Birmingham’s social care director allows TV film crew “unprecedented access” to staff

A television film crew will today begin following children’s social workers in Birmingham, after the director agreed to “open the doors” of his department in a bid to improve public understanding of social work.

Journalists from ITN will spend a fortnight in the city gathering footage of social workers after director of children’s social care Colin Tucker decided to allow them “unprecedented access” as part the local authority’s proactive media strategy. Tucker said the move was designed in part to “show the critical decisions that my staff make”.

Mr Tucker, who was appointed to his post in July 2009 and has himself been the subject of an Inside Out BBC documentary, admitted staff were initially a “little anxious” but he added he was “proud” about their attitude towards it.

“It is risky. I do not regard the press as my friends. Their role is to scrutinise.” He added that his past experiences of dealing with the media had been mixed. Tucker said that comments he had made to a national newspaper on the high level of sickness absence had read as if he was making excuses when the piece was published.

But he added that he was “prepared to take the risk,” and he had the backing of the council leader and chief executive to “try to promote Birmingham as an employer of choice”.

The Social Work Taskforce highlighted the need to engage more with the media in its December 2009 report. It said there should be an improved understanding among the general public, service users, other professionals and the media about the role and purpose of social work, the demands of the job and the contribution social workers make.