‘Good social workers are not good managers,’ says Haringey boss

Social workers require more training and support in order to aid their career progression, the head of children’s services at Haringey has warned.

Peter Lewis, who was appointed to the position by former Children’s Secretary Ed Balls in December 2008 following the sacking of Sharon Shoesmith, said processes for training and supporting staff need to change.

Speaking at Children & Young People Now’s annual safeguarding conference, Lewis likened promotion within social services to the education system in the 1990s.

“Social workers today are where teachers were 15 years ago,” he said. “When you have got people who are good social workers, there is an assumption they will be a good manager. That’s not the case. We need to get into the rigour of how we train social workers to be good managers.”

Lewis, who was taking part in a panel discussion on how to build and retain a strong workforce, said Haringey has recruited nearly 50 full-time social workers to replace agency staff in the past six months.

He attributed the successful recruitment period to social workers now feeling “safe” at the authority, where initiatives include the use of a psychotherapist.