AIBU to think public racist / anti immigrant / anti trans posts can justify dismissal?

Every employee in an organisation represents their employer. The policies around this will be standard at all levels.

On the last bit - yes, probably, but being part of a protest is less likely to link back to your place of employment than an open social media page where you openly state your place of work amongst the bile. Unless of course you do a smiley selfie with said placard...

At least you’re honest. But you’ll be kidding yourself if you think your extreme views won’t be, or become, obvious in your practice. And that makes you a poor social worker. Don’t worry though, you’re in good company there.

When I was a social worker, we had to abide by social work values and ethics and racist, anti immigrant, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic etc views expressed in a public forum such as social media was grounds for dismissal.

I believe it is still the case. Such views do not belong in caring professions. As a manager it was my job to police this sort of thing.

People were able to hold views, but expressing them in certain ways (e.g. glad of people drowning in the channel, saying muslims should go home, homosexuals should go to prison etc) was not tolerated. Neither was behaviour which demonstrated different treatment of people in those groups.

I would be surprised if school workers have to abode by similar rules.

What does 'balancing that with respect for culture' actually translate to though? Are you suggesting you would be expected to overlook the abuse of Muslim girls in a way you wouldn't with white girls (completely unacceptable if so)? Or are you saying that you're encouraged to avoid criticising religion and keep your focus on behavioural changes? Because showing respect to parents, meeting them where they are and focusing on positive change rather than judgement and criticism underpins the SW approach regardless of ethnicity and culture.

Racism is clear and unacceptable in all circumstances. There is literally no reason to judge or treat someone badly because of skin tone or country of birth.

Anti-immigration - if being anti immigration is based upon racism, see above. If it’s genuine concern for negative local/country impact of mass immigration, it’s worth a discussion to find solutions.

Anti-trans - please could you give an example.

Could we also add anti-terf to
this debate, such as placards paraded and photographed in newspapers saying “decapitate TERFs” or “JK is a witch”
Should people carrying these banners lose their jobs due to inciting hatred?

Read a couple of accounts this week of racist, public supporters of the far-right being sacked for spouting race / immigrant / trans hate on their personal social media accounts.

One was a doctors receptionist.
The other a school learning support assistant.

Both roles where they are likely to work with people in the groups they're publicly trashing online. One was recorded at a far-right rally, speaking about the amount of immigrants she was forced to support in her line of work.

What is your opinion on this?

YABU - People should be able to express their opinion without fear of losing their job. Freedom of speech.

YANBU - Anyone with any kind of public facing role/a role where their employer is likely disapprove of this should not publicly post this way and needs to understand that being sacked is their own fault.

Ok I will give some real life examples. And these are very common. Any SW working in childrens will attest to this. You have a non-white muslim family you are assessing and you can see clear signs that the girls are being treated differently to the boys - less freedoms, doing housework, not allowed to play as much, signs of physical punishment (regular smacking no bruises, and threats of it - mental abuse such as the boogie man (there can be a lot of that), regular verbal chastisement, no body autonomy, no choice over clothing, lack of toys. Just obvious the girls are more subdued, more compliant, more fearful than the boys and often are looking after the boys - even when they are younger than them.

We would talk to the family about how these things aren't acceptable here but you are also expected to balance that with 'respecting the culture'. The same in a white working class family and we'd be far more on it I think. I think its reverse racism. Children are children and deserve protection.

In more extreme cases, we, teachers, doctors can sometimes get a whiff an FGM might be about to happen - the signs are young girl becomes subdued and there are talks of a imminent holiday alone with a female relative overseas. To step in and stop that without being called racist is incredibly hard.

I disagree. I see my role as protecting vulnerable people. I wont let fear of being accused of racism/transphobia/islamophobia etc be a barrier to that. I think Im pretty brave actually and hold my head above the paraphet a lot. Its not easy in social work to do that.

‘Fear of being accused of racism’ is a convenient lie for people in authority who fail to do their jobs with the necessary courage and rigour.

At least you’re honest. But you’ll be kidding yourself if you think your extreme views won’t be, or become, obvious in your practice. And that makes you a poor social worker. Don’t worry though, you’re in good company there.

Fear of being accused of racism is why the grooming gangs are still operating and we continue to go round in circles with inquiries.
There is another thread in progress this morning about Tower Hamlets, male intimidation and family voting in which nobody dares identify the men responsible.

Ok. I dont like the muslim religion one bit. I dont deny it. It probably doesnt align with social work values. Nor do my GC views. Dont care. I stand by it.

We’ve only got your word for that though - the word of someone who has decided the Muslim religion is dangerous. I can comfortably say I don’t like any religion - they all have the propensity to allow poor treatment of women, as does secular society. But you’ve singled out a religion you don’t like. I don’t think that aligns with social work values.

You went on to say when you meet a person of colour you wonder about their background. Which implies you don’t do the same for people who are white.

If we think of some of the high profile murders of children over the last few years, most are of white children killed by white men and women. Clearly those adults had different beliefs - about behaviour, about childcare, about violence - but your focus is on culture. Most Muslim people are not killing their children, but you’re somewhat fixated on the religion as ‘dangerous’. If you have data to show Muslim parents are more dangerous than atheists or white people, please share it.

What? I just said the complete opposite. I said I worry that we are too scared of being accused of being racist when the same behaviours in a white family we would be all over.

We dont assume every black or brown person is going to mistreat their child. We are trained heavily to always 'respect the culture' - so I then think that some child abuse gets swept under the carpet in those homes because SW, teachers, doctors are terrified about being accused of racism. The same behaviours in a white family would be treated differently. I dont think thats right.

Surely you deal with the behaviours? You can be alert to signs without assuming every black or brown person is going to mistreat their child - and by extension that white people will have the same cultural beliefs as you. Maybe that’s why we have so many cases where white children die in their family’s care, because SW overlook behaviours they’d be alert to in black or brown families.

I said I dont look at a persons skin colour and make assumptions. When I find out the persons background and culture then it will impact how I deal with the case. But almost all muslim people are people of colour. Once I know the culture of a service user that must help inform my practice as it should. Its important. Just as it would if I was working with the gypsy community. Culture matters.

If I am working with a gypsy family me knowing about their culture helps me to support and assess them better.