Known to Social Services; challenging the stereotype of the social worker

In October 2013, after 17 years of working with children and their families, I made a life changing decision. It was not the first decision I had made of this kind, having already made the jump from living in the UK to living on the beautiful island of Gozo, which is part of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean. However, it was a decision, which took courage, a certain amount of risk, and a touch of devil may care!

No great hardship in moving here!

With support and encouragement from my husband Steve, I decided to give up my job as a social worker, in order to focus full time on writing the book I had been considering for many years.  A book, which I hoped would raise awareness of the crucial, and formidable task social workers undertake, often, with little or no positive recognition.

The title to me was obvious, Known to Social Services, as this is inevitably what the media headlines always proclaim every time there is a high profile case. "The Child Was Known to Social Services" they declare as they search for a scapegoat. 

The #1 bestselling Social Work book on Amazon UK










Having worked on the front line of child protection for most of my career, I inevitably witnessed a great deal of suffering and sadness in the children I endeavored to help. While my role always remained child focused, it was impossible not to feel the pain that the parents and wider families were experiencing as well.  Most of the time, my colleagues and I walked a fine line between protecting the children, and maintaining a working relationship with the families with whom we were involved, often for lengthy periods of time.

This was no easy task; mistrust, and fear were commonplace and it was not unusual to be on the receiving end of open hostility and abuse. Within social work, there are common themes, which arise repeatedly. Of these, there are several, which in my experience, are more prevalent; the direct abuse of children is the most typical. Other frequent issues, include, domestic abuse, neglect, mental health problems in parents, or their dependence on drugs and alcohol. Other less commonly seen, were more culturally specific issues such as female genital mutilation. I also dealt with paedophile rings and worked with children who had been groomed and recruited for work in the sex trade. 

In all of this, I found that no matter how hard I, and my colleagues worked, and in spite of total dedication to our jobs; social workers were usually portrayed in a negative light.  I have lost count of the people who said, “I hate social workers”, usually based on nothing more than the media representation of the profession as a whole.

After a chat with the students at the University of Derby, where I completed my own training.





I accept that those families who have had their children removed from their care, may feel that they have every “right” to hate social workers. However, children are not taken from their families on a whim – there will have been good reason for social workers to be involved, and sound evidence presented to a court. It is then the decision of a bench of magistrates, or a judge as to whether or not the children should remain with their parents.

Social workers cannot just “take” children away. Even in the case of an extreme emergency, where a child has been harmed, or is at risk of imminent harm. Social workers still have no “power” to remove a child from a situation, relying instead on the police, or an emergency Order from the court. Usually, the actual process of removing a child permanently from their family, is an extremely lengthy one. Within this timescale, parents are given ample time and relevant support, in order to make the necessary changes, which could lead to the family being reconciled.

My frustration at the lack of understanding of this process, coupled with the inaccurate representation of social workers was a key factor in motivating me to write my debut novel, Known to Social Services. Using an authentic narrative, and drawing on my own experiences, I created the fictitious, yet realistic world of the Deacon Hill Estate. The central character, Diane Foster, provides an accurate portrayal of the hard working and highly committed social workers I have known. However, despite Diane's best efforts; her personal and professional life unravel throughout the course of the book, with devastating consequences. Fiction, yes, but worryingly typical of the lives of many dedicated social work staff.

Through the character of Diane, I have endeavored to highlight the almost impossible task faced by social workers on a daily basis. The relentless workload, the contentious and avoidant clients, the never ending horror of child abuse, dramatic court cases, and much more. I examine the common and uncommon, themes of social work, and highlight the stark atrocities suffered by too many of our children.

I am very pleased to have been able to visit many Universities within the UK, which offer Social Work as an option, and speak to the students there. Many of them openly admitted that they had no idea that the role of a social worker was quite so demanding, and several told me that Known to Social Services had offered them a real insight into the grass roots reality of the career they had chosen. 

I was honoured to be a guest speaker at "World Social Work Day, Stories From Social Work" At Huddersfield University in March this year







It is my sincere hope, that my writing will, continue not only to challenge stereotypes, but will also raise awareness of the often thankless task social workers perform. I would also hope that people, who perhaps are not mindful of the parallel universe social workers operate in, would be better informed, and to that end, be less judgmental of the profession, which I am proud to have been a part of.  

Raising awareness for Social Workers at Radio Lincoln with Melvyn Prior








Known to Social Services is available via Amazon worldwide. It was the number one social work book on Amazon UK and is published by Faraxa Books.

I am currently working on the sequel to Known to Social Services.

For more information, please visit my website;

www.knowntosocialservices.com 

My 2nd novel, Gozo, Is the Grass Greener? has just been released by Faraxa Books. This book provides a light hearted look at our move from the UK to the island of Gozo. For more information, please visit;

www.gozoisthegrassgreener.blogspot.com 

Freya