Social workers looking after adults fear a ‘Granny P’ tragedy

Almost two-thirds of social workers looking after adults claim they are under greater work pressure than five years ago, a union survey claims today.

While the death of Baby Peter has focused public attention on child abuse, public sector union Unison fears that social workers helping the elderly and vulnerable are being deprived of resources – increasing the risk of a “Granny P tragedy”.

The survey, based on responses from more than 260 trade union branches and social workers, found that 64% believed they had fewer professional resources than five years ago. Only 11% suggested the situation had improved.

Almost as many, however, believed that the procedures for safeguarding adults had improved. Lack of time to talk to clients was a common complaint: 73% said it was insufficient and 96% said they spent too much time on paperwork.

“Every hour face-to-face time I spend with a service user seems to generate about three or four hours’ paperwork whose main point seems to be to produce performance indicators,” one respondent reported.

There was broad resentment of the imposition of performance targets, 73% believing they had a negative impact on the experience of adult service users.

Some 86% of respondents reported that average caseloads for social workers in their team had increased over the last five years, while three out of five respondents were working in teams where over 10% of social work posts were vacant.

Helga Pile, Unison’s head of social services, said: “It’s time to champion the importance of social work with adults in the face of changing social and economic conditions and the need for radical reform of social care funding.

“We have an ageing population, growing numbers of dementia sufferers, and impossible pressures on family carers. The government has promised that people who need care will have a right to more independence and control over how it is provided.

“But the reality on the ground, where Tories control the majority of councils, is very different. Tory-controlled councils are more interested in penny-pinching, even if this means that social workers don’t have the necessary resources to get on with the job.

“Cost-cutting and prioritising paperwork over people means it is only a matter of time before we are confronted with a Granny P tragedy, unless urgent action is taken. Social workers must be able to respond quickly to deliver a safe and effective service, which means councils should boost recruitment and ensure realistic funding.”

The union has drawn up a 10-point “charter for change”, designed to keep vulnerable adults safe and well and living as independently as possible. It calls for, among other things, an urgent action plan to fill vacancies, revival of on-the-job training, a cull of bureaucracy and performance targets, and national standards on acceptable caseloads enforced through an inspection process.