Social workers fear speaking out

Children’s social workers are being gagged from speaking about failings in their department to avoid the glare of the media, a union leader has claimed.

She said: “There is a gagging order placed on social workers because people don’t want the media spotlight on the service. But there is a need for them to speak out for better public understanding of what they do.”

The claims come as Hilton Dawson, chief executive of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), voiced his disappointment at the taskforce’s failure to engage with the organisation in its early work.

He said: “The taskforce is very important, but up until recently BASW has been peripheral, with an inner circle of civil servants and quangos making decisions.”

But a Department for Children, Schools and Families spokeswoman said the appointment of BASW professional officer Bridget Robb to the taskforce and Dawson’s place on its key partners group – which connects with employers and professional bodies – is helping to inform decisions.

Meanwhile, the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services have commissioned academics from Loughborough University to cost the recommendations in Lord Laming’s review of child protection, having criticised the government for failing to do so. Interim findings are due in October.