By Lucy Caulkett-
The chancellor’s £2bn for social care is welcome news for social services.
Social services have struggled to deliver a consistently efficient service because of huge burdens of work load and insufficient money to run the system properly.
Last year, a number of social workers were reprimanded by the H.C.P.C for either misconduct or negligence, with some of them suspended or dismissed. The heavy workload has been cited as one of the problems social workers face, and they clearly don’t get paid well enough.
USEFUL
The huge injection of money from the chancellor’s budget will be very useful to implementing changes, the main question being how the money will be allocated to make positive changes. The £2bn is expected to last three years, the important factor being how the money is distributed and used to improve results in social services.
Social care comprises of services for the elderly, adult, and social services. Each area suffers from inadequacies that shouldn’t be there; the problems in children services are below standard. An increase in social workers pay together with the employment of more capable social workers, will raise the likelihood of better services that will improve social services.
PLAN
Councils all over England should effectively plan how they will use that money to improve outcomes in social services. Hammond optimism that the economy will grow and borrowing will go down meaning social workers will be better off to do their job more productively and deliver better results for society as a whole.
Reports of social workers working several hours with hardly any pay increase have always been tantamount to an under-appreciation of the big challenges the face, and the sacrifices they make.
PRESSURES
Many social workers end up being disciplined for negligent conduct caused due to pressures associated with lack of money to deliver the best possible service and go home feeling it was worth their while. Parts of the money should also be used to improve the welfare of the children and adults under their care, allocating the money reasonably according to the needs of those vulnerable people using their services.