youth and enthusiasm - I hope.
I've found the WV won't work unless you've logged in.
WV = niced
Niko I've no idea why Spook has done that, perhaps he was being spammed or something.
I think from the posts that all of us hve contributed greatly in some way to helping the less able in our country.
But do we want newly qualified social workers from another country coming to make decisions on our vulnerable?
I think it's time I did a post on how Britain is being sold off. Scotland's got to get out of this before it's too late.
So much for cultural sensitivity. UK - dumbed down, repackaged, and sold off.
That's it in a nutshell scunnert, I've been saying it for years. Perhaps you could do a post with 'Britain, the Sale of the Centuries'? If not then let me know and I'll research and do it.
My wife is a nurse, but works as a night shift carer for an Edinburgh charity.She also took an OU qualification in social work.
Her employers fall into the same trap, ie hiring young graduates, who quickly realise that being a full time carer can be a dirty, challenging and stressful job; most of them soon go on to pastures new with another notch in their cv.
Conan and she's left to pick up the pieces of these 'temps' while she does her own job?
I call that madness. Her union should have been onto that years ago but unions are a waste of time to the average worker. They're concerned with their pay and pension rather than the folk who innocently donate.
I do hope she's aware where her contribution goes Conan. That's a silly statement, she's sensible.
Subrosa, excellent post, but your closing remarks sound a bit 'British jobs for British workers'.
Whatever next? ;0)
Ha ha Stuart, you can't get me on that one! All I said was shouldn't we be looking after our own and if you wish to interpret it as protectionist (the latest buzz word) then so be it.
Am I becoming too controversial do you think?
Brownlie, my friend's husband is named Willie, honestly :):) Oh you are awful!
Nikos,
WTF have I done? You made it sound as if both Scunnert and I were dismissing individuals in need of care as "low-lifes" when that is clearly not the case. I think that in both cases we were frankly acknowledging the reality of the situation i.e. that people in care are difficult to deal with especially if you are not given the time and facilities to adequately address their problems.
It is always the "front-line troops" that bear the brunt of individuals' frustration and anger and there is always plenty of that around in fraught situations. Their situation is made worse if their "superiors" make unreasonable demands on them or make illogical decisions for them to implement.
If your situation is, or was, as you say then you have my full sympathy as I know how difficult and disturbing that can be.
subrosa,
Years ago, a Labour MP told me that his predecessor in his constituency was called Willie Small. Can you imagine when they were announcing the results of the election with the surname first?
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