To ask your honest opinions of social workers?

[founditdark]

I am due to graduate with my social work degree and feel ready yet apprehensive to go out into the working world.

However, over the past 4 years, some people have been less than complimentary when I told them what I was doing at uni. Including my dad who had a bad experience with social workers growing up. He frequently tells me 'I hate fucking social workers'.

Is this the norm? Is it something I'm better keeping to myself when asked what I do for work?

Also if anyone has any words of wisdom for an (almost) newly qualified social worker please do post.

Thanks

@thethreemuskateers if that is true, you should have reported her. Social workers can be struck off, and her conduct would mean that would happen to her. So banned from ever working in social work again.
Although it is possible she was not a social worker, but a social work assistant. Basically like a TA in comparison to a teacher. She should still be reported, but like TAs assistants are meant to do more helping work to support Social Workers. They are not social workers.

@alltheapples She is definitely a Social Worker, she was a very good friend at one point.

Several people have said I should have reported her, including another Social Worker.

She’s my ex’s partner now, they got together while we were still neighbours, possibly sooner so it’s all a bit tricky.

I don’t know if my concerns would be seen as a crazy ex. Although I’ve got a lot of information names of service users, location of adoptees house that would back my claims up.

@thethreemuskateers yes you should report. If what you say is true she should be struck off. But keep it to work concerns. No one cares if she was drinking gin in the garden.

@alltheapples I’ve drafted an email, I actually did it months ago.

I haven’t mentioned anything other than my concerns about her working capacity as a social worker and that she is unable to maintain confidentiality.

Yes I am a sw in child protection.. to who was asking (not sure how to tag)

Are you having second thoughts OP? 😁
Fwiw, I've never come across anyone in my personal life that's been wary or funny with me because of my job. Not that I've noticed anyway. And if I did, would be no skin off my back, I dont have time for new friends anyway with all the paperwork

@boomoohoo

Yes I am a sw in child protection.. to who was asking (not sure how to tag)

It wasn't me but I have got a question for you, if it's not derailing the thread? A social worker assigned to my family is dismissing my concerns: the police are not but because of the law their hands are sometimes tied. Yet they keep referring to social services who just keep saying mums is dragging everyone into her messy situation but everyone is fine because the person who is the problem in the household holds down an extremely important job and is admired by all: can't possible be that bad, so it must be the complainant.

It's such a worry over the future of the children if they are not protected, and I don't know what else to do if social services don't listen. This is the sort of thing that gives SW-ers a bad name. I was open minded until this.

@NewPoll
That is completely inappropriate to ask on a Mn forum. No qualified social worker will answer you as they have not assessed the case nor have access to full facts and cannot comment in detail on here.

If you disagree with children services response, use their complaints system and raise it . Every Local authority has one and it will get a quick response back to acknowledge your complaint if you are considered a suitably involved party that they can lawfully share even brief details of decision and of outcome with.

His thread is awful. OP asked about telling people in general that she is a SW when she qualifies re protecting herself. And multiple posters have just evidenced how much prejudice, assumptions and over generalisations the general public can make. Some of which so clearly in ignorance - like the Pp who can't tell difference between DWP ("benefits" department, who decide on benefits) and social workers! Not even anywhere near the same job or role.

I don't think people would find it acceptable for a thread undermining and slagging off nurses or doctors calling all of them C you Next Tuesdays or similar abusive names and saying they are useless and worthless because people accept by far the majority of them the majority of the time save hundreds of thousands of lives and are doing their best without a crystal ball. It's the same for social workers - who work in so many areas, safeguarding children and families social work is one area but not the biggest employer.

Everyone working as a SW -same as a nurse, a doctor, psychologists etc - is registered & meets professional standards. The difference is that people think they can do a social workers job but don't make same arrogant assumption about being able to do the job of doctors!! Yet people show that they cannot all the time as they don't understand the legislation!!! It's far more complex and same way we can't teach you to be a doctor on MN, we can't teach you to be a social worker and explain all the complicated parts of our roles.

I've had a few social workers due to my ex having a conviction.

I have not got on with any of them. I have found them to be rude, condescending and unwilling to listen to opinions (no matter how open and honest you are being with them).

Whenever they wanted to arrange meeting I advised them that because of my work I couldn't do daytime meetings. I once felt pressured into attend numerous daytime meetings with them, which resulted in me being let go from my job.

My current social worker constantly accuses me of talking over her. She begins to ask me a question, which I answer then she starts talking over me while I'm trying to answer; then says I am talking over her.

I feel like whatever I do or say is not good enough for her.

I'm sure some are lovely, but the few I've had made me distrust them.

I'm sure some social workers are very good and I wouldn't like to do their job but unfortunately from working in education I found them useless.

2 years we were constantly raising concerns about a child and the social worker was clearly too afraid to challenge the parent on anything, or couldn't be bothered. I worried about that child constantly, we felt powerless to stop what was happening to them because the social worker wouldn't listen or look at what was right in front of her face. Even the police raised concerns after visiting the house. Nothing.

2 years literally nothing was done, then the family moved out of the area so I'm sure somewhere there's another school begging for intervention but nothing will be done and they'll move again eventually. Poor kid, I often think about them.

Just a bit concerned that my two Managers have been Social Workers for many years but work in a different sector now. Neither of them think it’s an issue for me to waste a whole day on a jolly (can’t go into detail) when a phone call would suffice!

The tax payers are funding my role so I always find a way where I don’t waste time and come up with an alternative; I’m guessing it might not have been an issue for them in their previous roles and that mindset has continued.

Having worked in the private sector for most of my life I can see vast differences in how time is spent. Worrying.

This is a Zombie thread with the original OP and other repeating their original posts.

When I was a child my father was abusive, my teacher realised and got social services involved. They were literally of no help at all, I guess that is not the fault of an individual social worker, but one time I did beg my social worker to take me away because I feared my father will kill me and she told me to my face to suck it up because living in a home is worse and sent me on my way. So there is that.