Child protection teams report severe staff shortages
13:21 - 28/06/2010
Child protection teams report severe ...
Vulnerable children are said to be at risk as local authorities across the country report severe under-staffing within their child protection teams.
A recent survey conducted by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) revealed that only 5% of child protection teams are fully staffed, while over half of the teams surveyed reported a 30% shortage of permanent social work staff.
The online poll, which was conducted over the period of a week and attracted responses from 151 child protection social workers, uncovers a huge reliance on agency and temporary staff. A third of child protection teams revealed that they only achieved full staffing levels by using such staff, while 63% remained under-staffed even with the addition of temporary workers.
The results are worrying since staff employed on a short-term basis are unlikely to be able to offer vulnerable children the continuity and stability they require. The widespread staffing shortages threaten to undermine child safeguarding measures.
Recently, two former Haringey Council Social Workers implicated in the Baby P case were suspended from practice but not permanently removed because of the staff shortages and excessive caseloads that were crippling Haringey’s child protection department at the time.
BASW’s Chief Executive, Hilton Dawson, said: “This survey offers a stark illustration of the very real concerns social workers have that vulnerable children in their care will be placed at far greater risk if social work services are cut in any form.”
Past studies have shown that staff training and the opportunity for continued professional development are key factors in recruiting and retaining social workers. Many workers in the health and social care sector have revealed that it is the quality of care offered by a service, and the training and support they provide for their staff, rather than pay, which most attracts them.
We can offer a wide range of training for those who work with children and young people. This includes Paediatric First Aid training, at both a basic and an advanced level, Manual Handling for Child Carers, Health and Safety for Child Carers and, of course, Child Protection Training.
Operations Director Perry Leeks says: “There is no greater responsibility than looking after someone else’s child and social workers in particular do a very important job. Vulnerable children need to be cared for by fully qualified and trained workers who are able to do the very best for them and we are pleased to be able to offer a wide range of training courses, including more specialist programmes such as Epilepsy Awareness, Autism and Asperger Syndrome Awareness and Equality and Diversity in Care courses.”
Please contact us today for further information on any of our training options for the childcare sector.
A recent survey conducted by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) revealed that only 5% of child protection teams are fully staffed, while over half of the teams surveyed reported a 30% shortage of permanent social work staff.
The online poll, which was conducted over the period of a week and attracted responses from 151 child protection social workers, uncovers a huge reliance on agency and temporary staff. A third of child protection teams revealed that they only achieved full staffing levels by using such staff, while 63% remained under-staffed even with the addition of temporary workers.
The results are worrying since staff employed on a short-term basis are unlikely to be able to offer vulnerable children the continuity and stability they require. The widespread staffing shortages threaten to undermine child safeguarding measures.
Recently, two former Haringey Council Social Workers implicated in the Baby P case were suspended from practice but not permanently removed because of the staff shortages and excessive caseloads that were crippling Haringey’s child protection department at the time.
BASW’s Chief Executive, Hilton Dawson, said: “This survey offers a stark illustration of the very real concerns social workers have that vulnerable children in their care will be placed at far greater risk if social work services are cut in any form.”
Past studies have shown that staff training and the opportunity for continued professional development are key factors in recruiting and retaining social workers. Many workers in the health and social care sector have revealed that it is the quality of care offered by a service, and the training and support they provide for their staff, rather than pay, which most attracts them.
We can offer a wide range of training for those who work with children and young people. This includes Paediatric First Aid training, at both a basic and an advanced level, Manual Handling for Child Carers, Health and Safety for Child Carers and, of course, Child Protection Training.
Operations Director Perry Leeks says: “There is no greater responsibility than looking after someone else’s child and social workers in particular do a very important job. Vulnerable children need to be cared for by fully qualified and trained workers who are able to do the very best for them and we are pleased to be able to offer a wide range of training courses, including more specialist programmes such as Epilepsy Awareness, Autism and Asperger Syndrome Awareness and Equality and Diversity in Care courses.”
Please contact us today for further information on any of our training options for the childcare sector.
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