极速赛车168最新开奖号码 Comments on: Social workers to strike over caseloads, IT systems and pay

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 12:37:35 +0000

I think that this is the right action for all social workers to take. Management in my experience are less than supportive and have only one agenda which is to get reports written in a timely manner. This equates to starting work at 6 and working until the early hours with no lunch and working weekends too. There is absolutely no way that work can be completed without social workers having to complete it in their own time. Social workers are contracted to work 37 hours but work at least double that just to try and keep on top of things. There is a continual threat of referrals to the HCPC who then uphold management and suspend social workers! Caseloads spiral out of control and I know that at Kirklees many workers were given full caseloads upwards of 28 / 30 all out of timescales upon arrival and many agency workers left at that point. My experience of child protection social work has been very negative apart from a time when I had a supportive and nurturing manager. Something needs to be done about this before more children are harmed. The only way to really understand children and their families is to spend time with them but this is frowned upon and the emphasis is put upon typing in the office instead. Whilst I totally agree that all paperwork is vital we should not forget that the reason we are working in this area is to make life for children / young people better and enable them to live in loving caring nurturing environments. This is what is vital. And it is about time that all authorities had capped caseloads. At 20 / 23 I would manage. 38 and I sink. I told management this yet to no avail. Something needs to be done about this and urgently. Well done Kirklees workers who have decided to strike 🙂

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 12:27:33 +0000

In reply to Miss Taylor. Being an agency worker does not give you any freedom from bullying. I was continually bullied by a manager who gave me an unmanageable caseload of 38 whilst the cut off was 25 and then told me to close cases down. Workers were continually threatened with a referral to the HCPC, myself included. Time spent with families to attempt to enact change was frowned upon. And personal crisis was ignored. I feel like I have nothing to offer anymore as this is how I was made to feel.

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: Social worker from another authority

Social worker from another authority — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 07:21:05 +0000

Well done Kirklees social workers for challenging a bullying culture managed by inexperienced senior managers. In all honesty other local authorities unsatisfied should be joining you in your strike this is a message not just to local council but government. We are under resourced tired stressed and fed up of CHANGE moving teams changing structures just to save money. New managers come with what they think are better ideas but it’s all about them not the children and not the staff.
why are unison not tackling these issues nationally? Why do people pay fees for them?

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: Yvonne Bonifas

Yvonne Bonifas — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 15:20:05 +0000

If you work out the sums, and take pensions into account, agency staff generally are being paid less than permanent staff for no security. It is very difficult indeed to make up for the LA pension scheme even in it’s reduced state.

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: D Smith

D Smith — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 19:01:47 +0000

It’s cheaper for councils to fund agency staff than their own perms as they don’t have to put into a pension pot and match pound for pound so to speak!

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: SW and proud

SW and proud — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 18:58:58 +0000

Think you are missing the point. This is not an argument over agency v perm staff. The problems are clearly stated in the statement from Unison. This service would not be functioning without agency staff because so many perm staff have left. The agency staff don’t stay for the same issues and some have contacted BASW. These are deep issues within the Authority which due to a line in the Ofsted report have been deflected onto agency staff.

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: D Smith

D Smith — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 18:57:35 +0000

Get tired of people assuming agency staff earn a lot more and colleagues being arsey over it does not help. I am self employed and i do earn more up front yes but I also have to personally try to provide for my own future and pension pot not to mention lots of expensive s like renting second accommodation and accounting fees and also the risk of me falling unwell, which due to stress happens quite often. The fact that some colleagues are judgemental towards agency staff is disappointing. If they worked on creating a place I really wanted to work that then who knows may be I would stay. However I am finding relief in the fact that I can move into a new area when things get too much and somehow it helps me to cope. I did agency work to try and empower myself and only did it to get on the ladder as it does work well if you have a certain goal you’re saving towards.

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: Darren

Darren — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 18:35:51 +0000

I am all in favour of this action however it is unlikely to have much impact with social workers in just one department in one local authority striking for just one day. The same social workers will arrive at work the following day with even more work to do and the scabs will deal with any urgent matters thus negating any backlash from the public. We need national action and a longer strike period. As for councillor Erin Hill with her “my door is always open” nonsense, an open door doesn’t equate to any commitment to improve conditions for social workers and without capped caseloads and other improved conditions a demoralised workforce is inevitable. And to undermine the workforce even more by questioning the ballot shows how much she really cares about us. The only power that workers really have to make change in the current political climate is to withdraw our labour. I predict more of the same.

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: Longtime SW

Longtime SW — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 10:16:10 +0000

One of the advantages of being in social care professions for so long is memory – my comments above were not meant as a criticism of Locum agency staff

However looking not too far ahead, the race to the bottom will happen for agency’s once there are no more public services and we all work for companies – many years ago, some London authorities got together and told agencies the maximum they would pay for Locum’s (still above Local authority pay rates) – you have probably guessed that what happened was that there was no cut in the ‘cut’ the agency’s took, Locum’s were told that it was take it or leave it when their pay rates were slashed

Sadly, I foresee that once all social care is in the private sector there will be again a race to the bottom to undercut wages with little or no protection for individuals – please don’t be fooled – this is and always has been about privatisation of public services

Remember when hospital cleaning services were contracted out? Within months less staff (on minimum wage) were expected and ordered to do twice as much work resulting in a rise in avoidable infections and infestations.

Kirklees should be supported – if like-minded people in unions as individuals decide that they should withdraw their labour in support that may be a start.

极速赛车168最新开奖号码 By: Probably not Helpful Horace

Probably not Helpful Horace — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 19:44:24 +0000

When foster carers have been regularly put through the wringer social workers have stared at their own feet. A bit of support would have been nice then maybe you’d have had company on the picket line from those of us unprotected and unable to strike.