Social workers work hard for their degree/master’s, what needs to be recognized is some social workers face oppression and until this is recognized and actively addressed certain sections of the workforce and community will remain invisible therefore leaving vulnerable children unprotected and their individual needs unmet because of a lack of understanding or self-identification.

The communities we work with are made up of many different cultures, social work should reflect this.
Social workers have families to provide for being open and honest should be a part of one’s development and moving forward, whereby managers have the skills, confidence, and autonomy to listen to what social workers are feeding back to them. Perhaps the next generation of managers and social workers will recognize we are all professionals working toward the same goal and in my view a much-needed profession.

I love this piece – really important message. It is uplifting and practical, inspiring and thought provoking.

Think about getting these ideas into the mainstream media – even a local paper – but ultimately aim for the Daily Mail – its those readers who need to understand a lot more about the work of social workers. It would need a little modification of course but it could be part of a 10 year campaign to change the public perception of social work.

Best Wishes
Sharon Shoesmith

I am a social worker, doing EAP.