Undercover Social Worker

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

Anyone watching?

It was alluded to but there was no real information and it was also suggested he was staying with friends.

I work with Adult social workers but in an integrated team. Good leadership and support is crucial in this type of work - even more so in C+F I'd have thought. It's very sad that those workers are not getting this.

No, I'm not but I would at the drop of the hat if I thought I'd be suitable. I am young (24), have (soon to be) 3 under 5s and depression, and DH is joining the RAF but as soon as the DSs are older, my depression is more sorted and if they allow forces families to foster I will definatly. I would do it now if I thought I would be accepted.

Well that's partly the problem lemonade, many people say they would but not enough people actually do.

you're right london - its a shame there were no clear cut statements made, but then i suppose they would have lost the sensational aspect of the programme.

I do think the social workers had a hard press, and were doing the best they could (most of the time) - i was just a little shocked at some of the statements/decisions they made.

I would love to be a foster carer but I don't have a spare bedroom - in fact, no one I know has a spare bedroom, housing is so expensive these days people are lucky to be able to house their own families adequately. I'm sure lots of people are in the same position, and foster care would be more workable as a career if it paid better.

Londonone, so many people are not considered 'suitable'.

Add to that the MASSIVE lack of support once a placement have been made, the lies a social worker will tell about a child in order to get him/her placed (and god knows I don't blame them, I'd probably do the same in their shoes)...

I knew a foster carer who signed up for short term care. They took the carer an 8 week old baby girl, left her there for THREE FUCKING YEARS, blocked the carer's application for adoption and gave her back to the bastard who had broken her ribs. And made the carer cut all contact.

Why would you want that job? They essentially took her daughter away - she was only supposed to take placements of 8 weeks maximum.

Colditz - I know about all these problems hence why I don't criticise SW for not being able to create placements out of thin air!

Its very common for short term placements to last years There isnt the long term ones to go round . There isn't enough money to pay for agency carers either.

I can't get it on OD yet either to actually watch it.

A lot of people can't foster because, as Missus and I pointed out, they don't have a spare bedroom and can never ever afford one due to high housing costs, including rents.

When my ILs became foster parents, the council allocated them a larger home (they had two boys already in a two-bed flat).

Now, how many three-bed flats and/or homes are there about?

The 15 year old boy left his grandfather's and was fending for himself, then got into to trouble with the police and was sent to a secure unit, then on his release you saw the worker visiting him in a new placement. Then you saw the worker in tears after being on the phone with him, he had said he wanted get out of there and how he felt social services really let him down.

colditz - i was in the same short term foster placement for 10 years, from the age of 3.

I know it wouldnt happen nowadays, but in another foster placement, myself and my sister were going to share a room, but the council stepped in and moved them 10 doors along the street, to a 4 bedroom property - so we didnt have to share.

They only had 1 young son themselves - so in today's world, they wouldnt have had a 3 bedroom property to start with, let alone a 4!

Re lack of availabilty - i remember one lovely family of 6 children who moved into my last childrens home - youngest was 3, oldest was 13. They waited 3 years to be placed as a family together - their new foster parents had a mansion! However, they did also receive a very healthy allowance for fostering the family (very highly deserved in my opinon) - and this allowance enabled them to do annual trips to florida etc. But, when i think about what those 6 kids had been through - i couldnt be more happier for them

Its reminded me why i left my family support job 2 years ago. I loved it and the kids were amazing but so many sad cases and such stress after 6 years i was burnt out. I plan to go back at some point. They really did try and sensulize (sp?) the whole programme and really didnt show me anything i didnt know. I ended up turmning off in the end as I was sooo mad. Its not SW fault, its poor funding, not enough staff and somedays every case seems to blow at once.

you didn't tell me that when I was asking about FSW jobs though

Thanks nymphadora. Been feeling very down about it all today.

Will start degree and see how I go. There is always lots I can do with a S.W degree even if I dont end up in Social work IYKWIM

Agree with expats point

I would foster, it would work out ok for me as i am a sahm anyway. But we only have 2 bedrooms and live in housing assosciation property with 2 kids so arent able to get another bedroom

Our council desperately wants foster carers, but houses her are ££££ and they transfered all council housing to the housing assosciation

Onsdietcokebreak- there are good bits too, I haven't seen the programme yet so I don't know if they show those.

there are some wonderful bits about the job, i spent 6 years doing it so def is some good There are mainly departments that arent so stressed, its mainly frontline work but i think all SW should do this bit first (many do)
Please dontthink its all bad, there are some children you will never forget for good reasons and bad, but knowing you are trying to and often helping does make it worthwhile

The childrens services where I live is awful, teenagers in desperate need of protection from themselves, left to fend for them selves, because there is no placements for them, no resources to help them, so left supposedly in the care of the parent, who cannot keep them at home (Because that is imprisonment), who repeatedly asks for help and get none.

Who has a social workers who you can never get hold of, who have a out of hours team, who dont answer their phone, who when you ask questions of the SW, you just get, 'I will have to ask my manager' You never get an answer from the manager.

The whole system is failing these children, until sooner or later they will end up, on the streets, drug addicts, in prison, or God Help Us Dead.

I just watched this on 4od. I am hoping to start a degree leading to social work in October - part time so likely to be 6 years. I am quaking a bit thinking of the state it is likely to be in in 6 years' time! But not put off - I still want to get involved. Really want to get started now

Just watched this on Sky plus.

I too want to be a social worker and still do after watching that.

Tbh I wasn't surprised by anything in it.

The only thing I would say was that it was totally focussed on the "failures", which really constituted what, four cases?

There were a lot of social workers working in that office and I am sure achieving some success. Didn't see any of that though did we?

Good programme though, interesting.

I've just started a course in social work. Not a deree at this stage because I cannot afford that, but I am hoping to get a lower level job and either get sponsered for the degree by employer or do it part-time when I am earning a wage (providing there is somehing left over after childcare)
My goal is to become a QSW within the next 10-12 years, and this program, although shocked and saddened me, also makes me want to try to make a difference.

Re fostering, I would def do it without a doubt, but like so many others who would be willing, I haven't got the room.
Who knows though, in a few years I may be earning enough so me and dp can upgrade our property and be able to have a child come to stay with us for a while.