Call for better court protection of social workers

Social workers whose names are mentioned in court could be forced to quit because of being “publicly pilloried”, a new report has warned.

Unison called on employers to offer more protection to staff who give evidence in contentious cases in family and other courts.

A survey of over 1,000 social workers found that seven out of 10 were not aware that their name might be made public when court judgments were released.

The measure was introduced in England and Wales last year. In a report published at Unison’s national conference in Glasgow, the union said four out of five social workers would consider leaving the profession if they believed they would suffer as a result of being named in court.

One social worker described being cross examined in a High Court case as an ” awful experience”, adding: “I felt that I was a lamb to the slaughter.”

Unison said official figures showed a 50% increase in the number of social workers leaving the profession in the past two years.

The union warned this could increase because of the guidance introduced last year on the naming of expert witnesses.

Unison said its research also revealed that only one in 10 newly qualified social workers had been properly trained to write court reports.

General secretary Dave Prentis said: “Social workers play a huge part in the legal process, advising on life-changing decisions for vulnerable individuals and families. They should have all the support and training possible to give them the confidence to face what can sometimes be a traumatic experience.

“If social workers feel under pressure and are worried about being publicly pilloried they will not be able to perform to the best of their ability and their clients are likely to suffer. This is an issue that is obviously having a major impact and needs to be addressed before we lose more social workers – something the UK can ill afford.

“It is unacceptable that social workers are having to carry the can in court for decisions which their supervisors have overseen.

“We are calling on all employers to agree to protect social workers from what is potentially a very damaging situation. Local authorities must also exercise their duty of care with better handling of any media attention and providing staff with appropriate legal support.”

Unison’s report, “Social Work, the Courts and the Consequences of Transparency”, details comments from social workers, including:

“Following my last appearance in court I was assaulted in the court building by a family member.”

“I was a social worker working in child protection and not so long ago I was mentioned in a court judgment by name. A lot of untrue things were said by the mother in court that went unchallenged. I was unprepared for this and had no support from my managers. I left child protection as a result.”

Unison has produced its own guidance for social workers on the potential impact of being named in court judgments.

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