I have 30 years experience in LA Children's Services as a social worker and middle manager; I retired in 2004 but worked independently until 2009.
I think Gove is something of a megalomaniac and very dangerous. The tories are pushing the privatisation agenda for all public services because they have a deep mistrust of them e.g. Schools being taken out of the control of LEAs and become Acadamies headed by private companies who know nothing about education (they don't need to, they just need to know how to make profit) The idea behind Academies was ostensibly for better management of "failing schools" though a comp school in the area in which I live had an OFSTED rating of outstanding but was still turned into an Academy. Then Gove's Free Schools in the news lately for "inadequate" ratings by OFSTED and some closed because the untrained Heads and teacher couldn't cope. Of course they couldn't it's just that Gove believes teachers don't need to be trained, they just need to be intelligent. 70% of the Probation Service is now privatised - parts of the NHS are privatised, many prisons are privatised and now it's the turn of Children's Services.
Children's Services are failing for the following reasons:
- Impossibly large workloads
- Too much time spent in front of computer screens ticking boxes.
- A national shortage of experienced and competent social workers
- A national shortage of experienced and competent managers
- A huge problem in recruitment and retention of staff.
- Serious under resourcing in terms of finance.
- Higher than average numbers of sws and managers off sick with stress related illnesses.
- High numbers of agency workers who are used because of the shortage of permanent staff. I am not discrediting agency sws it is simply that the cases will be new to them and so there is no continuity.
I could go on, and yes there will be social workers who are incompetent but that's true of all professionals though somehow social workers get pilloried more than other professionals.
The other thing about child protection is that no amount of "working together" "sharing information" is going to eliminate risk and I get very frustrated when there is another child death and the Director (or whoever comes on TV) talking about "learning lessons" - instead they should be telling the truth that risk can never be eliminated even if social workers lived with families where there was concern, they would have to stay awake for 24 hours!!
I worked on a freelance basis for Birmingham City Council from 2004 - 2009 and I came across very poor quality social work, and this was largely because of the reasons outlined above. I found young social workers maybe 1 or 2 years into the job, carrying caseloads of 30 plus. Ridiculous. They were trying to run a service with approx. 30% vacancy rate and unable to attract experienced social workers. I felt desperately sorry for the sws because they were unbelievable stressed and over loaded with cases. And all of this was before this govt took an axe to the budgets of all public services and at the same time expected an improved service - it can't be done.
Quietbatperson I'm interested in your posts. Can I ask who is your employer. I would also take issue with a post when you mentioned that in care proceedings, judges "didn't think children's services was independent enough and so had to outsource" (or words to that effect) It's always been the case in care proceedings that there will be independent reports by various professionals, almost always by a psychologist, a psychiatrist (if there are mental health issues) health visitor, family centre manager, GP (possibly) and always a children's guardian employed by CAFCASS which is of course completely independent of Children's Services. In addition with the Court's agreement an independent worker can be commissioned to carry out a report on the birthparents who are opposing the Care Order. This was another element of the work I undertook as a freelance social worker, though there had to be agreement by all the parties.
I think you mentioned TUPE transfers, and my thinking hadn't gone that far - and of course the new conditions only last for 2 years and then the new management can do as they like. I don't think teachers whose schools were turned into Academies underwent any kind of TUPE transfer.
Finally I find it a matter of real concern that Gove is now trying to privatise Children's Services. And surprise surprise I'm sure SERCO will be putting in a bid (currently "under investigation" for fraud) the quote marks are because there won't be any investigation into the fraudulent practice of claiming for tagging offenders on release from prison, as SERCO have repaid around 70 million to the govt. Peanuts! If you or I were involved in fraud we would be in court, but there seems to be a different law for these companies. Someone else mentioned ATOS was found "not fit for purpose" with it's WCTests, although the DWP designed the tests and commissioned ATOS to carry them out. Or maybe it will be G4S as they "manage" prisons and have also been in the news because of the disturbances at a prison in Wolverhampton, where there were riots, although this was denied.
But then these private companies and conglomerates (one company "managed" some 38 Academies) don't need to know anything about child protection, all they need to know is how to make profit and it can hardly fail to do that, as the govt will willingly throw billions of pounds at them, and when invested will make handsome profits for shareholders.