"Beginning your career as a social worker in London" written September 09

"Social workers provide support, encouragement, counselling and advice for individuals facing a life crisis - such as unemployment, mental illness, abuse, homelessness or disability - and who have been excluded from society as a result. In both London and the greater UK area, social workers are highly-qualified individuals who are keenly aware of the social, physical and emotional needs of their patients. These professionals use their skills and knowledge to help uplift the lives of those in their care, and reintegrate them into their communities."

This is a direct quote from a site that wishes to recruit social workers. Does it not sound great? Would it not appeal to anyone with a heart? Of course it will attract people into training as a social worker. I'd be tempted myself...if I wasn't rolling around the floor laughing instead.

Beware, beware, beware. Once again this week I and my colleagues have battled our way through a week on the frontline in a referral and assessment team. Yesterday, my brain simply went into gridlock. All of the above worthy aims and intentions might be possible, if I had half the work that I have. But I doubt it. I and every colleague I spoke to, feels desperately under pressure. Sure, some of the time I cope, but that does not mean that work is getting done.

And what is this work, exactly? Well on Monday I spent at least 5 hours filling in forms, filing, printing out data, photocopying and sorting out meeting dates and times. Work that I did not need any social work training whatsoever to do. Administrative tasks, that a sensible, averagely intelligent 18 year old could do. And the fact is, about 3 hours almost every day would need to be spent on such tasks, to keep up with the demands laid down by legislation.

Later in the week, I went to see a family which had a 6 year old boy just left with them by his mother. Under the regulations, the time I spent with the family was controlled by the requirements to complete a core assessment and do checks, eg 1hour was spent filling in CRB forms...So out of the 4 hours I spent with that family this week, how much was to "provide support, encouragement, counselling and advice"?

I would say, about 20 minutes. That included 10 minutes with the abandoned child and 10 minutes with the brand new carer, on her doorstep, after a lengthy interview controlled by bureaucratic demands. The time I left her home was 6.30pm, so I was not rushing to meet some finish by 5pm deain meeting the demands of the bureaucracy. Worse still, other clients will lose out because I cannot spread myself thinly enough to treat all of them in that way. I am adjusting to this, to the built in failure and shoddy work, but I won't endure it for long, especially now that it is eating away at my own sense of integrity.

So most days I do the juggling act, keeping as many balls as possible in the air, hoping I am not dropping the one that could be the next Baby Peter or Victoria....but with absolutely no certainty of that of course!

So far I am hanging in there, but please don't annoy me with  ridiculous rhetoric about uplifting lives and add hypocritical insult to the inevitable injury of staying on this soulless treadmill.

 More clearly than ever this week I see myself acting as a functionary, a cog in a huge machine. If I am true to myself, and treat my clients as fully human, then I simply will not succeed in meeting the demands of the bureaucracy. Worse still, other clients will lose out because I cannot spread myself thinly enough to treat all of them in that way. I am adjusting to this, to the built in failure and shoddy work, but I won't endure it for long, especially now that it is eating away at my own sense of integrity.So most days I do the juggling act, keeping as many balls as possible in the air, hoping I am not dropping the one that could be the next Baby Peter or Victoria....but with absolutely no certainty of that of course!So far I am hanging in there, but please don't annoy me with  ridiculous rhetoric about uplifting lives and add hypocritical insult to the inevitable injury of staying on this soulless treadmill.

I'd like to end with another quote: it's a definition of slavery:

"A slave is:

• • forced to work -- through mental or physical threat;
  • owned or controlled by an 'employer', usually through mental or physical abuse or threatened abuse;
  • dehumanised, treated as a commodity or bought and sold as 'property';
  • physically constrained or has restrictions placed on his/her freedom of movement."
  
  
  
  I know which quotation in this article  rings more true for me as a social worker in Britain 2009.