If there’s one thing to be said about being a parliamentary candidate, it’s that no day is ever the same. It also puts you face to face with the reality of situations and circumstances that all too often are glossed over in white papers with predictable and vacuous politi-speak.

Who’d be a social worker? In the wake of the Baby P inquiry, those charged with protecting children from abuse have been vilified as useless and uncaring. Jeremy Laurance joins the unwelcome visitors in one of Britain’s most troubled neighbourhoods, and witnesses the mistrust and frustration they face – every day.

A new report predicts the number of job opportunities in health care, education and social work will increase by 170,000 in the next eight years despite the credit crunch, painting an optimistic picture for the labour market over the long term.

The Government is poised to launch a probe into Birmingham’s children’s services department, a month after it was labelled inadequate by Ofsted inspectors.

More applications to take children into care are being issued than at any time since the present system of child protection was established.

Thousands of children unofficially cared for by adults who are not close relations are “invisible” and vulnerable to abuse, an adoption charity said today.

The head of a local authority under fire after the death of seven children has rejected a formal council vote calling for his resignation.

Grow your own initiatives, where local authorities and the independent sector support their employees, or potential employees, to qualify as social workers are becoming more popular.

If we want to attract and keep people to work as social workers, we need to give them respect for what they do, says Alan Warner.

Most of us would rather not think about what we are going to do when we, our par-ents and partners are too old and infirm to look after ourselves and care at home becomes unaffordable.