Social workers say lack of staff and overwhelming caseloads putting children at risk
Social workers who are taking strike action as they call for safer working conditions have said that understaffing and a lack of support is putting children in danger as at-risk cases are not seen for weeks.
NIPSA social workers from the Northern Health and Social Care Trust are taking industrial action this week from Wednesday, October 25 to Friday, October 27 due to a "growing crisis" caused by workforce shortages and unmanageable workloads.
Speaking to Belfast Live, social workers at one of the NIPSA picket lines highlighted the pressures they are under in their roles and how their large caseloads are leading to children being put at risk as some cases cannot be allocated for weeks.
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They also said that the workloads are leading to staff becoming burnt out and leading them to feel like they are not able to do their jobs as effectively as they would like as they cannot physically spend the time they would like with children and families due to the numbers they are working with.
Social workers can have more than 15 or 16 cases at any one time, however this can mean more than 20 children who may be living at different locations, with many of these being very complex cases.
However, they have warned that the problems are not just impacting the Northern Trust, but social workers in trusts across Northern Ireland.
Speaking to Belfast Live, one social worker said: "We are social workers because it is a career that means a lot to us and we want to be able to do all that we can for the children and families that we work with.
"We love our jobs, but at the moment the working conditions have become very difficult because we just do not have the staff that we need to cover the amount of cases that we have.
"Social workers have can have 15 to 16 cases at a time they are working on, but this can mean upwards of 20 children with very complex cases and needs that could be living at different locations with different family members.
"It has got to the point where we don't have the staff that is needed to cover the cases that are coming in, so unallocated cases continue to build up and may not be seen for up to six weeks.
"We are also seeing family support cases move to children at risk cases because we are not able to do the work that we used to be able to with them as we just do not have the time to commit."
Another social worker said that societal issues are making the cases they are working on even more complex as one in three will involve drug and alcohol problems which "often goes hand in hand with domestic violence or mental health issues."
They said that sometimes they feel that they are just carrying out "a head count" on families due to the length of time they are able to spend with them and they can find themselves working until 10 or 11pm at night due to the paperwork, administration and reports they need to file.
It was also claimed that newly qualified social workers are being warned by their universities not to enter a front line role due to the additional pressures that come with the job.
One social worker said: "There are not enough incentives being put in place to encourage people to take up a role in front line social services in Northern Ireland. Elsewhere in the UK people can do the same role but for higher pay and with more workplace support.
"Cuts to other support services have also had a huge impact and for many we are the only people they can turn to as there is nothing else available that can help them.
Social workers have said that if it wasn't for the strong relationships and bonds within their team they do not know how they would be able to cope.
One said: "We know that everyone is in the same position and struggling. It is comforting to know that our teams have such good relationships among one another and that we can rely on each other for help when we are having difficulties.
"Something needs to be done soon to help social workers across Northern Ireland because at the moment services are unable to cope with the demand."
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