Unsung heroes: Social workers in Lewisham

In a recent ITV documentary, The Unsung Heroes: Social workers in Lewisham, the challenges faced by social workers in Lewisham were brought to light. The documentary showcased both the immense pressures and the incredible dedication of these professionals. These challenges are likely to resonate with social workers across the country.

As Principal Social Workers, we feel it is crucial to highlight the often difficult plight of our workforce and celebrate the positive outcomes they achieve for children, despite the conditions for practice not always being as we would want them to be, including some factors that are outside of our control.

The documentary raised the profile of burnout among social workers. With increasing numbers of families being allocated and the rising complexity of the difficulties families face. One social worker, Yolanda, shared her experience of managing 32 families at the peak of the pandemic and the impact this had on her emotional wellbeing.

The cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated the situation, with more families falling into poverty and requiring support. The documentary reported referrals to Lewisham social services have surged by 33.5% since before the pandemic, now totalling 4,189 annually. Social workers are often the first responders to these crises, providing essential support to families in desperate need. Despite these challenges, social workers in Lewisham continue to achieve remarkable outcomes for children. The documentary highlighted several success stories where timely intervention by social workers prevented family breakdowns and safeguarded children from harm. These successes are a testament to the resilience and commitment of the workforce.

We also recognise that similar to Lewisham, many local authorities are trying to provide effective and creative responses to support families in a difficult financial climate.

The Principal Social Worker Network is committed to aid the creation of the best possible conditions for practice within the current landscape of Children’s social Care, through our priorities which include workforce and social care reforms.

The documentary highlighted the importance of workforce wellbeing, which is intrinsically linked to the National Social Care Framework. Ensuring that our workforce is equipped and effective is a key enabler for delivering high-quality social care. Pinaki Ghoshal, Director of Children’s Services, emphasised the critical role of leadership in creating conditions for effective practice. ‘Our leaders must drive the conditions that enable our social workers to thrive’ he stated. This is a timely reminder as local authorities are currently conducting a survey to reflect the embedding of the National Social Care Framework.

Social workers unlike other professions, their work rarely makes headlines unless something goes wrong. It is time to change this narrative and recognise the vital role they play in protecting vulnerable children. Social Work England recently led on a campaign to change the script, and we hope this is a start in changing the narrative of children’s social work.

 As a network, we can continue to highlight and champion the effective conditions for practice including manageable workloads and effective supervision. These are essential to minimise the emotional impact of the work, and ensure that social workers can continue to provide high-quality care.

The Lewisham ITV documentary has shed light on the critical issues facing social workers today. We are grateful to our colleagues in Lewisham for sharing their experiences and being a voice of the social work workforce. In addition, it is important to shine the light on the alternatively qualified practitioners who continue to support social care practice.

We commend ITV for media engagement in aiding the changing of the script for social workers.

We are also aware of other local authorities who are also embarking on media engagement and look forward to viewing the outcome.

As Principal Social Workers, we urge all stakeholders and the public to continue to support our workforce. By doing so, we can ensure that social workers are equipped to continue their invaluable work, achieving positive outcomes for children and families in our communities, we have a lot to be proud of and celebrate