Agreed.

I’m afraid I avoid Twitter. I find it hard to navigate and understand, and there is so much poisonous opinion or bland propaganda that I can’t see the benefit.

So true. But there are those who beleive that deviating from the Polyanna script is doom mongering. Some even question if we are cut out to be social workers. Or so I read in the usual twitter feeds.

Social work is done by early help services, NGOs, charities, volunteers, family workers, support workers, foster carers, residential staff, care staff, and so on. The work that social workers do is safeguarding (children) and resource management (adults). While these are both aspects of social work, they are fairly limited.

It’s a real shame that people with a vocational commitment spend time and money and effort to complete a limited and limiting degree-level qualification that doesn’t lead to them doing actual social work.

In case you’re wondering, I love being a social worker and this is my second career, having re-trained in my 30s. I’m just not under any illusion as to what the social “care” system really offers.

We’re called Social Workers. We don’t do social work.