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Local Government Service Group Reports
A full Scottish report will be added to here here
soon. Check
this link for the UK site's local government reports
Dump blame culture in social work
 Scotland
won support for an extensive motion on the 21st Century Social
Work Review. Bob Revie reminded Conference that social work services
relied on more than just qualified social workers. The low pay
in care occupations had to be addressed.
Kate Ramsden from Aberdeenshire tuned to the frustrations
on the job that had to be tackled, "Some of our members tell
us that their workloads are now 90% paperwork and just 10% client
contact. They feel unable to provide the service they should do.
 "UNISON
needs to challenge the blame culture that damns us if we do and
damns us if we don't.
In a previous debate social workers also told of
their frustration and low morale as a result of the current wave
of reorganisations, the underfunding of the registration process
and Commission for Social Care Inspectorate's star' rating system
for social care in England and Wales.
Helen Davis, Barnet branch, said: "Instead
of talking about our practice which helps service-users; we are
talking about the practice which helps us to achieve the Performance
Indicators that help us get these bloody stars!
National officer Owen Davies paid tribute to members
in social care working in hard and stressful conditions to provide
care for vulnerable people but feeling that they were blamed whenever
something went wrong. Underfunding had left them even more vulnerable,
he said. "You can't have high quality services at bargain
basement prices.
Delegates agreed motions calling for local authorities
to pay for social workers' registration fees; full funding of
new initiatives in all four UK countries and that staff should
not be punished for problems caused by the shifting agenda around
social care provision.
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