Below inflation pay rise for social workers and social work England fees to rise to £120

[forgodssakes]

How are they getting away with this? The sector is in a recruitment crisis and services are stretched as it is, how can they continue to expect people to work under these conditions? 3.2% is pathetic compared to what nurses and teachers have been awarded. I expect that more people will leave the sector and social workers will continue to be criticised when things go wrong despite working under unworkable conditions and unsustainable caseloads. What can we do about this?

So what about secondary school teachers? They will have done an undergrad in their subject for 9k a year, plus a PGCE at 9k. So 36k for university tuition. That doesn’t take into account any living costs (which would be a massive additional loan for the four years). Please don’t act like only social workers pay for university because that is beyond ridiculous.

If you don’t perform the school goes in to special measures and you lose your job or- in all likelihood your career. It is no different in social work.

Except in social work if you make a mistake, a wrong decision you can easily have a dead child or vulnerable adult on your conscience. Even very good, skilled, experienced, well performing social workers can miss something when they’re working with complexity at pace. It’s very different to teaching.

Teachers working in schools that go into special measures do not 'lose their careers' how ridiculous.
But even if they did, it's hardly life or death, is it?
The safeguarding responsibility of teachers is to refer to someone with more responsibility - ultimately a social worker.

I see where you are coming from but in inner city areas teachers can have dead children on their hands. I know a handful of teachers (including myself) who have been directly involved with county lines court cases and it so horrifying and absolutely heartbreaking. So please don’t tell me teaching isn’t social work. Because in some places it absolutely is.

Seriously, being aware of a safeguarding issue or even being a witness in a court case is not the same as having the responsibility of a social worker. A classroom teacher definitely doesn't have anywhere near that responsibility.

You can do if you are in SLT which is clearly where the OP believes they should be given that they are openly complaining about a 37k newly qualified salary.

I’ve been teaching since 2011, I am not a classroom teacher.

No, even SLT don't have the same responsibility as a social worker - surely you understand that as SLT's responsibility is to refer to social services? For them to investigate and make decisions?

Really? So teachers are going into homes, to work the parents of those children? They’re assessing the home conditions, looking for indicators or neglect, or substance misuse or domestic abuse? They’re sitting with parents explaining their concerns usually with the perpetrator present? They’re working with police to investigate criminality? They’re sitting with parents to try and make sense with them as to how their child has been drawn into county lines? Teachers are trying to build parenting capacity, supporting parents when their child goes missing, working with the police to trace said child, working with the child to find a way out of an incredibly dangerous situation - often putting themselves in danger in the process.

Teachers are assessing that that child needs to be taken into care? Teachers are convening and chairing statutory child protection meetings? They’re building an evidence base, writing the report, explaining to parents why their child needs accommodated? Standing behind that report in court, dealing with the fall out when court decides not to grant the order? They’re physically removing children from unsafe homes?

Teachers are important, a key part of the patchwork of support and safeguarding system, but they aren’t social workers by any definition.

I can imagine that teachers feel the emotional weight in a different way, due to seeing the children that they know are being affected, day in day out. Similar to how residential staff can feel, being alongside children in awful situations and witnessing it.
It doesn't mean they carry the same level of responsibility. It is still very intense, but in a different way. If anything, teaching staff do more of what many social workers thought they'd be doing in social work, which is spending time with children.

There's really no need to argue between professions though. They're both difficult and stressful jobs. Im a social worker, I can handle the responsibility, but there's no way I could cope with teaching, or the politics involved in SLT in schools.

Solidarity from an educational psychologist - it’s even worse over here! Huge recruitment and retention crisis too - the lure of private work/pay is too strong.

This.

There is a reason why social workers are classed as the lead professional in STRAT meetings and core groups.

wrong thread!

I cannot be bothered to continue this argument. As I have said repeatedly, I have immense amounts of respect for social services and social workers- they do an invaluable job that is very difficult in lots of different ways. What I do not respect is people who have been doing a job for three years (which in most professional careers is basically newly qualified) citing themselves as ‘experienced’ and complaining that their salary (above the national average, with a pay raise, albeit less then 4%) is inadequate. No one should work in social services, teaching or the NHS if their principal motive
is money. Do something else- if you are bright enough, you definitely can earn much more elsewhere. Only do it if you love it. I do and feel very lucky to go to work every day, despite the challenges.

There's really no need to argue between professions though. They're both difficult and stressful jobs. Im a social worker, I can handle the responsibility, but there's no way I could cope with teaching, or the politics involved in SLT in schools.

Agreed, I’m a really good social worker, I’d be a terrible teacher - both have their place. The difference being I’d never say I was a teacher, even if I spent time helping kids learn. They are both distinct professions with different roles, responsibilities and powers, and very different training. Spending time with kids, even very vulnerable kids, attending court does not make you a social worker.

I never said I was a social worker?

What I do not respect is people who have been doing a job for three years (which in most professional careers is basically newly qualified) citing themselves as ‘experienced’

What you don’t seem to understand is that in social workers you have basically a year when you’re considered newly qualified. After that you’re expected to be fully up to speed, able to fully lead public protection investigations and carry a full case load. It’s not a protected or protective profession. So yes, 3 years isn’t greatly experienced but it’s not newly qualified either.

You said

So please don’t tell me teaching isn’t social work. Because in some places it absolutely is.

It really isn’t. Challenging, demanding, heartbreaking absolutely but not social work.

@YourSnugGreyPanda

I was clear in my pp that I have a lot of respect for my colleagues in education and health.

I don’t think any of these sectors are easy fields to work in.

I find it a shame that in this thread you seem unwilling to extend that same courtesy to another profession.

To be blunt your posts trying to demonstrate parallels between teaching and social work only serve to highlight how little you understand of the work we do.

It’s understandable that you don’t because you haven’t done a 2 years Masters and 1 year post qual training year in social work.

The same way I don’t have a one year PGCE qualification to become a Teacher.

The difference between us is that I recognise my own lack of experience in education and value that of many of the excellent teachers I know.

I think they more than deserve the 4% pay award. I think they deserve more, but as per my pp I appreciate funds are limited.

In that context I think the offer to social workers is derisory compared to colleges both health and education and I think your posts reflect very poorly on you both personally and professionally.

I work with some incredible EP’s. Such an important role and yes in my LA they are struggling to retain staff.

THIS!

For clarification in respect of my username, the 2 years is post my Masters and one year ASYE. So I’m effectively 5 years in. I earn £34k.

I don’t do this for money as I’ve already explained, but then again I don’t need to.

But my colleagues do need to pay rent/mortgage and utilities. They have to find highly flexible and often expensive childcare (because if you are on a visit and a crisis ensued then you can’t just clock off).

Ironically 3 former SW’s I know have moved into teaching, not for money but for the predictably of the hours and the benefit of being able to align childcare out of term time.

Teaching is hard. I value good teachers, but the jobs are very different and I’m incredulous that social workers are being given a lesser pay award and no, I don’t think that’s fair.

Bonus - no
Christmas party- no (thankfully)
Equipment that works - three laptops in and constant crashes but yes eventually.

I have no idea where thus fallacy comes from that everyone in the private sector gets a bonus. We really don't.

You haven't mentioned your pension. But then public sector never do.

I’m not generally inclined to support public sector pay claims.

But four groups deserve a great deal more than we pay and, as a society, more than we applaud.

They are the police, the prison service, the probation service and, especially, social workers.

The wretched doctors get so much attention. But the background services that can, and do, prevent so much medical - and other - misery are overlooked.

And it’s mostly social work that faces ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’. The NHS just shrugs when things go wrong.

@Katypp I've mentioned my pension on here, as have others. There's 1% difference in my employer contributions compared to my partner's (corporate role) Only his will be significantly more than mine because he gets paid considerably more than I do, for a role that has a similar amount of studying/qualifications. I have to manage people, he doesn't. He also gets more holiday and we have similar sickness policies.
The only benefit I can see between my job and his is that I'm pretty much guaranteed work if I want it, whereas there's always a risk of redundancies as his work can dry up, eg in times of recession.

LA pensions were changed significantly about twenty odd years ago, and while they're not terrible, they're certainly not anything special, as people seem to keep assuming they are. Did you not notice the govt pushing for cuts and efficiencies everywhere in the public sector? It was pretty straightforward for a management consultant somewhere to decide to slim down any benefits for staff on contracts starting after X date.