Social workers are changing the way they work to help people with learning disabilities achieve their aimsSevere complex challenging these words are casually used in the specialist world of learning disabilities They are used to justify disproportionate and unnecessary involvement from social care which can lead to dependency restricted lives unhappiness and even abuse as called out by Sara Ryan In our local authority Bradford we rejected the idea that learning disabled people were complex...

BAME children are overrepresented in care and seemingly have their futures written off based on their skin colourThey were found by the postman two young children home alone They spent most of the day in a police station before social services took over Eventually they found themselves in our home Like so many children taken into emergency foster care they looked frozen -- like rabbits caught in the glare of car headlights on a dark...

Citizens are prepared to tackle the climate crisis We should do the same for the most vulnerable people in society tooIt's hard to go a day without the climate crisis hitting the headlines In May MPs endorsed a motion to declare a climate and environment emergency It's a positive step for the country to take an active role in finding a solution to these problems But another issue has been missed off the agenda social...

The hidden scale of abuse of adults at risk can be assessed by tracking individual council's levels of referrals Case Study -- a Borough Council For instance paid staff were accused of abusing vulnerable adults in XXX Borough Council last year but only were disciplined Furthermore referrals to xxx Borough Council have increased Continue reading Hidden extent of the abuse of adults at risk...

The adoption support fund is a lifeline for parents like us At a time of political turmoil it must not be overlookedIt was the question that brought serious life-altering consequences for our family The social worker sipping coffee in our lounge leaned forward and casually asked us whether we could consider adopting this little girl Adoption was not on our radar We had three children by birth and our journey as foster carers had only...

The concept of individual resilience is diverting attention from failures in a system hit by funding cuts and a staff exodusWhat is resilience The dictionary defines it as the capacity to recover from trauma and stress In practice social workers are expected to identify and develop coping strategies to help manage the demands of their work Indeed it is a professional requirement But we have heard disturbing anecdotes from practitioners who suggest the notion of...

Ineffective ad campaigns are not bringing in anywhere near the number of foster carers needed to support vulnerable childrenIt is Friday afternoon and my phone keeps buzzing It's my WhatsApp group of local foster carers One is expecting a little girl to arrive any moment and is asking to borrow toys to help her settle Another is on standby for the result of emergency court proceedings and may possibly be welcoming two babies A third...

th March Leeds Town Hall Safeguarding Impact Conference Speakers include Opposition Shadow Minister for Children and Families Emma Lewell-Buck MP Police and Crime Commissioner for W Yorkshire Mark Burns Williamson OBE Dean Coady OBE highly decorated former detective specialising in safeguarding Andy Woodward Football player and whistleblower of abuse in sport Colin Radcliffe founder...

The internet can be a dangerous place and protecting the vulnerable from those who prey on them is becoming more and more important Claudia is an expert on digital engagement and online safeguarding She is co-chair of the Principal Social Workers' national network She is a fellow of National Institute of Health Research NIHR and...

Specialist social workers explain how they support women and girls affected by the practiceWhen social worker Sam Khalid not her real name first began working with women affected by female genital mutilation FGM she found there wasn't much awareness of the brutal practice in the UK She was in her first year at university in on a placement with a Women's Aid team The service I was placed in was just starting its FGM unit...