Social workers concern at lack of time to prepare for court, risk of being named

The vast majority of social workers (90%) believe that heavy workloads mean they have insufficient time to prepare for court cases involving vulnerable children and families, according to the UNISON union.

In a report, Social Work, the Courts and the Consequences of Transparency, the union also found that half of social workers questioned (49%) admitted they were not confident when appearing before a judge.

One of third of the 1,080 respondents felt that their training had not prepared them properly for writing court reports or presenting to a judge. Just one in ten newly-qualified social workers considered that they had been well trained.

UNISON argued that social work training should include modules about presenting in court and writing court reports.

The union meanwhile warned that the practice of publicly naming those involved in contentious cases could add to the increasing number of social workers quitting their jobs.

Four in five (80%) social workers said they would consider leaving the profession if they thought they would suffer as a result of being named in court.

Some 70% of those surveyed said they did not realise that their name might be made public when court judgments were issued.

More than half (57%) said no steps were taken by their employers to protect them in these circumstances.

The report quoted social workers saying they felt exposed and vulnerable when told they were being named.

UNISON has drawn up guidance to protect social workers from the potentially harmful effects of being named in court judgments.

Its General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said: “Social workers play a huge part in the legal process, advising on life-changing decisions for vulnerable individuals and families. They should have all the support and training possible to give them the confidence to face what can sometimes be a traumatic experience.

“If social workers feel under pressure and are worried about being publicly pilloried they will not be able to perform to the best of their ability and their clients are likely to suffer. This is an issue that is obviously having a major impact and needs to be addressed before we lose more social workers – something the UK can ill afford.”

Prentis added that it was “unacceptable that social workers are having to carry the can in court for decisions which their supervisors have overseen”.

UNISON was calling on all employers to agree to protect social workers from what was potentially a very damaging situation, he said.
“Local authorities must also exercise their duty of care with better handling of any media attention and providing staff with appropriate legal support.”