Rostrum - British Association of Social Workers

Rostrum
July 2013
The voice of social work in Scotland
Number 113
Guth obair shoisealta ann an Alba
obituary
Nick Baxter
MediaWatch
Sex on Wheels
Silencing the facts of abuse
The moral outrage over young mums
Rostrum
Conference
SASW MHO Forum
Annual Study Conference
Supporting MHOs in a
Changing World
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
Perth Concert Hall
Social Work is changing but people will still need
support provided by MHOs at times of mental ill health.
This year’s Annual Study Conference will focus on
ensuring that, in changing structures,
ethical practice will have its place.
There will be contributions from Scottish Government,
the Mental Welfare Commission, the Mental Health
Tribunals for Scotland and people who use services,
as well as a number of workshops to
look at current issues.
We will also present this year’s
Wilma MacDonald Award for
SASW MHO of the Year.
(See advert on Back Page)
We are able to offer TWO FREE PLACES to every
local authority, with additional places to be
offered at £60 per delegate.
The SASW MHO Forum Steering Group wish to acknowledge
and thank the Scottish Government Mental Health and
Protection of Rights Division for their continuing
financial support of this event.
For further information and booking form:
[email protected]
2
Rostrum
Production team
Editor
David Mitchell
Editorial Group
Ronnie Barnes, Charlene Gay,
Neil Hume, Gordon Lockerbie,
Matt McGregor, Ruth Stark
Contents
4
Don’t keep your distance, urges Holman
Campaigner Bob Holman calls for social workers to get closer to their clients
David Mitchell
5
SASW’s Social Worker Manager is recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List
Ruth receives MBE for services to social work
Administration
Johan Grant
Design
Smallprint Services
7
The social work voice
Printing
Barr Printers
Ruth Stark reflects on how we can make our voice heard in a climate of change
SASW officers
Convener
Graeme Rizza
Treasurer
Gordon Lockerbie
Social Worker Manager
Ruth Stark MBE
Development Officer
Tim Parkinson
National Administrator
Johan Grant
SASW
3rd Floor, Princes House,
5 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh,
EH2 4RG
Tel: 0131 221 9445
Fax: 0131 221 9444
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.basw.co.uk/rostrum
6
A better understanding
Sandy Riddell, Director of Education and Social Care, Moray Council and President,
ADSW
8
Diverging or merging? Criminal justice in England and Scotland
Tim Parkinson
9
Ruth Stark
10 Development matters
Tim Parkinson, SASW Development Officer
11 A week in the life of...
Editorial Board members
Would you like to join Rostrum’s
Editorial Board? We are keen to hear
from students, front line workers,
basic grade and senior workers
willing to help shape the voice of
social work in Scotland. Contact the
Editor at: [email protected]
Hannah Hawthorn, Criminal Justice Social Worker, Scottish Borders Council
12 - Silencing the facts of sexual abuse
13 Sarah Nelson describes the public pillorying of very young mothers and reveals how
the very laws aimed at protecting children can conceal rape and abuse
14 Study notes
Catherine Murray, Masters Degree in Social Work, Robert Gordon University
15 On the front line
Joe McConnell, Youth Worker, Barn Youth Centre, Glasgow
16 Support networks
Sarah Roberts, Child and Family Support Manager, Families Outside
17 Obituaries
Roger Kent
Nick Baxter
Ruth Stark
Wanted…
Parliamentary business
18 The text factor
Alison Gordon, Community Social Work Manager, North Lanarkshire Council
19 MediaWatch
Sex on Wheels
Charlene Gay, Community Care Worker, Falkirk Council
20 - Book reviews
21 Bill Grieve, Jessica Proctor, Mike Martin, Mark Hardy
22 Publications for review
The views expressed in Rostrum
are not necessarily those of the
Editor or of SASW
July 2013
23 Diary Dates, Branch News, BASW Committees, SASW Office
24 Nominate for the Wilma MacDonald Award for SASW MHO of the Year
3
Rostrum
Don’t keep your distance, urges Holman
David Mitchell
Social workers should never
distance themselves from the
people they are trying to help,
according to campaigner Bob
Holman.
The
former social
worker and
Christian
Socialist was
giving the
Morag
Faulds
Memorial
Lecture on
“Champions
Bob Holman: Set
for Children:
an example
Five child
care pioneers and their modern
relevance” at the University of the
West of Scotland.
Speaking to a predominantly
young audience, he outlined the
work of Marjory Allen, Barbara
Kahan, John Stroud, Clare
Winnicott and Peter Townsend
who - like Morag Faulds contributed significantly to child
care practice and policy after
1940.
Mr Holman, who has lived and
worked on council housing estates
in Bath and Easterhouse, said:
“These five champions set an
example in that they never
distanced themselves from those
they wanted to help.
“These days, it can be difficult
for chief officers and academics to
listen to those for whom they have
some responsibilities. Social and
educational services have become
so large that those in command
cannot find the time or energy to
mix with them.”
Evidence also suggested that
MPs were increasingly lacking in
understanding of people on
welfare or low wages.
“A neglected report, Speaker’s
Conference on Parliamentary
Representation, shows that the
number of MPs in all the major
parties are increasingly drawn
from the fragment of society
educated at private schools and/or
Oxbridge. Those from working
class backgrounds are in decline.”
But the political, social and
economic environment was now
very different from that of the child
care pioneers, making reform even
more difficult.
“Many of the advances formerly
promoted by social workers and
activists occurred while
Conservatives were in
government. We did not always
appreciate it but some of their
ministers were open to arguments
and evidence,” he said.
“This may have been termed
humane capitalism. But now the
humane part has disappeared with
state services being privatised,
expenditure slashed and
employees made redundant.
“Under the present government,
this has been accompanied by
personal greed, the acceptance of
huge inequalities and the
imposition of austerity and blame
on the poorest members of
society.”
As for social workers
themselves, he said: “Some of you
do opt to live in the places where
you are likely to meet the
unemployed and those on
minimum wage, where you chat
with families visited by social
workers, where some homeless
folk live in temporary
accommodation.
“I hope that others will join you
and convey what they see to those
in power. If the objectives of the
child care champions and Morag
Faulds are to be reached, we must
be as dedicated, outspoken and
sacrificial as these pioneers were
- indeed even more so.”
Aberdeen-based
community care
charity Cornerstone
won the Chair’s
Award at this year’s
SSSC Care Accolades.
The award goes
to the finalist that
demonstrates
exceptional
achievement and
excellence. Garry
Coutts, chair of the
judging panel, said
Cornerstone focused
on quality looking for
the absolute best
in all its operations
(See Page 17)
4
Rostrum
Ruth receives MBE for
services to social work
Ruth Stark, Social Worker
Manager of the Scottish
Association of Social Work, has
been awarded an MBE in the
Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Ruth, who has led the
organisation since 1999, received
her award
for services
to social
work in
Scotland.
Her
40-year
career in
social work
has included
spells as an
Ruth Stark
assessment
co-ordinator for distressed and
disturbed children in Lothian, a
social worker for a housing
association, and working with
people returning to the community
from prison and psychiatric
hospitals.
A staunch advocate on behalf of
children, she has been a
safeguarder for more than 20
years. She has also been
extremely active in international
social work and is currently
Convenor of the IFSW Human
Rights Commission.
In support of her nomination,
former Children’s Minister Adam
Ingram said: “While there is still
much to do in changing public
perceptions of social work and
social workers, Ruth has been at
the forefront of the ongoing
campaign to ensure the extremely
valuable contribution made by
social workers to our society is
appropriately appreciated and
rewarded.”
Bridget Robb, Chief Executive
of BASW, said: “This award is
thoroughly deserved for Ruth
personally, who has dedicated
much of her life to social work and
to the people who need social
work services. It offers a welcome
demonstration of how successful
SASW has been in supporting and
developing social workers across
Scotland and of how widely
admired Ruth is for her work
internationally.”
Commenting on her award,
Ruth said: “On a personal level, I
am embarrassed to receive this as
I know there are many people in
our profession who deserve to be
similarly recognised. But I am also
proud as a social worker that our
profession is recognised to have
value in our society.
“Social workers as individuals
and as a group are not very
comfortable when others want to
acknowledge success or say
thank you. I have noticed mixed
reactions to the Care Accolades
and our own SASW Social Work
Awards, seen as self-congratulatory.
“But I have also seen the
pleasure from people who have
used our services as ‘their’ social
worker or ‘their’ service has won
an award and they have been
instrumental in it happening.”
Bernadette Docherty, a former long time member of SASW, received
an MBE for services to child care.
Bernadette has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to
children’s social work services.
She retired as Corporate Director (Social Services) for North
Ayrshire Council in 2010. Since then, she has been a board member
of the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration.
Social worker Moira Andrew, who co-founded the Edinburgh
Domestic Violence Probation Project, also received an MBE for
services to reducing domestic abuse.
Former Fife social work director Allan Bowman, who recently
stepped down as Chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence, was
awarded a CBE.
July 2013
Briefly
Six projects are to receive a
share of almost £7.7 million to
set up a national network of
mentoring schemes to tackle
high re-offending. They include
£2.7 million for a group of
voluntary and public organisations
led by Sacro to work with female
offenders and £2.9 million for a
partnership led by the Wise
Group to mentor prolific male
offenders (See Page 8).
New guidance to identify carers
is available through Equal
Partners in Care, an online
resource developed by NHS
Education Scotland and the
Scottish Social Services Council.
Funded by the Scottish
Government through NES, it will
help staff ensure carers are
identified, supported, have a life
outside caring and recognised as
equal partners in care.
Edinburgh City Councillor Paul
Edie has been appointed Chair
of the Care Inspectorate.
Currently leader of the Liberal
Democrat group, he has been a
councillor for 18 years and has
previously chaired the Health
Social Care and Housing
Committee and served as a Non
Executive Director of NHS
Lothian.
A new approach to identifying
children at risk of sexual
exploitation, including those in
care, is being piloted in Stirling,
Falkirk and Clackmannanshire in
partnership with the Scottish
Government. It will trial recently
developed methods to identify
young people who have been
sexually abused and ensure
appropriate support services are
available.
More than 45 third sector
organisations are to receive a
share of £10 million of Strategic
Partnership Funding to
strengthen their work with young
people. The organisations work
in areas such as adoption,
vulnerable families, child health,
literacy, bereavement counselling
and parental support.
5
Rostrum
A better understanding
Sandy
Riddell,
Director of
Education
and Social
Care, Moray
Council and
President,
ADSW
In social work, as with any
organisation, our people are our
greatest asset. We have one of the
biggest workforces in the country
with more than 198,000 social
workers and carers registered by
the Scottish Social Services
Council and support over 685,000
people and their families across
Scotland each year.
By April 2015, much of this
workforce will be affected by the
changes that will come about as a
result of the legislation which seeks
to integrate health and social care
services. During the debates
around why this is happening, what
it will achieve and how it will work,
one thing that has dominated the
position adopted by ADSW and
that is people: the people we support
and the people that do the supporting.
We want to make sure that
integrating services is the best way
to meet the needs of the people
out there who rely upon them. We
also want to ensure that the unique
and specific contribution that social
work makes to the lives of these
people is enhanced by an integrated
model of delivering services.
And why wouldn’t it be? Social
work and those who provide it deal
with people like no other service
does. They look at everything
happening to a person and their
family and help them manage
themselves out of whatever crisis
they are dealing with. We recognise
that the problems people have to
deal with are rarely single issues
and we also recognise the impact
that one person in difficulty can
have on families and communities.
In 2009, ADSW launched a PR
strategy to raise the profile of
social work and combat some of
the negativity about the service in
the media. One thing we found
was that people working in social
work and social care are not very
good at speaking up for themselves.
They put the people they work with
first and always talk about their
achievements. That is right and
proper. The professionals, however,
do a fantastic job day after day.
For the workforce, perhaps the
best thing to come out of integrating
health and social care services is
that people in other sectors will
gain a better understanding and
therefore respect for what we in
social work and social care do.
It will work the other way too. If
we all understand a little better
what we each do, contribute and
have skills in delivering, we may
together be able to make the
people who rely on us to support
them have a better quality of life.
And surely that’s what we all want.
Community justice redesign: What you said
Tim Parkinson
This consultation closed at the
end of April and SASW submitted
a full response which is available
online. During the previous three
months, SASW visited around half
of the 32 criminal justice social
work services in Scotland, as well
as consulting members and a
range of other contacts online.
Apart from those involved
directly in running Community
Justice Authorities, there was no
significant support for continuing
them, although they had helped
develop and model multi-agency
planning. The chief support for a
single agency came from other
single agencies (some police,
some health) and civil servants
involved in justice matters.
The main drive for a single
agency seemed to come from a
desire for clearer and more direct
accountability - but that seemed
paradoxical to our consultants. It
6
would be impossible to micromanage the complexity and
diversity of services required to
address offenders across Scotland.
Unless the service was reduced,
simplified and standardised to a
point of diminished effectiveness,
a central board or chief executive
could never be held to be truly
accountable. There were concerns
about para-professionalising,
private sub-contracting and
vulnerability to over-prescriptive
bureaucracy and political whim.
While far from perfect or ideal,
the 32 local authority model was
seen as the one most likely to
continue to provide individualised
holistic local services supervised
by experienced qualified social
workers. It offered the most in
preserving links across social work
specialisms and the synergy that
comes from generic training and
practice development.
There was also a fear that
professional principles and values
could be fragmented and diluted if
the profession was subdivided and
subsumed into separate organisational
imperatives and subcultures.
Those in favour of the local
authority model recognised the
need to put together strategies to
overcome its inherent weaknesses
(partnerships for economical joint
planning with single agencies;
concerns about consistent crossScotland services and
accountability). Working groups
have been busy on this and
models and proposals are emerging.
We were able to come to our
conclusions thanks to the efforts of
our members, and those members
and non-members who signed up
to our Criminal Justice Social
Workers Forum. It gave us added
power as we were able to quote
directly from practitioners.
Rostrum
“You cannot use someone else’s fire. You can only use your own. And in order to do that, you must first
be willing to believe that you have it” - Audre Lorde
The social work voice
Ruth Stark
Meetings, conferences, interactions
with fellow practitioners and people
who use our services, evidence to
the Scottish Parliament and
discussions with senior managers
and advisers have led to reflection
about how we, as practitioners,
communicate with others.
Moving forward into autumn and
changing structures from the next
round of legislation, our task will
be to engage members and others
in the process of refining what we do
in the future. We must communicate
how we can not only maintain but
improve our unique contribution
working with people on their
personal journeys to achieve
successful change in their lives.
Reflection led to the question: Is
it time to rekindle and reignite our
fire? Can we not only promote
what works but what enhances
people’s dignity and self-worth?
The voice of the social worker
was raised in the Changing Lives
report. This led to local practitioner
forums that have flowed, ebbed,
re-launched and most have gone.
Recent discussion with Ministers
seeking the practitioner’s voice at
policy level resulted in ad hoc
meetings arranged by managers
and Scottish government officials.
There has also been much talk
about promoting leadership at all
levels and empowering front line
staff to fully exercise professional
responsibility and accountability.
This includes involvement in policy
development. The challenge being
revisited is how that happens.
When the College of Social
Work was launched in England it
was heralded as a member-led
college for practitioners. The result
was a quango launched with
government money and currently
supported by directors. We know
from research conducted by David
Jones and Keith Bilton that the
shelf life of top-down organised
quangos in social work is generally
July 2013
seven years at the most. These
experiences suggest that when
organised by top-down structures,
the voice of the practitioner is
short-lived, perhaps compromised.
For a tree to grow, blossom and
produce fruit, it needs good roots,
nurturing and space. Grassroots
organisations like SASW, part of
BASW, established its root system
in 1970. It has grown, responded
and adapted to the changing needs
of its members, including judicious
pruning to enable healthy growth. We
have developed services including
indemnity insurance, knowledge
exchange in books, journals and
the internet, training and seminars,
campaigning and lobbying.
SASW has set up networks that
have credibility and form part of
the framework for conversations
between policy and practice. It
provides opportunities not found in
many hierarchical structures.
SASW activity includes the MHO
Forum, building on locally organised
meetings planning Annual Study
Conferences with issues taken
forward to the Mental Welfare
Commission and policy makers.
The Criminal Justice Social
Workers Forum has established a
similar conduit of communication.
The CPD Seminars and local area
meetings bring social workers
together across different services
and silos in alternative formats.
The SASW committee recognises
that listening to members requires
a number of different routes.
From our meetings, emails and
telephone conversations, members
talk to us about the constraints
placed upon them by bureaucracy,
risk averse managerialism and
lack of time to build relationships
that people who use services tell
us is key to working with them.
Bob Holman at the Morag
Faulds Memorial Lecture, Walter
Lorenz at the Edinburgh Post
Graduate Summer School and
Who Cares? Scotland at the
Scottish Parliament all emphasised
that nothing happens in social
work of any worth without
establishing relationships. These
are some of the messages we need
to be taking into the debates about
legislative and structural change.
So how are we going to do it?
Chief Social Work Adviser Alan
Baird told the ADSW conference
that strengthening social work
services requires all parties to
work together. Much had been
achieved since Changing Lives in
2006 but there were still some
tasks ahead. The Minister of the
time established the National
Social Work Services Forum, a
structure of partners in the social
work community. Community
capacity building was a key
challenge of that report.
“Without community, there is
no liberation... but community
must not mean a shedding of
our differences, nor the pathetic
pretense that these differences
do not exist” - Audre Lorde
Recognising, hearing and
balancing the voice of each party
in building communities requires
us to think about power, control,
empowerment and process. If we
do not use our voice and speak
from our knowledge and experience,
others will do it for us. But others
have to reach beyond tokenism
and be prepared to listen.
Talk to your colleagues, talk
about the issues you are
concerned about and what you
can achieve, encourage people to
join us to work out how we can all
get more involved - have
ownership of the way forward, that
ownership will be key to success.
7
Rostrum
Diverging or merging? Criminal
justice in England and Scotland
Tim Parkinson, SASW Development Officer
England, May: England and
Wales Justice Secretary Chris
Grayling announces plans to scrap
existing probation trusts. Many of
their functions will be put out to
tender on a payment by results
basis targeted at reducing
offending, commissioned
separately in 21 areas by the
Ministry of Justice. This is likely to
see private sector bodies take on
regional contracts and then subcontracting work to smaller,
specialist voluntary
agencies or social
enterprises formed by
ex-probation trust staff.
What remains in the
public sector will be work
with high risk offenders,
which will be undertaken
by a new, greatly
reduced National
Probation Service.
Is this the inevitable
course of a national
probation service that
abandoned the social
work qualification in the
late 1990s? Should we look and
be nervous as we await Kenny
MacAskill’s decision on the future
shape of Scottish criminal justice
social work? Some of us thought
Scotland was proud of travelling in
a different direction.
Scotland, April: Six projects are
to receive a share of almost £7.7
million to set up a national network
of mentoring schemes to tackle
Scotland’s high reoffending rates.
On the face of it, this looks like
welcome additional resources to
support social workers. But would
it possibly displace social workers?
Among this is £2.66 million for a
partnership of voluntary and public
organisations led by Sacro to work
with female offenders and £2.9
million for a partnership led by the
Wise Group to undertake
mentoring with prolific male
offenders. These will be rolled out
across the whole of Scotland.
8
When you look closely at the
mentoring schemes, the aim is to
have one key person alongside
the offender at the centre of
everything that is being brought
together for them. They build a
crucial relationship and help the
offender contextualise the
interventions and translate them
into a personal advancement;
giving guidance and support
through the trial and error
experiences of rehabilitation.
Isn’t that a key function of the
qualified social worker in criminal
justice? And isn’t that qualification
a vital asset in getting it right?
My experience of unqualified
support staff varies widely from
the very good, down to noncommittal bystanders and virtually
collusive observers and reporters.
These projects are aimed at the
key group for reoffending
statistics, which is low to medium
seriousness young male and
female repeat offenders.
This is the very target group
which is currently returning the
lowest reoffending rates for over
two decades. These figures are
achieved under the supervision of
social workers. We know social
workers are effective if allowed to
practise.
Yet the proposal is to move this
work from social workers and
“partnership-ise” it. Does that
leave social workers to write
assessments and manage the few
high risk violent and sexual
offenders, where sentences are
longer and behaviour is more
“hard-wired” and difficult to
change?
If so, don’t be surprised if in
three years statistics show that
social workers are not doing a
great job at significantly reducing
reoffending in that category. And
don’t be too surprised should the
measurement criteria for
generic reoffending be
changed (they need to be
more qualitative, we know
that) before these projects
are reviewed, so their
relative effectiveness is
difficult to challenge.
During the Community
Justice Redesign
consultation, justice
department staff made it
clear that their intention
was more central control
and accountability. This
militates against the social
worker having a degree of
professional autonomy and
discretion to do what is best for
each offender.
Central control and prescription
tends towards reducing quality
work to a non-professional
practical level that can be
delivered by following
standardised processes.
Changing Lives contained a firm
commitment to reduce social
workers’ procedures, red tape and
bureaucracy to free them up to
practise the profession in which
they qualified.
Instead, despite the ostensible
difference in criminal justice
philosophy between Scotland and
England, the triumph of their
converging economic and
business hypotheses may be
steadily displacing well-evidenced
professional and ideological
criminal justice policy.
Rostrum
Parliamentary business
Ruth Stark,
Social
Worker
Manager,
SASW
In researching the official
report of the Scottish Parliament
for this column, the range and
quality of the debates and
information that is available to our
elected members in their decision
making is impressive.
In this last quarter, topics in our
own sphere of knowledge, such
as children coming into care, the
impact of welfare reform or the
work required to help people
change their behaviour so that
they do not end up in prisons are
in themselves diverse, let alone
understanding the impact of
climate control, the impact of wind
farms or balancing the Scottish
economy.
But some of the main points of
interest for social workers include
the extensive inquiry, still ongoing
by the Education Committee, into
decision making on whether to
take children into care. On 28 May
I gave oral evidence on behalf of
SASW and front line members
attended an event on 17 June at
the Parliament to address a
number of specific questions that
MSPs still have outstanding
before making their final report.
Other children’s matters include
the adoption of parts of a
Westminster Bill that affects the
setting up of an adoption register
in Scotland which was passed in
May. On 8 May, Hugh Henry gave
a timely reminder in a debate on
child care that it is not just an
issue for the early years but
stretches to children as old as 14.
Moving into an area of joint
interest to children and criminal
justice workers is the work of the
cross party group on children and
families affected by imprisonment
July 2013
that Tim Parkinson, Don Millar and
Maggie Mellon attend. It recently
had a meeting with Justice
Secretary Kenny MacAskill to
consider a number of issues of
concern including unintended
consequences for some very
vulnerable people.
Members may also have noted
that we have joined forces with
the Howard League and others to
raise the issue of voting rights for
prisoners in the work leading up to
the Referendum Bill to comply
with the European Court on
Human Rights.
However, we have also been
mindful of the scrutiny also taking
place by the Justice and Health
Committees during Stage 1 of the
Victims and Witnesses Bill. This
raises issues about how we create
an environment where justice is
seen to be done but does not
cause further damage to victims
and witnesses.
On 2 May the Justice Secretary
talked about community justice
re-design. Later in the month,
through-care came back on the
criminal justice agenda based on
a pilot project at Greenock Prison.
On 24 April there was a debate in
the main chamber about access to
justice. This relates to court
closures, particularly in rural areas
where public transport is limited.
The same issue of limited
public transport was used in
another debate introduced by
Alison McInnes on 30 May based
on Age Concern’s campaign about
the postcode lottery of
concessionary travel, which is
great if you have a system you
can access but useless if there is
no provision in your area.
This dovetailed with a debate
raised by Christina McKelvie
about digital exclusion, raising
issues from those who do not
have access to the services that
we increasingly access online either because of ability or cost.
Social justice is very much at
the heart of the Welfare Reform
Committee and the impact of the
changes in the welfare benefit
system on many of the people with
whom we work. On 16 April the
committee heard evidence from
Professor Steve Fothergill of the
Centre for Regional Economic and
Social Research at Sheffield
Hallam University. You may find
this of interest when considering
sending us evidence from your
practice about how these issues
impact on the people with whom
you work, so that we can bring that
information to political decision
makers.
There was an interesting debate
started by John Mason, MSP for
Glasgow Shettleston, about
promoting people’s well being
through Social Tourism.
This provides an opportunity for
us to reflect on the potential of
community capacity building and
investment in social capital as part
of our role in achieving social
cohesion alongside work with
individuals and their families.
Finally, underpinning all of this
were debates on voluntary sector
funding and public sector reform.
Without a supportive infrastructure,
we will not be empowered to meet
the needs of the people who seek
our services.
The advocacy charity for
older vegetarians and vegans
Charitable Grants
Can we help your client with a
grant from The Vegetarian Fund
or The Vegan Fund?
Older vegetarians and vegans in
need can apply for help with
independent living, for example:
a stair lift, disabled adaptation, or
bathing aid.
For more information:
Phone: 01683 220888
www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk
9
Rostrum
Development matters
Tim Parkinson,
SASW
Development
Officer
During the
time since the
last issue of
Rostrum, we
have been involved in a virtual
whirlwind of meetings and
activities, all working towards
raising the profile, influence and
involvement of social workers in
the continuum of radical change
which is always present.
Criminal justice has been a big
emphasis in my activity with the
promotion and development of our
Criminal Justice Social Workers
Forum and meeting with social
workers around the community
justice redesign consultation.
I have met with social workers
and managers all over the country
and it is good to see people
responding to the opportunity to
be part of the wider arena and be
able to input to processes and
influence thinking and policy
development.
The Criminal Justice Social
Workers Forum is now connected
to over 300 criminal justice social
workers and growing daily. When
the Cabinet Secretary announces
the new structure at the end of
summer we will be in a good
position to engage in the process
of making sure it works and is
conducive to quality practice.
Meanwhile, independent social
worker numbers are growing and
we intend to do more to support
their members’ network. I will be
trying to encourage a coordinated
sign-up to SASW’s register of
independent social workers
shortly.
This is necessary because we
want to be able to promote that
register to organisations that use
independents. However, we can’t
validly do this if we don’t appear to
have a product to promote due to
insufficient independent members
listing their details.
10
If you are an independent social
worker whom I don’t have on my
independents email contacts
group, let me know and I will
include you in all we do.
The end of the academic year is
upon us again and many of you
graduating students will be trying
to make the transition to newly
qualified social worker in your first
post. Remember to keep your
student membership (cheap as
chips!) going until you do get your
first job, then we can continue to
help you through the transition and
you get 50 per cent off your first
year as a qualified social worker.
But we also need you to contact
us to raise our awareness of the
barriers and difficulties you may be
facing in trying to land that first
post. We will be putting a lot of
effort into studying this and trying
to develop strategies and
partnerships with employers and
government agencies in order to
support and retain NQSWs in the
profession.
We have the MHO Annual Study
Conference planned again for
October (see advert on Page 2)
and we continue to be active in
meeting with and supporting
groups of members who are going
through health and social care
integration processes.
The Welfare Reform Act is
impacting across the board of our
activities but children and families
are very much at the heart of the
target group where the changes
will have the most impact.
Ruth Stark has written and
spoken extensively about this over
the last quarter to make sure none
of the “unintended consequences”
go unanswered.
However, we are always
interested in live case examples
which will illustrate the effects of
the reforms in human terms. If you
have such examples, please
contact us and we can discuss
how they can be anonymised and
used sensitively without losing any
of their impact.
And as we get into the holiday
period, my availability to visit
workplace team meetings
increases as Parliament goes into
recession and conferences and
seminars start to reduce.
If you would like me to come
and meet with you (either to
present on criminal justice, our
CPD seminars, membership and
professional identity; or to address
issues you would like to raise)
contact me directly at the usual
email and ‘phone numbers. It’s
your association, and we need to
be in touch with you.
A special awards ceremony was held at Scottish Borders Council to
recognise the achievement of more than 150 social work and social
care employees who completed their professional training over the
past year. The awards gained by staff included SVQs in Health and
Social Care, HNCs in Social Care and Open University degrees in
Social Work and Health and Social Care
Rostrum
A week in the life of…
Hannah Hawthorn, Criminal Justice Social Worker, Scottish
Borders Council
Monday: Mondays tend to be my
busy one-to-one days when I carry
out structured programme work
with several clients. Today’s clients
are each undertaking different
programmed work outlined in a
case management plan that we
complete together using the new
risk assessment tool LS/CMI.
I love the variety of the work we
do! Today we work on anger
management, substance misuse
and a one-to-one general offending
programme which looks at
attitudes, problem solving and the
effects of offending on victims. I
also work with clients undertaking
pre-group work for the Caledonian
Programme and for the Community
Sex Offenders Groupwork
Programme, respectively.
The most striking part of my day
is working with a young man who is
trying extremely hard to address his
heroin issues. I am always
impressed by his commitment and
engagement with our sessions
(hasn’t missed an appointment in
six months) and we discuss the
impact of his previous heroin use
on himself and those around him.
Tuesday: Women’s group day.
Since June 2011, a big part of my
role has involved working in
partnership with Addaction Borders
(a local support service for adults
with alcohol problems) to develop
and deliver a groupwork programme
for women offenders, based on the
model run by the Willow Project in
Edinburgh. We try to run three
12-week programmes a year.
For our afternoon sessions we
invite external agencies to come
and talk to the women about
services that might be useful
(sexual health, substance misuse,
welfare benefits, homelessness or
rape crisis). Other sessions, such
as Zumba, horse riding and crafts,
promote wellbeing and relaxation.
Half the sessions are already
planned by staff, the rest chosen by
the women themselves.
Today is our introductory coffee
morning. This is a new venture
July 2013
based on client feedback to help
women feel more relaxed about
starting the programme. It’s an
informal opportunity to meet staff
and other women attending the
group before we start, and hopefully
dispel any initial misgivings.
A few complex encounters
between some of the women
attending. In a small rural
community, we find some women
have known each other previously.
Whether a negative or a positive
association, it needs to be carefully
managed in a groupwork setting.
Late night office opening tonight
for clients who work or can’t attend
during the day. Finish about 8pm.
Wednesday: Over to a local area
office to meet a female client who
is in crisis. Completed her report a
few weeks ago and she received a
12-month CPO with supervision
and alcohol treatment requirement.
Had deferred seeing her until last
week as she had a place to
complete an alcohol detoxification.
Unfortunately, it appears she
started drinking again on returning
to the community.
Obtain client’s consent to
contact local NHS addictions
service to ascertain the frequency
and nature of their contact with her.
Her worker says they are considering
a rehabilitation place but client
needs to demonstrate commitment
and motivation through attending
Alcoholics Anonymous and
referring herself to Addaction
Borders for support. Main task over
next few weeks will be to monitor
her progress with the various
agencies she is engaged with.
Thursday: Attend a stalking
awareness training course
delivered by Ann Moulds from
Action Scotland Against Stalking.
Interesting course which explains
the new offence of stalking, lists
different behaviours which constitute
the offence, describes the various
ways stalking can impact a victim
and identifies relevant supports
practitioners can offer.
It’s clear from those attending
- predominantly voluntary sector
agencies supporting victims of
domestic abuse and sexual
violence - that a more strategic
response to this is needed within
our area. Positive end to the day
which identifies further action
points for our Violence Against
Women partnership.
Friday: Definitely feel I benefit
from the council’s home working
policy. Can make ‘phone calls
through my work laptop and work
from home to get reports and case
notes finished. After the nursery
run, I spend two hours finishing off
a court report and shouting at the
computer whilst making calls forgot to bring home headset which
allows you to talk at normal volume.
Embarrassing moment when I
answer home ‘phone with an
exasperated “What is it THIS
time??!!” following two automated
calls regarding bank compensation
payments I am allegedly due. Turns
out to be a bewildered Integrated
Children’s Services colleague
responding to a request to ring my
landline due to poor work mobile
reception where I live. Whoops!
After numerous apologies, we
proceed with a case discussion
about a family where the children
are looked after and another
criminal justice colleague and I are
working with the parents who are
both subject to community
disposals. Long discussion about
positive progress, outstanding
concerns with the family and
ongoing work to be done. Mad
dash to get back to the nursery for
pick-up time, then the weekend!
11
Rostrum
Silencing the facts of sexual abuse:
A need for change
Sarah Nelson describes the public pillorying of very young mothers and reveals
how the very laws aimed at protecting children can conceal rape and abuse
Serious issues for young girls
facing rape, sexual abuse and
exploitation are still not addressed
after a case when media were
legally prevented from connecting
a rape conviction in 2009 with the
pregnancy of an 11-year-old who
became Scotland’s youngest
mother in 2006.
Like others previously, this very
young mother was publicly blamed
and vilified for her pregnancy. I
hope social workers in SASW and
ADSW might join a campaign
urging changed behaviour by the
legal system, media, politicians,
churches and the public. I
hope they can also
highlight a problem that
emerged in this case that Scots laws,
designed to protect
children, can instead
silence the facts of
rape and abuse.
Child protection
staff will know that very
young pregnancy almost
invariably happens
through sexual assault. But
many others don’t want to hear
it - because these girls become a
metaphor for all of society’s
supposed ills. They’re at once the
idle promiscuous products of
sink-estate welfare culture, the
permissive society and the crisis in
sex education.
The rape conviction of Jason M
cast a very different light on
notorious publicity in 2006, when
the pregnant 11-year-old,
photographed unnamed in the Sun
newspaper, with the name of her
town, was shown with her heroinsmoking mother. The rape
conviction revealed this pregnancy
was not after all through
consensual sex at a drink-fuelled
party, as her family claimed and
media and justice systems had
assumed. Instead, Jason M had
12
raped his sister at home and she
had already tried several times to
commit suicide.
But in the reports of the rape
conviction, the original case and
the victim’s age when pregnant
could not be mentioned. This
prevented public connection of the
two cases, which would challenge
the “trashing” of the girl’s reputation.
Tressa M, now over 18, has
waived anonymity and given
background details. But in 2009,
even reporting her age fell foul of
the Criminal Procedure (Scotland)
Act 1995, Section 47, and the
Children (Scotland) Act 1995,
Section 44. These Acts restrict
reporting of particulars calculated
to reveal the identities of accused
people or victims under 16 in
criminal proceedings. Also, after
the birth, both she and her baby
were fostered. The law also gives
anonymity to a young person
under care or supervision.
Yet in contrast, the previous
mass of hostile, vicious publicity
- including tabloid newspaper
interviews with her and her mother
and online comment from the
public - was freely allowed and
much of it survived until recently,
since it pre-dated legal
proceedings. Laws like the 1995
Acts were meant to safeguard and
protect young people. In practice,
they had several damaging effects.
Failure to link the two cases
prevented the self-respect and
reputation of the girl being publicly
restored and untruths about her
being corrected, though this was
achievable without endangering
her named identity or current
whereabouts, especially since
interviews with her would no
longer have been
allowed. If risk of
identification was
greater since the
abuser was a relative,
courts could have
banned publicity of
this connection or the
rapist’s name could
have been omitted “for
legal reasons”.
Non-connection of
the two cases made it
unlikely that agencies and
schools would face searching
public questions about whether
they had adequately protected her,
particularly during the years when
she showed strong behavioural
signs of likely sexual abuse. She
has said it started when she was
seven.
It also prevented awarenessraising that Tressa’s history of
early substance misuse and
severe behaviour problems were
common reactions to abuse
trauma, not sexual invitation. A
quarter of the men in my own
research with male survivors of
abuse were addicted to
substances before even reaching
their teens.
Failure to raise awareness
makes it even more likely that the
Rostrum
next very young girl who becomes
pregnant will face similar public
disgust and misrepresentation
from unthinking people in politics,
media, churches and the public.
For news of the pregnancy brought
an outcry about disintegration of
public morals. A Catholic Church
spokesman said “It is indicative of
an increasingly promiscuous
culture” and a Scottish
Conservatives spokeswoman
talked of failings “that have
allowed such a young girl to go on
a night out, get drunk and
pregnant, seemingly ignorant of
the risks and consequences.”
We need reminders of the sheer
vindictiveness against a child
barely out of primary school. The
language does not simply reflect
abusive, sexist and prejudiced
attitudes to one young girl but to
vulnerable ones generally (see
attitudes in recent sexual
exploitation cases in Rochdale and
Rotherham). At 11, she was widely
described as a “tart”, “slob”, “slut”
and “chav”.
These are just some of the
scores of online comments made
by the public. They are horrible to
read but we need to face up to
them, as she had to do:
“We already know the little twat
was drunk and knocked up at 11
and continuing to smoke - her
mother was proud of her slut
offspring.”
“The little whore should have
her brat kid taken off her and then
be sterilised so that she never gets
knocked up again.”
“Amazing what nanny-statism
can do to families... like drunken,
pregnant 11 yr olds.”
Media coverage featured her
bad character and horrible habits:
chain-smoking while pregnant,
drinking vodka at aged 10 and
excluded from school for fighting.
She was promiscuous, allegedly
getting pregnant at “a drunken/
cannabis fuelled romp/wild party”
where she “dressed like a tart”.
She was a chav from a rundown
council flat on a sink estate. Her
mother was a heroin addict, two
uncles had been in jail.
In practice, Tressa and other
young pregnant girls lived in
families which were singularly
July 2013
unable to protect them from
predators; they did not reflect
poorer families in general. Other
extremely young mothers across
the UK, usually from similar
backgrounds, have been vilified
with similar, gullibly-swallowed
stories about one-night stands with
mysterious unnamed teenagers.
For example, Amy C from
Sussex, also 12 from another
family on benefits, had become
“Britain’s most notorious gymslip
mum” and “a national disgrace”,
facing outrage and abuse about
promiscuous welfare chavs and
the permissive society.
Her claim of a one-night stand
with an unknown Jamaican boy at
a leisure centre changed to a
“club” then a “friend’s house”. She
later called him a Gambian boy
(her child, publicly photographed,
was black). No official action was
taken. Buried deep, however, in
these press accounts was the
news that Amy’s mother had a
string of live-in boyfriends, her
latest being a Gambian who had
recently “returned to Gambia to his
wife and children.” Was this man
ever sought? Was his DNA
checked?
It’s not just very under-age
pregnant girls who face blame but
ones who are sexually active at all.
Disparaging comments made in
legal cases in recent years have
flown in the face of actual laws.
Some judges or lawyers have
argued that the sex was
consensual or suggested a child’s
consent may be relevant, when it
isn’t legally possible for under-13s
to give meaningful consent!
Why do we need debate and
action? Laws and regulations
aimed at protecting children in
court and elsewhere are designed
to protect their wellbeing. They are
not designed actively to conceal
the fact that young people were
victims, not agents, of serious
criminal acts for which they were
previously blamed in the public
glare. Such information can help
restore their self-respect and
self-belief.
To follow the spirit - not simply
the letter - of such laws and
regulations, the reality of previous
damaging, inaccurate, anti-child
publicity and the need to address it
must be taken into account. It’s too
late for the authorities to wish this
publicity had not happened.
We need changes in practice
and if necessary an amendment to
law to meet the spirit of these Acts,
for example through consulting
young people and allowing them to
correct wide-ranging vilification on
public record.
Also, should not protective
proceedings always be taken as
soon as young pregnancy,
(particularly in under-14s) is
known, both because a thorough
child protection investigation is
needed and to stop degrading
verbal abuse? That would anyway
seem the implication of the Sexual
Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. The
law already restricts reporting of
children involved in the children’s
hearing system. A problem would
remain about safeguarding
genuine investigative reporting into
very young pregnancies in society,
especially if the authorities may
have seriously failed to protect a
child.
I hope social workers will join
with children’s charities, family
lawyers, the National Union of
Journalists and others to promote
information leaflets and web
materials for the media, politicians,
faith groups and the public.
These would inform them that
very young pregnancy is likely to
mean sexual assault history, not
promiscuity; suggest guidance on
responsible reporting; urge
deletion of vicious, libellous online
comments about vulnerable young
people and adults; and ask judges,
lawyers, politicians and others not
to exploit these desperate young
people to further their own
agendas.
Perhaps instead they could
support action against the rape,
abuse and maltreatment of these
young women - and indeed of all
abused young people.
Sarah Nelson is a researcher
and writer on sexual abuse
issues based at Edinburgh
University and a former
journalist who specialised in
social work
13
Rostrum
Study notes
Name: Catherine Murray
Age: 33
Course: Masters Degree in Social Work, Robert Gordon University,
Aberdeen
Why social work? When I thought about being a social worker, I had
genuine flutters of excitement as I knew it was the right path. You can’t
really ignore that sort of thing. I enjoyed being able to connect with clients
and understand their perspective. It felt good working in a team, bouncing
ideas around to get things right for people.
Since embarking on this course, it has been a learning curve - not least
in beginning one of my essays diplomatically but then surprising myself
by concluding with a Marxist stance. All of this is still in evolution as I
learn to become a balanced and thoughtful practitioner.
What area of social work interests you most? Criminal justice, law,
children and families, young people and mental health. From my
placement, previous experience and lectures, I have a natural
inclination towards these particular areas.
What did you do before social work training? I came to Aberdeen to
study medicine in 1997, which I did and loved for a number of years.
However, I wanted to follow a more social based career. I always knew
I would return to university, I just wasn’t sure what it would be that I’d go back to.
For almost 10 years I worked in the health and social care field. First, as a support worker with The Richmond
Fellowship Scotland. Then in 2005 I moved on to work as an independent advocate for Advocacy North East, working with a diverse range
of client groups in different settings, upholding human rights and ensuring their views were heard.
Favourite music? Kings of Leon and Eddie Vedder’s Into the Wild soundtrack. Under the Pink by Tori Amos, Throwing Copper by Live
and The Best of James are three of my all-time favourite albums.
Favourite film? Avatar - I was captivated with this 3D film at the cinema and have watched it countless times since.
Favourite book? Notes from an Exhibition by Philip Gale for its poignancy and empathy towards the characters. The last book I finished
was Game of Thrones by George RR Martin - you can’t beat flying dragons for a bit of escapism.
Last book out of the library? The Other 23 Hours by Trieschman, Whittaker and Brendtro. It details the residential therapeutic work with
children during the other hours of the day that the “visiting professional” does not see.
How do you let off steam? I run, go to the gym and gym classes. Prior to this year, such activity was almost unprecedented in the
Catherine Murray chronicles. My usual modus operandi was to reflect, play the piano, make copious lists or keep a journal. I’m also a
huge fan of summer barbecues, with shorts and flip-flops, rain or shine.
Have you been on placement yet and how do you feel about it? I’m currently on placement in an all-boys residential children’s home.
My approach was to immerse myself in it and hopefully keep up - so far it has worked. I grappled with the inherent tension of being in the
milieu, wanting to spend quality time with the young people and being required to write reports as well. One of the highlights has been
attending Who Cares? Scotland’s launch in May of a national partnership strategy to improve social outcomes for young care leavers. It
was fantastic meeting such a diverse group and enlightening to hear young people present their case histories so honestly and
confidently.
Where do you hope to be in five years’ time? Graduated with my masters degree and married to my fiance Kevan. I intend to have
solid experience in social work and aspire to hold a team management position. I would like to have the MHO qualification and be involved
in research projects and journal publications. Ultimately, once I have an extensive grounding, my ideal would be to teach aspects of social
work at Robert Gordon University.
Message on your T-shirt? Lets get this done! - a phrase from my awesome poster group in semester one.
14
Rostrum
On the front line
Joe McConnell, Youth Worker, Barn Youth Centre, Glasgow
“So you’re a youth worker, what
is it you do?” Who among us, I
wonder, has not been at the
receiving end of this tricky “tag”
question? And who among us has
not stumbled and faltered over the
answer, shuffling our feet and
mumbling incoherently under our
breath something about
“personal and social
development” and “well
being” before trailing off
into an awkward silence
- or is that just me?
There can be little
doubt that youth work
can seem a bit of a
mystery to the
uninitiated. This, I
believe, stems from the
various contrasting
traditions from which
modern youth work developed and
the undermining of defining
characteristics of youth work by
successive governments.
The answer to this tricky
question is therefore not easily got
at and often leads to heuristic
methods being
applied, that is,
substituting a
difficult question
with an easier
related question
and answering
that one.
Nevertheless,
here is my
apology for
what we do in
the name of
youth work at
the Barn Youth
Centre in the
Gorbals area of
Glasgow without, I hope, too much
of a heuristic detour.
The Barn is home to the youth
work arm of Crossroads Youth &
Community Association (the
Community arm is based in
Govanhill in the south east of
Glasgow). The building is our own,
built with the help and support of
the local community and generous
funders a little over 20 years ago.
July 2013
The organisation has had a
presence in the Gorbals for almost
60 years; born out of the
pioneering work of Geoff Shaw,
Richard Holloway and other
founder members of the original
Gorbals Group, the predecessor of
Crossroads.
The guiding values and
principles have changed very little
over the intervening years,
testament to the simple but
fundamental truth underpinning
them, that is: create opportunities
for people to voluntarily be
together, include mutual
support and informal
education and this will
release the potential for
“good things to happen” both
for the individual and the
community. It is, and always
was, what in the modern
idiom we term asset based
principles; a focus on the
importance of connecting
people and facilitating ways
for people to help each
other.
The four evening sessions
we run each week are a
combination of open
provision and project-based youth
work. The educative power of
association, sharing ideas,
attitudes and opinions and learning
to live cooperatively has equal
prominence with learning new
skills and knowledge and gaining
accreditations. In the junior
sessions we run projects such as
Literally Cooking, where promoting
life skills, numeracy and literacy
are the aims. But there space and
time is also given over to
improvised play and games, and
for young people just to relax
together.
In the senior sessions, as with
the junior sessions, considerable
effort is made to balance the
service so that the
outcomes we set
ourselves in procuring
funding can be addressed
without giving up on
improvisation and a focus
on the here-and-now,
responding to young
peoples’ concerns and
addressing outcomes the
young people themselves
value. The youth
committee plays a key role
in this balancing act and
provides the means by which the
young people play an active part in
decisions about anything affecting
them.
The educative and healing
properties of the outdoors and wild
places have featured in
Crossroads’ provision of youth
work stretching back over its
history. Recently this has taken the
shape of Ogg Adventures, a
project that incorporates, amongst
other outdoor pursuits, the Duke of
Edinburgh expedition section. This
year we have young people taking
in part in bronze, silver and gold
levels of the awards with two
members of the gold group
heading off to India to work with
school children for their residential
section.
WB Yeats had this to say about
learning: “Education is not about
filling a bucket, it’s about lighting a
fire.” The work we do at the Barn is
a form of youth work which
attempts to do
just that. I believe
we provide the
spark that ignites
possibilities and
potentials, both
in the young folk
we work with and
in us as workers.
15
Rostrum
Support
networks
Sarah Roberts, Child and Family Support Manager for Families
Outside, continues our series on specialist organisations that
social workers can turn to for advice and support
from bad families with no
prospects of becoming anything
other than the next criminal in the
WHEN a family member goes to
family. No wonder then that these
prison, the impact on the
children develop significant mental
remaining children and adults is
ill health problems at three times
often significant and enduring,
the rate of other children. Early
leading to a range
support helps children
of challenges: risk
affected by
“I nearly lost my faith when
to housing;
imprisonment cope with
this happened, I didn’t think
financial
their
experience and
anyone cared. Without your
pressures;
goes a long way to
support I don’t know what I
problems in caring
would have done”
reducing
- Partner of a prisoner
for children;
intergenerational crime.
anxiety, distress
Further to this,
and health
research has shown
problems; and rejection, stigma
that prisoners are up to six times
and victimisation by neighbours
less likely to reoffend if they
and the community.
maintain family contact during
For over 23 years Families
imprisonment. Closer relationships
Outside - the only national
often benefit not only the prisoner
organisation working exclusively
but also their families, who tend to
on behalf of families affected by
be the forgotten victims of
imprisonment in Scotland - has
imprisonment. Regardless of any
been working to mitigate the
impact on the prisoner, support for
effects of imprisonment on children
families in their own right is
and families, helping to reduce
important.
reoffending through support and
Families affected by imprisonment
information for families and for
face a process of grief and
professionals such as social
readjustment throughout the
workers who work with them.
course of arrest, trial,
in Scotland alone, 27,000
imprisonment and
“Some people
children are separated from a at my school found out...
release, yet they
parent through imprisonment they kept away from me”
often have
- Fourteen-year-old boy
each year - nearly twice the
difficulty getting
number who experiences a
the information and
parent’s divorce. Children
support they need.
with a parent in prison face
Families Outside works to support
significant challenges including
families, ensuring they can access
trauma (making it hard for them to
appropriate information and
learn) and stigma (which can lead
support at the time they need it.
to behaviour problems and bullying
This includes Families Outside’s
from others). in effect, they serve
free confidential Helpline (0500
their own sentence and are far
839383, Monday to Friday, 9ammore likely to disengage from the
5pm) and direct face-to-face
school system.
support through their network of
Many also feel condemned by
family support workers. Walking
the crime of their parent and they
sensitively alongside
pick up the message (sometimes
families, as they
subliminally, unfortunately also
negotiate the
more
challenges of the
blatantly)
criminal justice system,
that they are
makes an enormous
bad children
difference.
Because
imprisonment affects
all areas of people’s
lives (health, housing,
16
education and social welfare), a
wide range of professionals will
come into contact with families
affected, though none has overall
responsibility for supporting them.
Families Outside raises awareness
and provides training for
professionals on the impact of
imprisonment and the need to
include prisoners’ families
specifically in the wider remits of
their work.
“I felt very alone and isolated
until I was introduced to a
family support worker. She
provided me with information,
emotional support and a
non-judgmental ear to listen”
- Family member
As a result of the work of
Families Outside, policy makers,
decision makers and relevant
service providers, including social
workers, are becoming better
informed about the issues facing
families affected by imprisonment.
The Scottish Government and the
Scottish Prison Service are among
many agencies now beginning to
recognise the need to support
these families and include them in
efforts to resettle prisoners.
Support for families affected by
imprisonment is essential both for
their immediate needs and to
prevent longer term difficulties.
Given the wide ranging challenges
and long term implications for
these all too often isolated families,
it is equally essential that we work
collaboratively with other organisations
and that together we raise
awareness of issues of imprisonment;
develop good practice and, of
course, inspire change.
Rostrum
Obituaries
Roger Kent 1931-2013
Former Lothian social work
director Roger Kent, who died on
22 March, will be remembered as
a staunch advocate of social work
and a pioneer in responding to HIV
and AIDS in the 1980s.
Having been orphaned at the
age of seven, he was subsequently
adopted and pursued a successful
career in the Royal Navy. He took
voluntary retirement aged 30 and
entered the social work profession
after gaining a postgraduate
diploma at Durham University.
His rise through the ranks was
meteoric and he was rapidly
promoted to Director of Social
Services in the new Metropolitan
Borough of Doncaster. Five years
later, he accepted the same post in
Lothian, where he proved a popular
and able leader of 8,000 staff.
Roger felt his main achievement
was managing to work with two
separate budgets throughout the
1980s following mid-term rate
capping and keeping up morale
during a time of serious financial
restrictions.
But he was admired for his rapid
response to issues of the day such
as AIDS when Edinburgh’s HIV
infection rate soared as a result of
intravenous drug use and needlesharing. Armed with up-to-date
information, he pioneered the
battle against the virus and guided
public authorities.
After retiring from local authority
life he became the first Director of
Waverley Care, a new charity
dedicated to setting up a hospice
for those with HlV and AIDS. This
culminated with the 1991 opening
of Milestone House in Edinburgh the UK’s first purpose-built hospice
for people living with HIV.
He also became Chairman of
the Scottish Council for Voluntary
Organisations and Commissioner
for Scotland of the Commission for
Racial Equality.
However, he continued to be
involved with social work when in
1993 he was called upon to lead
an independent inquiry after
widespread abuse had been
uncovered at the Moorheads old
people’s home in Dumfries and
Galloway.
Then in 1997 he carried out the
highly influential Children’s
Safeguards Review (Kent Report)
which made more than 60
recommendations to help improve
the protection of children cared for
away from home.
Roger’s outstanding contribution
to social work in Scotland was
recognised in 1993 when he was
awarded the CBE.
With thanks to Nicola Barry
Nick Baxter 1947-2013
I first met Nick through BASW
Scotland back in the late 1970s. A
long-time member of the
association, he was passionate
about care in the community and
in 1980 launched with others
Cornerstone, the Aberdeen-based
organisation that was honoured at
this year’s SSSC Care Accolades
in Perth with the ultimate Chair’s
Award. This was a fitting
acknowledgement of all those
years of passion and work that met
people’s needs, worked with risk
and respected people’s human
rights.
Nick came from Yorkshire and
after studying for a degree in
Sociology went on to a post as a
trainee child care officer in
Birmingham. He then went on to
Aberdeen University where he
qualified as a social worker. He
July 2013
joined Grampian Regional Council
and became a senior social worker
responsible for learning disability.
Seeing many gaps in service,
he set up with others the third
sector organisation we now know
as Cornerstone. It employs 1,700
staff and works with 300
volunteers in 20 local authorities.
With an annual turnover of more
than £30 million, it provides services
for more than 2,000 adults,
including young people and children
with learning and physical disabilities
and mental health problems.
Nick was only 65 when he died
on 28 April. Having been named
the Ernst & Young UK Social
Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003,
he retired from the post of Chief
Executive with Cornerstone in
2008. He spent much of his
well-earned retirement travelling
and also had a house in France.
It was an honour to know such a
special person and social worker
who was a role model for us all in
achieving the goal that we all set
ourselves as students - to “make a
difference”.
Ruth Stark
17
Rostrum
the text factor
Alison Gordon describes some of the books that have
influenced her most during her career
Never one to do things the easy
way, the challenge of selecting
books which have influenced me
as a social worker led to my
searching late at night for long lost
treasures at the back of a large and
pretty messy cupboard. Whatever
did happen to my copy of...?
I read a lot and find influence all
over the place including popular
psychology, sociology and
economics in addition to social
work texts. And for me it was
certainly more fun, if also a lot
more circuitous, to journey through
my past by sorting through these
old hard copy books than to
pursue a quick check of references
on the internet.
One of the pleasures of my
current role is involvement in the
recruitment of social workers.
Through this there is the
opportunity both for dialogue with
a wide range of applicants on their
own influences and to keep in
touch with the trends in social work
teaching and theory - including
some rebranding of old ones.
Having worked previously in
community projects, including one
of the then government’s
community programmes, I was at
the time of my own training
particularly attracted to the model
of community social work
prevalent in books ranging from
the official Barclay Report to the
writings of Bob Holman. I love the
fact that the spirit of this remains
within my current job title of
Community Social Work Manager.
My interest in social justice was
however reinforced much earlier in
part through Inequalities in
Health: The Black Report, a book
I encountered when studying
economics. This provided a stark
picture of the cumulative impact of
social inequalities in housing,
education and employment and
the consequential limitations on
the NHS in its ability to deliver
positive health outcomes for all.
18
Many of the recommendations
aimed at achieving the three
objectives of: a) giving children a
better start in life; b) improving the
quality of life for those with
disabilities and c) a preventative
approach on health, were shelved
at the time and most of the
challenges remain and have
grown. There is certainly current
resonance within social work and
community planning agendas and
in particular the aspirations of the
Early Years Collaborative.
As a social worker subsequently
practising primarily in child care
and child protection, Vera
Fahlberg’s Fitting the Pieces
Together was a practical and
accessible companion. And whilst
my copy is long lent out and lost, I
retain a copy of the later A Child’s
Journey through Placement which
brings together much of the same
wisdom.
Building on the writings of
others, she promotes an
understanding of attachment
though the concepts of “the
arousal-relaxation cycle” and “the
positive-interaction cycle” as key
both to work with families and
supporting children looked after
away from home.
All of her writing - through clear
case illustrations, concepts and an
overriding sense of her own
commitment to troubled children
- provided knowledge, tools and as
importantly a faith in the ability to
make a difference in practice. It
remains an “old friend” and one I
still recommend regularly to others
and return to myself on occasion
when debating difficult issues in
planning for children.
Themes of attachment and loss
at a different level are replicated in
one of the books I have found
useful both as an individual and as
a manager in working in a climate
of uncertainty and in planning for
both small and large scale
changes. William Bridges’
Managing Transitions is again
both practical and accessible
whilst avoiding the potential to
patronise which runs through
some change management texts.
His model of Endings, The
Neutral Zone and New Beginnings,
which emphasises that people
have a personal connection to how
they work and addresses the
psychological transitions which sit
alongside situational changes, is
one I have found genuinely helpful.
When transferred to the current
social work environment, it is also
a strong reminder that we need to
take some of the skills and
understanding we assume in our
work with individuals and families
into workplace relationships and
processes rather than simply to
rely on the aspiration for and sign
up to “continuous improvement”,
however well intended.
Finally, a mention for a book I
read recently and am still digesting
and whose thread perhaps is
perhaps on reflection as much of
justification for my approach as an
influence. Obliquity by John Kay
rejects the conventional science of
decision making for a more indirect
adaptive and yes, oblique
approach to achieving goals. Now
back to that cupboard...
Alison Gordon is a Community
Social Work Manager with
North Lanarkshire Council
Rostrum
MediaWatch
Sex on Wheels
Channel 4, 9 May
Reviewed by Charlene Gay
Soon after this programme
was advertised I began to receive
messages from my friends
informing me of its existence so I
was eager to see the goods for
myself! The reason for the
messages and my own
anticipation was that this
was the very topic I wrote
my dissertation about and I
am massively interested in
the field of sexuality and
disability.
As the programme began
I was sceptical that it might
be another documentary
focusing on the obscure - or
worse a patronising
portrayal of young people
looking for love. The backing
John
music and narrator’s tone,
giving a tongue and cheek
feel to the introduction,
justified my fears as the viewer
meets Leah in a high street sex
shop. I was thankfully reassured
as this quickly begins to highlight
some of the programme’s many
recurring themes and challenges.
For instance, Leah discusses
the lack of sex education she
received compared with her sisters
because she has brittle bone
disease and it was assumed she
may not become sexually active.
Leah is clearly a very articulate,
confident and attractive young girl
Pete
July 2013
who enjoys exactly the same
things as her peers.
At the opposite end of the
spectrum is shy John who has
learning disability. John lives with
his mother and would like the
opportunity to
lose his virginity
like his brothers
as he feels left
out and lonely.
His mother feels
she should
Carl
support John by hiring an escort
and compares the experience with
learning independent travel or
other skills. The documentary
follows John’s journey to lose his
virginity or as his mother puts it
“become a man”.
What is clear for all
the males involved in
the documentary is the
prejudice they face in
some way or another
from not being viewed
or feeling like a “real
man” because they
have a disability. Most
people believe
everyone has sexual
rights but disabled
people are often viewed
as unable to attain
these rights or have a
“normal” sex life.
Leah
This is wonderfully illustrated by
Pete who is trying to fulfill his
ambition of becoming a porn star.
There is also Carl who has a
spinal cord injury and was the only
participant who did not have a
disability from birth. For me, Carl is
a textbook example of what the
majority of academic literature on
sexuality and disability represents.
Carl tries many solutions to
regain his full sexual function but
what this uncovers - and was
highlighted for Leah and John too
- is the need for a long term
relationship and closeness. As was
evident from several of the
individuals featured, sex is
purchasable but intimacy is not.
I would applaud Channel 4 and
the escorts and sex therapists
shown for allowing viewers to
understand what they did and
explain it in an educated and
sensitive manner. The programme
gives a good overview of societal
attitudes and also challenges Joe
Bloggs’ perceptions by jumping
straight in with positions, places
and preferences.
Although some of the use of
language may make you
uncomfortable at times, such as
“freak” and “normal”, I feel
Channel 4 used the hour to explain
this complex topic productively.
But what I asked myself whilst
watching this programme and
would urge anyone to ask
themselves is: “How would my
perceptions change if the person
did not have a disability?” More of
the same please on our TVs!
Charlene Gay is a Community
Care Worker with Falkirk
Council
19
Rostrum
Aberlour Narratives of Success
David Divine
University of Durham, 2013
ISBN 978-0-90359-328-1, £20
Reviewed by Bill Grieve, Freelance
Consultant and former Chief Executive of
Aberlour Child Care Trust
THE
“SURVIVED”
and
“THRIVED”
sequence on
the front and
back covers of
David Divine’s
deeply
interesting
book neatly
encapsulates both his experience of living
in the Aberlour Orphanage in Morayshire
from the age of 18 months until he was 11
- having been abandoned at three months
- and of his subsequent life.
As a black child, Aberlour became his
loving family when his birth family was too
ashamed of the colour of his skin to own
him. Thrived he certainly has: now with a
family of his own, David has held some of
the most senior positions in social work
and in social housing in the UK as well as
becoming Professor of Black Canadian
Studies at Dalhousie University in Nova
Scotia. He is particularly well placed to
reflect on his experience of living in the
orphanage.
The book provides an account both of
his own experiences living there and those
of others whom he managed to track down
as representatives of the 6,000 children
who were cared for during the orphanage’s
92-year history between 1875 and 1967
when it closed its doors. The book is
intended as the first of a trilogy.
He raises what remains a key question
in residential care: What are the tools
children require in order to develop
narratives of their lives featuring
resilience, and which are coherent and
sustaining throughout their lives?
There is something of a mystery here:
on the one hand the orphanage was in
Goffman’s terms a “total institution” where
the children led an enclosed, formally
administered round of life. There was very
little contact with the local community.
Contact between child and birth family
ABERLOUR NARRATIVES OF SUCCESS Professor David Divine 20
SURVIVED was discouraged, and ditto with brothers
and sisters (even when they too were in
the care of Aberlour). Boys and girls were
segregated.
Removal from Aberlour was sudden
with no preparation or even the
opportunity for farewells when it came to
“the next stage”. And so on. From our
perspective, eccentric at the very least or,
as Divine admits, it sounds “hard, isolated,
structured, authoritative, potentially
barbaric and Dickensian.”
And yet somehow Aberlour managed to
make each child an individual and to find
ways of marking their achievements. And
more than this, as he notes: “It gave me a
belief that I was loved, simply for being
me; that I did belong there; that I was
valued, wanted and respected. Such a
sense of security and seeming
permanence, helped me later in life to
withstand the trials and tribulations of life,
and overcome them and thrive.”
And later: “...meanings of ‘family’ were
grounded out of life’s touches, the nods in
one’s direction, the smiles, the words of
encouragement and the knowing when not
to say anything, just be there for someone
in pain; physical touches, positive human
contact, opportunities opening up for
warmth, embracing the potential for the
creation and maintenance of relationships
which matter.”
As well as the warmth and
relationships, another important ingredient
was that the orphanage, in his words
“strove to occupy the residents’ lives with
a variety of activities primarily geared to
building health and strength and the
acquisition of practical skills,
independence, confidence and self-worth.
It hired staff, who it thought had unique
and marketable talents which could be
passed on to the children and young
people. In many instances it worked.”
The level of risk-taking which was
allowed was, by our standards, startling.
Children died from drowning, sledging and
other accidents - in individual cases tragic,
of course, but on the other hand so many
had fun and adventurous developmental
opportunities which would be unlikely now.
The interplay of what we bring to the
table in terms of our own innate
characteristics and strengths, and what
our childhood environment offers is
ultimately unknowable. I guess there will
have been children who certainly did not
thrive or flourish in the orphanage.
But what this book suggests to me is
that for many of those who hadn’t been
crushed beyond repair by early abuse or
neglect, Aberlour Orphanage certainly
offered something critical to development,
and I find myself grateful to have worked
within the humane culture which has
persisted post-Orphanage days, and to
David Divine for this very moving account.
Mastering Social Work Values
and Ethics
Farrukh Akhtar
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2012
ISBN 978-1-84905-274-0, £17.99
Reviewed by Jessica Proctor, Independent
Practice Teacher
TO COMPILE
and present
the values and
ethics of social
work in a short,
instructive and
accessible
format must
have been a
daunting task.
The author has
broken such a
mammoth subject area into logical, useful
sections and introduces in the first chapter
a framework, the Values matrix, that
becomes ever more complex and useful
when revisited in subsequent chapters,
which is particularly well illustrated in
Chapter Three, which focuses on
Changing Values in Professional Life.
The section focusing on power in direct
work is especially good. This is not an
easy topic to present from a value-neutral
stance but that is achieved here without
avoiding unresolved, but important, issues
such as the extent to which social work is
indeed a “profession”.
There are some noteworthy
achievements. The often excluding
language of values and ethics is
embedded into a discussion of the daily,
individual practice of social work with
ease. The author uses a frank, balanced
and neutral tone to present sometimes
very challenging dilemmas and avoids
making declarations or offering solutions.
Rostrum
The end result is that the reader is
presented with practical challenges
alongside either relatively new (such as
‘cultural competence’ - Chapter Five) or at
least usefully compiled (e.g. Thompson’s
PCS model - Chapter Four) information
with which to analyse them, and then
asked to reflect on their own feelings,
experiences and ideas.
There are some notable omissions in a
number of chapters: Mindfulness is
mentioned often, though without suitable
references to Mindfulness research;
Emotional Intelligence, which is a key
focus though no author or researcher
other than Daniel Goleman is named;
elements of Transactional Analysis are
presented without any direct reference to
this major school of thought and practice
(Berne gets a mention); the Scottish
context in terms of legislation, policy,
education and care and protection, seems
not to exist.
As well as being puzzled by some of
the omissions above, I felt at times talked
-down to in a way that impaired my ability
to enjoy and benefit from an otherwise
very useful work. I felt particularly let down
in Chapter Two, at the end of a section
that otherwise presented the ethical
foundations of social work in a usefully
demystifying way, when I was presented
with a clumsily composed “fairytale” (not
to mention a quiz complete with upside
down answers at the bottom of the page);
attempts, I think, at repeating the key
points of each to help the reader learn.
This may have been an attempt to be
helpful or inclusive but I don’t think I will
be alone in feeling offended by
encountering such devices in a volume
that is aimed at readers who already have
some degree of knowledge, proficiency
and experience, not to mention possibly
years of hard-won practice wisdom.
What this volume has unquestionably
achieved is to promote and foster
reflection in and on social work practice in
all its “swampy” glory, which I do feel is an
increasingly vital aim.
In spite of some of the distracting
“teaching” methods highlighted, this
author’s over-riding good sense, sound
and obvious underpinning knowledge
base and very evident breadth of
experience ensure that this volume will
give even busy, pressurised social work
practitioners the motivation to follow up on
much of the recommended reading and
provide some sanction to take the time to
revisit the emotional aspects and impact
of the work they carry out.
July 2013
Digital life story work: Using
technology to help young people
make sense of their experiences
Simon P Hammond and Neil J Cooper
British Association for Adoption &
Fostering, 2013
ISBN 978-1-90758-567-8, £15.95
Reviewed by Mike Martin, Independent
Social Care Consultant
IMAGINE my
surprise!
Having offered
to review this I
had anticipated
receiving a
CD-based
guide. Not at
all. This is a
well produced
107-page book.
It is designed to
support professionals working with
adolescents on life story work, and to offer
guidance on using a medium that
overcomes some of the reluctance of older
children to what they might perceive and
thus devalue as a childish form of
engagement.
I am sure the approaches advocated
will open the minds of many and allow
them to access the benefits and
opportunities that can come from life story
work which might otherwise have passed
them by.
Although it has been produced to work
with a specific group, I have no hesitation
in recommending it as something that can
be used with a wider constituency,
including younger children. Social care
workers, foster carers, social workers and
indeed a range of other professionals will
find this a valuable aid to work with
teenagers.
An initial chapter considers why one
should consider doing digital life story
work and is followed by the longest chapter
in the book, which introduces nine
different digital projects for use in different
circumstances or to achieve different ends.
There is a simple and common formula
applied to most: Title; Time Frame
required (varying between two hours and
a day); What You Need (technology and
aids such as photographs); What You
Need to Do (including straightforward
instructions and handy tips); Result
(essentially what the young person will
have at the end of the process); Take Care
(some straightforward guidance on how
material can prove problematic and what
to do about it); Digital Life Story Work
Elements (a tie-in to traditional concepts
associated with the approach); and
Extending the Project (ideas on how a
particular project can be taken forward.
There follow shorter chapters
addressing: how to work with young
people on projects; planning work;
creating the content; production;
completing the project; and, towards
tomorrow (a promotion of the idea that the
project engaged with is not necessarily the
end point, but potentially a start or step in
what could be a longer journey). There are
a series of practical appendices, including
a useful section on cyberbullying
resources (incidentally it takes a sensible
no-nonsense approach to risks,
technological and otherwise).
Why do I think it is worth buying and I
do? It is a simple and practical guide
offering something important by way of a
tool to work with folk who might otherwise
be difficult to engage with effectively, or at
all. It will provide a starting point to
thinking about how technology can be
used in other ways and stimulate ideas on
more than the nine projects suggested. It
is an attractively produced publication and
lastly, remarkably good value.
Effective Working with Neglected
Children and their Families:
Linking Interventions to Longterm Outcomes
Elaine Farmer and Eleanor Lutman
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2012
ISBN 978-1-84905-288-7, £25
Reviewed by Mark Hardy, Children and
Families Social Worker, Edinburgh City
Council
NEGLECT is a
significant
issue that all
children and
families
practitioners
will come
across. There
is a range of
literature on the
causes and
consequences
of neglect. Until recently however, there
had been little research on the subject to
help inform practice.
Given what we know about the adverse
consequences for children of experiencing
neglect, this presents a crucial gap as
21
Rostrum
practitioners need to be able to intervene
effectively and confidently to avoid children
being exposed to harm. This particular title
addresses two principal questions: do
professionals intervene effectively and are
children kept safe once neglect has been
identified? And what are the outcomes for
children after five years?
The contents are sub-divided and
sequenced sensibly. The introduction
includes a definition of neglect,
descriptions of different types of neglect
and a summary of the already existing
literature. There follows a succinct
description of the study methodology.
The authors go on to look at the
backgrounds of the 138 children in the
sample, including adversities they faced
and the services and interventions they
were provided with. The sample was taken
from data collected in a previous study on
reunification. All children were aged up to
14 and had been returned home from care
in six local authorities in England over the
course of a year.
Case management is considered in two
chapters, firstly looking at how risk was
responded to and secondly how parents
and children were worked with. The
perspectives of social workers, parents
and children are then examined before
looking at children’s outcomes. Finally, the
authors draw implications for social work
policy and practice.
This is a critical account of policy,
systems and practice in addressing child
neglect and as such turns the spotlight on
both good and bad examples. It makes for
some discomforting reading on both a
personal and professional level as there
are numerous examples of children having
been let down by poor practice and
reunified with parents only to suffer further
harm. Particular pitfalls are over-optimism
and habituation to the poor conditions in
which we see people surviving.
Although case management comes
under the closest scrutiny, the system and
policy failures contributing to this are also
made clear, such as poor supervision,
inappropriate closure of cases, frequent
changes of worker and a lack of
appropriate intervention services. And
while the legislative context and systems
are different in Scotland than in England, it
would be wishful thinking to believe that
none of these issues occur north of the
border.
Rather than just being critical however,
there are many instances of good practice
and clear indications of what helps
promote positive outcomes. For
practitioners, this means being pro-active,
setting clear expectations of what needs to
change, sticking to timescales, knowing
case histories and viewing incidents within
this case knowledge. In line with the
zeitgeist, early intervention is emphasised.
Intervention services need to be intensive
and sometimes prolonged.
There is a wider question for managers
and policy makers of how best to support
practitioners under intense pressure to
meet these standards, particularly in this
age of austerity. The findings here should
be requisite knowledge for all those
concerned in promoting child welfare,
regardless of their professional discipline.
Publications for review
The following have been received by the Editor and are available for review in Rostrum.
From the British
Association for
Adoption and Fostering
Proud Parents: Lesbian
and gay fostering and
adoption experiences
Edited by Nicola Hill, 2013
978-1-90758-566-1,
170 pages, £13.95
Ten Top Tips for
Supporting Education
Eileen Fursland with Kate Cairns and
Chris Stanway, 2013
ISBN 978-1-90758-571-5,
122 pages, £9.95
Parenting a child with
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Paul Carter, 2013
ISBN 978-1-90758-569-2,
98 pages, £7.95
Gay, Lesbian and
Heterosexual Adoptive
Families
Laura Mellish, Sarah Jennings, Fiona
Tasker, Michael Lamb and Susan
Golombek, 2013
ISBN 978-1-90758-565-4,
40 pages, £9.95
Parenting a child with
Developmental Delay
Pamela Bartram with Sue and Jim Clifford,
2013
ISBN 978-1-90758-570-8,
94 pages, £7.95
From Dunedin
Academic Press
Social Work with Fathers:
Positive Practice
Gary Clapton, 2013
ISBN 978-1-78046-008-6,
128 pages, £16.95
From Jessica Kingsley
Publishers
Good Practice in
Promoting Recovery
and Healing for
Abused Adults
Edited by Jacki Pritchard, 2013
ISBN 978-1-84905-372-3,
256 pages, £22.99
Hearing Young People
Talk About Witnessing
Domestic Violence:
Exploring Feelings,
Coping Strategies
and Pathways to
Recovery
Susan Collis and Gill Hague, 2012
ISBN 978-1-84905-378-5,
160 pages, £19.99
A review copy will be sent to anyone interested. Reviews for the next edition to be received by 1 September 2013
Contact: SASW Office, Tel: 0131 221 9445 Email: [email protected]
22
Rostrum
Diary Dates
September 25
Child Welfare in a Digital Age:
Evolving technologies, emerging
risks and developing responses
COSLA Conference Centre,
Edinburgh
Email:
[email protected]
September 27
Integrating Adult Health and
Social Care Conference
Edinburgh
Email:
[email protected]
October 1
The day will include the
presentation of The Wilma
MacDonald Award for the
SASW MHO of the Year
Email: [email protected]
(See Back Page)
October 3
Partnership for Progress: Centre
for Excellence for Looked After
Children in Scotland
2013 Conference
Hilton Grosvenor Hotel,
Edinburgh
Email:
[email protected]
Supporting MHOs in a Changing
World
SASW MHO Forum Annual Study
Conference
Perth Concert Hall
Email: [email protected]
October 21
BASW
Committees
SASW Office
July16
August 26 - Bank Holiday
September 16 - Autumn Holiday
Council, Birmingham
July 22-23
Managers Meeting, Birmingham
August 13
Rostrum Editorial Group
September 2-3
Managers Meeting, Birmingham
September 4
Scotland Committee
September 4
Dementia - A National Priority
Surgeon’s Hall,
Edinburgh
Email:
[email protected]
Office Closed
Forth Valley
Branch News
Robin Duncan, Rena Phillips
and I had a very useful meeting
with Pam Gillespie, Workforce
Development Manager at
Falkirk Council, to discuss the
possibility of holding a joint
study day. We are grateful to
Margaret Anderson, Director of
Social Work Services, for her
support and encouragement.
We are looking to devise a
programme on the social work
role in drug and alcohol
misuse, an issue which affects
the lives of many “looked after”
children; those with mental
health problems seeking to
alleviate their symptoms; and
increasingly, many older people
as well as those in the criminal
justice system.
The event is likely to be in
September and will be free to
SASW members. There will be
a charge, to be calculated, for
non-members.
Kate Pryde, Co-chair,
Email: [email protected]
Ruth Stark, Social Worker Manager of
SASW, and Jane Lindsay, Advice and
Representation Officer for the Social
Workers Union/SASW, are due to
retire in the summer and autumn of
this year.
If you would like more information
about their retiral presentations, or
how to contribute to their leaving gifts,
please contact Johan Grant at:
[email protected]
Finance and Human Resources
Committee, Birmingham
Next Rostrum
September 5
Rostrum No 114 in October 2013. Copy deadline 1 September 2013.
Circulation 1400. Subscription for non-members £16 per annum.
Policy, Ethics and Human Rights
Committee, Birmingham
September 17
International Committee
September 23
Council, Birmingham
July 2013
To find out more about our competitive advertising rates
please contact Johan Grant, National Administrator
Tel: 0131 221 9445, Fax: 0131 221 9444,
Email: [email protected]
To view Rostrum online, visit our website at:
www.basw.co.uk/rostrum
23
The Wilma MacDonald Award
SASW MHo of the year
Are you working beside, or do you know, a Mental
Health Officer who has inspired others, who has led by
example and has gone beyond what was expected?
Do you know someone who has the dedication and
commitment to achieve positive outcomes, someone
who makes a real connection with people?
You do?
Nominate them for
The Wilma MacDonald Award for SASW MHO of the Year
by downloading the nomination form from
www.basw.co.uk/scotland (see SASW Awards section)
Closing Date for Nominations: 2 September 2013
Last Year’s winner Liz Snodgrass
The Award will be presented at
the SASW MHO Annual Study Conference
on 1st October 2013 at Perth Concert Hall