Being more human – why children’s social care should be more about people and less about paper-work
| Date | 18 September 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-03-2017-0010 |
| Published date | 18 September 2017 |
| Pages | 184-189 |
| Author | Chris Wright |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Children's services,Sociology,Sociology of the family,Children/youth,Parents,Education,Early childhood education,Home culture,Social/physical development |
Viewpoint
Being more human –why children’s
social care should be more about people
and less about paper-work
Chris Wright
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to argue for a strengthening of the relational aspect of social work
and for initiatives that involve local people and local communities.
Design/methodology/approach –A think piece based on observations of the current situation and
supporting evidence.
Findings –Social work has become distanced from those whom it seeks to help. Case management and
risk assessment need to be complemented by a more human approach based on positive relationships
between professionals and service users.
Originality/value –An informed discussion on the future of social work.
Keywords Social business, Public services, Social work, Charity, Reform, Children’s social care
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
“We recommend a new local authority department, providing a community based and family
oriented service […] it will enable the greatest possible number of individuals to act reciprocally,
giving and receiving service for the well-being of the whole community”. The Seebohm Report
(1968, p. 2) recognised the need for social care to be built around the communities in which
children and their families live. It said that a social services department should be made up of
combined provision from other departments, across health and social care. It emphasised the
financial benefits of this preventative way of working.
Our social care systems, in England and Wales, have been led by these good intentions
ever since. But time and again, good intentions have been let down by systems
which have been designed to ensure compliance and manage risk. This has resulted in
services which have become distant from the people they seek to serve. In total, 50 years
on from the Seebohm Report, how much do we allow these principles to underpin good
social work?
Children’s social care is, rightly and properly, concerned with reducing risk to children and
ensuring their safety and well-being. Governance structures are in place to drive quality and
effectiveness and the appropriate levels of accountability for those who are entrusted with the
care of children. This is essential. But this creates a layer of bureaucracy for social workers which
can be hard to penetrate; it deflects their attention, impairing their ability to undertake the
relational work that really matters. Dorset County Council last year set out to tackle exactly this
Received 11 April 2017
Revised 19 June 2017
Accepted 20 June 2017
Chris Wright is the Chief
Executive at Catch22,
London, UK.
PAGE184
j
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES
j
VOL. 12 NO. 2/3 2017, pp. 184-189, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-6660 DOI 10.1108/JCS-03-2017-0010
To continue reading
Request your trial