Hi, I'm Georgiana_Scope! I'm a student social worker and want to hear your views!

Lisatho11987777

@Georgiana_Scope its also I think about what a social worker defines as being wrong  or is it just help needed  or struggling  I think when you start working in the field depending on which part of social work your working in only then will you understand 

Mostly social workers are told what to do by people who are higher up even if the social worker thinks its the wrong decision disability social workers aren't as bad as children and familys social workers 

I hope you will be one of the good ones and hopefuly stand your ground 

Lisatho11987777

@chiarieds I read your thread but that was back in 2015 if you ever have the unfortunate situation to be in a children's and family hearing its a lot different 

Lisatho11987777

There are one hundred and two thousand children in care and this is social services keeping familys together 

Georgiana_Alumni

@lisathomas50

Thank you I do intend to be one of the 'good ones'

I have interests in disability, youth offending/probation and drugs and alcohol and can forsee a lot of crossover in each so I only hope I can do a good job and provide a good support for people. 

Lisatho11987777

@Georgiana_Scope drugs and probation are good areas I am an independent voluntary advocate and I represent people in children and familys crime drugs  I campaign also for help and support in all those areas and I help drug addiction withdrawal and rehab programmes  I cover alot more now I am not working at the moment and I look after my mum who has dementia 

I am currently campaigning for domestic abuse  children and familys keeping children at home with support  Disability campaigning  and campaigning to change law 

Lisatho11987777

@Georgiana_Scope I wish you all the best in your social work 

chiarieds

Hi @Georgiana_Scope & @lisathomas50 -  just looking online last night Lisa, that was the most recent relevant link I could find, which is why I often ask if links can be provided, so perhaps you have a more up to date link? This is a field I know very little about. However, it made me think, going back to disabilities in children, whether social workers learn about certain disorders, e.g. I have a genetic disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), & have met the founder of the UK's EDS Support group. I remember her mentioning that some members had previously had difficulty as bruising, which can be a feature of this disorder, had been questioned in their children. EDS is thought to be more common than the 1 in 5,000 mentioned in the literature, so something a social worker might come across, & which I'd like to highlight here to raise awareness. Please see the last section, 'General'  in this link about 'Your child & EDS', which says, 'Be aware that, due to injuries and bruising, you may be accused of child abuse. Respond in a positive manner and explain about EDS calmly. This may even be a time for heightening the person’s awareness of EDS and saving someone else from the same accusation in the future.'

https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/information/your-child-and-the-ehlers-danlos-syndromes/

Then there are other disorders such as Osteogenesis imperfecta, where there can be neonatal fractures.

Georgiana_Alumni

@chiarieds
Thank you for the information about EDS and the possibility of it causing bruising, this isnt something I was aware of. As a social work student I haven't had any formal training on disability but we do study legislation including the Care Act on supporting people who have impairments and possibly lack capacity. I think if you went into a specific social work role where you are working with disabled people you would get specific training on it as I do at Scope. There is a wealth of information though and I bet you will agree nothing beats hands on experience and lived experience from the expert themselves

Georgiana_Alumni

@lisathomas50
That sounds like a really worthwhile and gratifying position I would love to hear how you got into your role. Yes I have an interest in probation and youth offending as well as disability and other areas. I was a volunteer for many years for a drugs and alcohol service and found it vey rewarding. You must get great satisfaction from what you do especially in challenging the laws and trying to keep children with their families. Hats off to you!

Georgiana_Alumni

lisathomas50 said:

@Georgiana_Scope I wish you all the best in your social work 

Thank you so much, it's hard work and I'm only in  my first year but I hope to find a rewarding and worthwhile career in it

Lisatho11987777

@chiarieds you brought up a fantastic point about bruising and fractures many children have been taken into care and found out after these children have been adopted there is so little awareness of these types of things 

To be fair @chiarieds there is so much that social services need to learn about  but they  do come to the wrong conclusions  I know some children do need to go into care but not as many as social services take into care and some of the reasons  that children are taken into care for are wrong 

It's a good subject but it's a very large subject and hard to get information because of the secrecy of the family court 

chiarieds

Georgiana_Scope said:

Thank you for the information about EDS and the possibility of it causing bruising, this isnt something I was aware of. As a social work student I haven't had any formal training on disability but we do study legislation including the Care Act on supporting people who have impairments and possibly lack capacity. I think if you went into a specific social work role where you are working with disabled people you would get specific training on it as I do at Scope. There is a wealth of information though and I bet you will agree nothing beats hands on experience and lived experience from the expert themselves

Looking at the statistics Scope quotes that 13.9 million people have a disability, so 1 in 5 (don't know if this includes children, or 'just' relates to England & Wales), & 8% of children have a disability; this surely has a much needed relevance, & need of 'some' understanding by social workers. Please see: https://www.scope.org.uk/    Scope also highlights both disability & poverty here: https://www.scope.org.uk/news-and-stories/we-cannot-accept-a-system-which-allows-disabled-people-to-live-trapped-in-poverty/  

I do agree that nothing beats hands on experience, which will (usually) come after you qualify, however if you are getting specific training about disabilities with Scope now, that is all for the good.

Sandy_123

I've worked next to social workers when I worked with multi displinary teams, I think it depends on the person, some of the social workers were great, and did more then what they needed to, however I've also worked next to social workers who only did what they were asked to, never went out there way to get to know the person or their needs, went off sick when challenged. 
So I've seen both sides of the coin. Work related.

Cher_Alumni

Just to chip in with my thoughts too!  I did an access course with peers who are now social workers, and the workload/constraints they are working under definitely doesn't make it an enviable job (well not for me!) so I admire you @Georgiana_Scope

What would make a good social worker in my opinion is someone who leaves pre-conceived cultural ideals of how people 'should be' to one side; who judges situations with an open, tolerant mind; and works from a place of compassion, wanting the best for those they are supporting.  It's easy to see people as 'cases' and not humans, just another piece of paper on a desk - admittedly an issue exacerbated by the complicated admin procedures - but I'd want to be treat with dignity and be given time to be heard as a person.  I know my friends definitely fit into this ideal when they started their careers but I also wonder how much the pressures of the job have chipped away at this being feasible in the long-run.

Also, I really hear what Mike is saying about structural inequalities such as poverty being the root cause of many problems social workers deal with.  They are putting out fires fanned by successive governments and the withdrawal of systems/services designed to help those most in need.  It's hard. 

I hope this hasn't painted too much of a pessimistic picture for you @Georgiana_Scope !! We definitely need people like you to drive the momentum forward, particularly for disabled people who have historically been oppressed and pathologised just for having different bodies - so thank you for giving our community time to talk to you!  Good luck with your time at Scope and I look forward to talking with you more 

Georgiana_Alumni

@Sandy_123

Hi there, thanks for your response. It's upsetting to hear of social workers that do the bare minimum and do not respond to being challenged. Do you have any advice for a trainee?

Georgiana_Alumni

@Cher_Scope
Hi there
Thank you very much for sharing your insights on this. I hear what you are saying about social workers needing to treat people as people and show compassion. In my role with Scope I am finding I need the same qualities. Is there anything specific I can do to avoid alienating disabled people in practice. What are the specific needs that matter to them? I really look forward to hearing from you 

Georgiana_Alumni

@Username_removed
Thanks for your further comment. I see what you mean about social workers needing to have training and knowledge around poverty benefit caps etc. I am getting a lot of support learning these areas at Scope. The benefits system is a minefield in my opinion and needs to be understood better to benefit all. I am hoping  individual social workers can make a difference in some way to peoples lives it's one of the reasons I entered the field of study. 

Georgiana_Alumni

@lisathomas50
Hi there

Thanks for your further engagement.

I can see what you mean about social workers jumping to the wrong conclusions and I can see the conflict between wanting to safeguard children and making sure other factors are not the reason for bruising and so on. IT's clear that more information needs to be made available on the conditions you talk about so social workers aren't as hasty in making judgement calls against parents that may well be innocent. 

I will definitely be doing more reading in this area

Yes its great to get more comprehensive training in disability from Scope I am learning a lot and hope it holds me in good stead for my career]

When you say a social worker must be experienced can you add to this? Do you mean in the area they are working or just life experience in  general. I always ask this when it comes to childrens and families work. Does a social worker need to be a parent for example? And could a person that is much older with plentiful life experience have more experience than a young  parent with little life experience. Or is experience not about time?

INteresting things to discuss I look forward to your reply

Georgiana_Alumni

@chiarieds
Yes I agree that when so much of the population is disabled social workers need to have some specialist knowledge in this area. I think most social work courses are more general - adults and children and families - and the specialisation comes when you begin practice eg working  at Scope but there should be more core teaching on this area in my opinion. Saying that I am only in my first year so I may get to have more training before my 2 year course ends. There does seem to be an emphasis on safeguarding above information and advice giving due to the constraints social workers are under but thank goodness for peer support like in the forum where likeminded people can share experiences

Caz_Alumni

Hi @Georgiana_Scope,

Thank you for starting this thread and prompting a very valuable reflective discussion! 

I am a fairly recent addition to the Online community team here at Scope, so I have read all the posts above with a real degree of interest. Like you, I am keen to find out more and learn how to approach my new role, so that I do the best job I can do.

Reading the posts from our community has helped ME a lot as well. So, thank you very much to everybody for your contributions. And I completely agree with you, Georgiana, about the value of having a forum like this where people can come together, share experiences., and provide peer support to each other. 

Great to hear that you've found the conversation to be of such benefit, not only in terms of the work that you're doing now, but also for your future career.