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Cameron has child protection in his sights. Social workers should be worried
Recent speeches have suggested that Cameron is focusing on children’s services – and he sees failure wherever he looks
David Cameron has children’s social work in his sights. Three recent major speeches each covered child protection and children in care. And Cameron is not happy. He sees failure wherever he looks. Failure in practice and failure in leadership. He has a solution: get new insurgents into the marketplace of the social work “industry” and get what the Department for Education (DfE) has called newcos (new companies) to inject innovation.
Cameron is right that leadership, and organisational culture, within children’s (and adult’s) social services are crucial in driving or dismantling performance. This was recognised by the Audit Commission and Social Services Inspectorate 10 years ago when they jointly reviewed every social services authority in England and Wales. It has recently been recognised and stressed by Ofsted. Having organisational cultures that are hot (honest, open and trustworthy) promoted good performance.
The opposite of hot is cold, and Cameron could be described as positively Arctic. His focus on children’s social and social services might be characterised as calculating, opaque, a liability and dissembling (cold). So let’s explore just why Cameron’s regime is so cold.
First, it’s calculating. The government is making it difficult for local authorities to provide good social services. Increasing need resulting from dramatic cuts in welfare benefits and in help for children and families (and for disabled and older people) is leading to increased demand for assistance from councils. There has been a 60% increase in child protection workloads over the past eight years, while the councils themselves are confronted by 40% government reductions in their funding.
The opaque is built in because central government generates public confusion by presenting the difficulties of local government and of social workers as being due to their lack of competence and commitment. The truth is rather less comfortable: social workers’ problems are often a direct consequence of government ideology and policies. And now Cameron intends to devolve more responsibility and accountability to local councils in order to make bigger cuts and to front-up the pain that is being experienced by vulnerable children and adults.
It is a liability because creating fragmented children’s social work services and child protection systems will add complexity and reduce clarity of responsibilities. Services will be distantly owned with little local commitment, and profit prioritised above partnerships and costs over cooperation. This is to be seen already with the non-engagement within local child protection arrangements by some academy schools now controlled within large national chains.
Finally, he is dissembling because in his speeches he talks about trusts and other non-profit arrangements being set up as an alternative to local authorities providing children’s social work and child protection services. But if this is all that is intended then why did his government push through a regulatory change last year, despite public opposition, to allow private for-profit companies to be given these responsibilities? Why is the DfE organising meetings attended by G4S, Serco, Virgin Care, Mouchel, Amey, and others to discuss how to create a market in children’s social work? Why is the DfE’s innovation fund overseen by a board dominated by those with backgrounds as financial services investors and hedge fund managers?
It’s painful and plain wrong to present those who work tirelessly to make people’s lives better as sluggish, self-interested or unwilling to change and innovate. It’s even worse to suggest they need to be motivated by market exposure and pressures.
To suggest that it is all about to get better as the promised newco insurgents seek to make their profits, with no experience, expertise or previous care or commitment for children, is a staggering story to spin to the public.
It may be hot for those within the public sector children’s social work and child protection services but what is portrayed and promised by Cameron in his recent speeches looks decidedly cold.
Ray Jones
26 Octobe 2015
