‘You’ve got to be Saint to be a Social Worker’

1. ‘You’ve got to be Saint to be a Social Worker’ Dr Hugh McLaughlin University of Salford h.mclaughlin@salford.ac.uk

2. Registration of Student Social Workers • Care Standards Act (2003) • Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers • 2 strive to establish and maintain trust • 5 uphold public trust and confidence • Employers not mandatory • Seen as a good thing

3. Fitness to Practice Process • Professional misconduct or unsuitability • Allegation appoint investigator • Panel hearing – 4 members: profession, school, faculty, outside faculty chair • Range of outcomes from NFA to removal from programme • ‘the balance of probabilities’ • Appeals process

4. GSCC (2002, 5.8) • Behave in a way, in work or outside work, which would call into question suitability to work in social care services

5. FTTP Internal Programme Issues • Catherine – doesn’t want to take up placement • Lyla- child-care arrangements

6. FTTP – External Issues • Mohammed – gross misconduct – social care employer • Jenna- drinking and causing an accident

7. Other issues • Plagiarism • Thresholds • Leaving programme to avoid investigation • Partner schedule one offender • ‘Inappropriate relationships’ • Support from university- chair

8. Concerns • Shrouded in secrecy • No way of ensuring equity between courses –either in terms of equal identification or treatment of similar issues • Some courses too many others too few? • Differing degrees of professionalism at different stages of course • Surveillance culture • Is it once and for all

9. Recommendations • Audit of student social workers FTP • Publication of details of numbers, types of students most at risk, issues investigated and outcomes • Research as to issues for FTP and promotion of a professional debate to promote a consensus on how to assess • Issue for annual monitoring • Debate with other professions