Social Workers are still up to their old tricks.

H nightowl

One of my friends did make a formal complaint and only got a response that the matter had been investigated.
One of my friends got the same bad advice a few months later from the same person.
That person did not know I was involved in both cases.
I will advise my friend to take this up with their councillor but I do not know if it will do any good.

Frank

I think it is only getting worse Mishap. I no longer work in adult services but the stories I hear from colleagues make my hair stand on end.

Frank - you must encourage anyone who has this experience to make a formal complaint, contact their local councillor, do whatever they feel they must to bring this to light.

There; I said I wouldn't respond but can't keep quiet, as usual

Sadly you are right nightowl - at about the time I jumped ship there were increasing numbers of unqualified staff being empoloyed because they are so much cheaper. An experienced SW with a track record of professionalism is an expensive (and it would seem expendable) commodity.

Frank- I do not doubt that misinformation is given sometimes and we all regret that. I do not condone this in any way - it is quite simply wrong. But teh idea that SWs are "up to their old tricks" implies a general lack of caring and honesty which I do not think exists.

My Dad has received some very poor care in the last few weeks, but I am careful not to imply that all the carers/nurses are poor because I do not think that is the case. There are some rotten apples, and faulty systems of support and accountability fail to root them out or to help them to improve.

I would also add that it is highly likely that the 'social workers' who are giving this advice are not in fact qualified social workers. In most local authorities there has been a huge increase in the number of unqualified support staff and a corresponding reduction in the number of qualified staff. This is yet another cost cutting measure. The qualified staff are usually wholly occupied in carrying out investigations of adult abuse, leaving the unqualified staff to pick up everything else. What is even more shocking is that it is not unusual for the managers to have no social work background or qualification. It doesn't take much imagination to work out why incorrect information is often given.

Hi Mishap

I do know misinformation is given as I have sat in on 2 meetings with Social Workers.
Fortunately my father never went in to care but at the time he passed away he had very little money and only his half share in the house.
I admit I sold my house and joined him in his house when my wife and mother passed away and the 5 situations I have mentioned have been similar.
I am sure I would have been given the same wrong information if he had gone onto care but the council would have not got away with it.
At the end of the day however the law is the law and for care purposes only the wealth of the patient can be taken in to account and not the wealth of the families.
If a person qualifies for NHS funding of care he should get it even if he has a billion £'s which the children will inherit.

Frank

It's probably not worth saying but in stressful situations, we find it hard to remember what has been said. Or even in non-stressful situations. That's why you get so many bloody stupid annoying headlines on the lines of 'Fred defies doctors!' Because Fred is not dead and he and his loved ones think what the doctor said was, 'You'll be dead inside two weeks' when what doctor said was 'The prognosis isn't good'. Women have said to me over childbirth, 'No-one tells you that it's painful'. Yes, right.

Well said Hilda

Whats that about heresay not being admissable? If dear ole Hunterf does one more 'Someone said to me that someone told them such and such I shall scream!

I agree with everything Mishap says, and would add that social workers have a strong sense of fairness and justice - it's inherent in them and their chosen vocation. You can imagine how frustrating it must be for them to see needy people having to take a back seat for resources when there just isn't enough money in the budget and they are having to re-prioritise daily, even hourly. If I saw the possibility of a family being able to pay for some of their care so that another needy person could be accommodated, too, I would really struggle to deny that other person their care. The ethics of treating each family fairly are a minefield, and trying to avoid making judgements about what they can realistically afford should not influence the social worker in an ideal world.

I would like to see these critics of social workers spend a day in their shoes! They would go home and cry!

Not as bad idea though, to warn people not to take a social worker's word for it on financing care of elderly parents. Wasn't there a thread a little while back in the same vein?

What an amazing number of people confide in you with details of their financial affairs HUNTERF. I can't imagine discussing this sort of thing with anyone but close family and professional advisors (accountant and solicitor).

Just to add - it is always very hard when a whole profession is regarded in such a negative light; and the title of this post is unfortunate. This does not excuse the examples of bad practice that Frank is quoting.

SWs are picking up the messes that our society creates - neglected children, drug addicts, abandoned elderly. They are doing this under enormous financial constraints and under huge pressure.

There are some rotten apples - I have met them. Indeed I have tried to fail them on their training courses when I was a SW practice teacher, but been over-ruled on the grounds that my standards were "too high."

But most SWs do care and try their best to do a good job under difficult circumstances. So we need to give them a bit of a break sometimes.

We used to say that we were damned whatever we did and had to grit our teeth and continue anyway.

I am an ex-social worker.

All I can say is that government policies of underfunding to the care system have forced local authorities to penny pinch and SWs are being put in a hopeless situation. Their desire to organise good care for their clients is compromised all long the line. Line managers are chosen for their budget-driven mindset and not for their humanity or professionalism. It is a truly sad situation - particularly for those of us who fought to the end and gave our all trying to keep standards up.

It is clearly a problem for SWs on the ground who do assessments knowing that the needs cannot be properly met.

However, whilst I sympathise with the plight of the SWs and the pressures they are under, it is wholly unacceptable for misinformation to be given.

Hi janeainsworth

If Social Workers / Councils are not trying it on to save money are you saying I am the only person who knows of 5 cases where the son / daughter has been an owner occupier with a parent they have been told that the house would have to be sold when it is clear the council can not take any of the house value to fund the care.
In 4 of the cases the parent got full NHS funding when they kicked up a fuss and in the other case the parent passed away while the meeting was happening so the matter was not taken any further.
I do know of another case where a son owned half of the house but did not occupy it.
The house was a 2 up and 2 down and the mother lived in it.
The Social Worker did say if the funds ran out from her half share of the sale proceeds from the property he would have to use his share of the proceeds of the house as his half of the house had been inherited from his father who passed away a year before.
This was clearly incorrect but again the mother passed away a week after she got to the care home.

Frank

On the other hand jane the practising and ex social workers might just think it's not even worthy of a response. A bit like when every client you visit tells you 'I don't like social workers'. After the first hundred or so you just think 'and ???'

Well I don't know Gracesmum the ex-social workers on the forum might quite justifiably take exception to the prejudicial tone of the thread title

I just think it wrong that Social Workers are telling people to sell houses when they are not legally obliged to.

Frank

Oh good, a non-contentious thread.