West Midlands social workers welcome decision to pull out of pilot scheme
Social workers in the West Midlands have welcomed Sandwell Council’s decision to pull out of the government’s social work practice pilot for children in care.
The pilot would have seen the contracting out of services for about 100 looked-after children to an social-worker-led social enterprise.
Simon Cardy, a member of West Midlands Social Work Action Network’s steering group, said: “This is welcome news. This was privatisation of social work, a move that social workers in Sandwell were very much against.
“It was also an experiment at a time when children’s social work can do without experimentation.”
Sandwell had already postponed its involvement in the pilot earlier this year after a critical Ofsted report into its safeguarding services.
Sandwell’s cabinet member for children and families, Councillor Bob Badham, said: “We have decided we will not be part of this pilot. The cabinet has made the decision not to proceed.”
He added that the council wanted to concentrate on a restructure of children’s social care, “in particular safeguarding”.
The other areas involved in the pilot are Staffordshire, Kent, Hillingdon, Liverpool and Blackburn with Darwen.