Shortage of Social Workers

[ditchdwellers]

This morning I was reading on the BBC regional news that there is a dire shortage of social workers in West Sussex and I was wondering if other people had also been affected by this.


Here's a link to the article:


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-61751299

Apparently there are 62 permanent vacancies and 46 full time permanent absences. Some of these positions are covered by agency staff but there are still 30 unfilled positions.

The results of this are showing in the lack of contact that people are receiving from social workers. In one way I'm happy to be left alone to get along with things and on the other I would like to get to know my new team since moving from the Central to Coastal teams 18 months ago. My care plan hasn't been reviewed or updated for four years now and during the pandemic I received one call to inform me of the services available and a 'courtesy welfare check ' six months in! Much help that was!

West Sussex has been rated inadequate in the past and I'm not surprised there is such a high rate of staff absence. The stress must be incredibly high and I feel sorry for new people entering the profession who may not get the level of mentoring or supervision they need to support them through their early years.
The Council's grand plan seems to be to recruit from overseas, whilst I have no problem with people migrating for work, I do fear that some of the countries they are recruiting from are in desperate need of their own well qualified staff. Perhaps this is more of a global shortage problem.

[lankou]

This morning I was reading on the BBC regional news that there is a dire shortage of social workers in West Sussex and I was wondering if other people had also been affected by this.


Here's a link to the article:


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-61751299

Apparently there are 62 permanent vacancies and 46 full time permanent absences. Some of these positions are covered by agency staff but there are still 30 unfilled positions.

The results of this are showing in the lack of contact that people are receiving from social workers. In one way I'm happy to be left alone to get along with things and on the other I would like to get to know my new team since moving from the Central to Coastal teams 18 months ago. My care plan hasn't been reviewed or updated for four years now and during the pandemic I received one call to inform me of the services available and a 'courtesy welfare check ' six months in! Much help that was!

West Sussex has been rated inadequate in the past and I'm not surprised there is such a high rate of staff absence. The stress must be incredibly high and I feel sorry for new people entering the profession who may not get the level of mentoring or supervision they need to support them through their early years.
The Council's grand plan seems to be to recruit from overseas, whilst I have no problem with people migrating for work, I do fear that some of the countries they are recruiting from are in desperate need of their own well qualified staff. Perhaps this is more of a global shortage problem.

Where I live in West Cornwall social workers are as rare as rocking horse poo and Unicorns.

[Monic1511]

Yes there’s a shortage, there is also a very quick burnout among staff. The escalating caseload along with withdrawal of admin support, constant focus on social work failing when it’s the abusive parent who kills the child. The social workers get investigated, tried and found guilty in the court of public opinion so who on earth would want the job.


New students arrive, within 6 months they are looking to move elsewhere as they see the senior social workers crumbling under unmanageable caseloads, senior council staff are scrambling about with reducing budgets yet expect more for less. 

[Sunny Clouds]

I wish I was surprised, but I'm not.  (Warning, leftie anti-small-state political rant.)  There's a type of neoliberal politics, introduced to this country by Thatcher, and eagerly pursued by our current government, that's 'small state', mainly dismantling public services by 'defund, demoralise, privatise'.  Of course, that only means privatising the profitable bits - just abandon the rest and let philanthropy and 'natural selection' sort it.

I'm amazed anyone can still recruit social workers.  I have my suspicion that what in America is called the Great Resignation, where a shortage of some sorts of workers is leading to loads of workers retiring early, leading to more shortages and workers being pickier.

Here, we have doctors and nurses quitting.  Some of you will have read or maybe seen the documentary about Operose-owned GP practices, which are massively understaffed, with lots of the GPs replaced by Physicians Assistants, and incoming correspondance dealt with by non-clinical staff, who decide whether to file or pass on to a GP or PA.  Etc., etc.

So why would anyone want to work in public service in any D,D,P role?

[Sunshine Meadows]

I agree about the great resignation and younger people not wanting or being able to do the job. The disgusting thing about it is that the processes in place, the tick boxes and simplistic processes in place on work for a certain type of person and only the less empathetic can do it. The end result after the olders have resigned or retired means the the social workers left wont be like the social workers we had.


The same goes for Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and GPs.

[ditchdwellers]

I got an email on Friday asking me to phone a Social worker for a review. She's a locum .
Let's just say that the conversation didn't exactly bode well for the upcoming visit 😀


Firstly, she thought that I was phoning regarding about my child and kept asking me what the name of my child was. Finally she twigged that I was her client and by this time I had my 'not amused' voice on!


Then she demanded that anyone involved with my care be present for the meeting. I told her my husband had to work and there was no way he was taking time off to meet with her. No other Social worker has asked this before. She wanted to know who else was involved with my care and I said I had a PA. This appeared to be a new concept to her and she couldn't get her head around it until I explained he was employed by Direct Payments.
"Oh ,he's your carer then? " she exclaimed.


When she then said she wanted someone from my Day Care Centre to be present you could have cut the air with a knife 
Are all disabled people expected to go to bloody Day Care Centres? I'm sure some of them are very good for some clients, but I'm not one of them and to just assume that I would attend one is a sweeping generalisation that tells me that me and Mre Social worker are not going to see eye to eye 


Roll on Friday and I'll report back!

[Monic1511]

I think you covered it when you said she’s a locum


That means new to the area, has no idea of local needs or resources and has been thrown in a the deep end.
Yes she’s made several mistakes already but that’s not surprising, I’m scared to go back to work as I can barely cope with 4 cases never mind 40 and that’s the normal for my colleagues in welfare rights not social work.


I hope once you meet her she can understand a bit better what you need and don’t need her to be doing

[Sunny Clouds]

While absolutely not endorsing thatcher the issue really was the daft edicts of inclusion diversity and new norms that made a social worker a prime target for everyone. 

I will not pretend to understand why you appear to have such an ongoing objection to inclusion and diversity.  Humans have diverse impairments and recognition of that plus inclusion is, for me, at the heart of disability equality.  As a general principle, I live my life by Pfarrer (Pastor/Reverend) Niemoeller's "First they came for..." warning.

However, you may feel satisfied that you have managed yet again to leave me feeling othered here.  Based on our previous interactions, I consider it highly probable that that was your intention.

[Sunny Clouds]

DD - I've got my fingers crossed for you.

[lankou]

 Humans have diverse impairments

[Sunny Clouds]

Lankou, that was fiendishly funny.

[lankou]

Lankou, that was fiendishly funny.

I have just ordered six of those sew on patches for a group of friends. (My wife and I already have them but the stallholder only had two.)

[Sunny Clouds]

You've set me thinking over what sort of patches or badges I could do with.

I have a collection of badge-holders for pinning or clipping on clothes (that you can put ID badges in) or hanging off neck cords.  I also have a label printer.     

[lankou]

You've set me thinking over what sort of patches or badges I could do with.

I have a collection of badge-holders for pinning or clipping on clothes (that you can put ID badges in) or hanging off neck cords.  I also have a label printer.   

[Sunny Clouds]