Safeguarding and looked after children: national results for children’s social work practitioners survey 2010

This 2010 survey on safeguarding and looked after children paints the national picture of social work practitioners’ views for the first time.

There were positive responses on training and levels of line management support received by social work practitioners.

However many social workers felt they did not have enough time available to them to work as effectively as they would like with the children and young people on their workload. Suggested solutions included increased staffing and more effective caseload management.

Generally, social work practitioners did not feel encouraged to suggest improvements or to have a say in the running of the service.

It appears that many local authorities find it a challenge to communicate the relevant issues raised in serious case reviews and policy and procedure updates.

Many respondents felt that induction programmes had not been effective in preparing individuals for their role.

Finally, there were issues about internal communication and information sharing, as well as between local authorities and partners.

Report