I have been an employee of a local authority for
the past 13 years and yesterday was my last day. I have worked at this local authority since I
qualified with a Masters in Social Work in 2006 and I have certainly grown and
developed as a professional during those years.
I was the senior practitioner within the team, supporting others and
managing the day to day running of the service.
I am also a Practice Educator so have the honour of working with
students on their placements. I have
also seen a lot of changes during this time, which is to be expected within
local government services.
Last year the NHS celebrated their 70th
birthday. There was a lot of press
coverage around this event and celebrations across the service. The NHS is a great provision which we should
all be proud of. However, the NHS was
born out of the National Health Service Act 1946 and Social Care from the
National Assistance Act 1948. Both pieces
of legislation came as an outcome of the Beveridge Report presented to
parliament in November 1942 by Sir William Beveridge. This report was influential in the founding
of the welfare state.
In 2018 there was no national celebration of the
work that local authorities provide within social care departments. Too often social care is seen as the underdog. They are alone remembered for the complex
cases where unfortunately serious case reviews are required.
We do not celebrate or publicise the amazing work that social workers do
daily to ensure the well-being of our clients.
Social care is under the same pressures as the NHS to continue to
provide a high standard of service whilst having budgets cut and within adult
care, an increasing aging population. Within
my 13 years practicing within local authority social care, I have seen
excellent examples of person-centred practice and practitioners going that
extra mile to support families. The
social care sector should certainly be celebrated for the role they have within
our communities and the positive impact they have on people’s lives.
We currently await the Social Care Green Paper and
the changes that this will bring. But
with the changes in legislation and local processes, within that system are
experienced practitioners who will continue to support the most vulnerable in our
communities.
