Reputation of social workers

Many professionals within social care would agree that it is one of the most undervalued professions.

The majority of media coverage surrounding those who work in care homes or with vulnerable families surround errors in judgment or malpractice. Very little awareness is given to the fantastic work that is being done in these environments every single day.



But why are social workers given such a hard time by the press? This article investigates if the poor reputation of social workers is justified.

Sensationalism

There have been a few tragedies surrounding social care in recent years. There is no doubt that the media are right to report on incidents such as the death of Baby P and the abuse at Winterbourne View.

Cases like these would appear to be extremely rare, which is why they featured so heavily in the news. However, they would not appear to reflect the state of social care in Britain as a whole.

Social care improvements

Despite the damages these high-profile cases brought to the profession, there is a lot of evidence of social care improving through hard times.

Budget cuts have unquestionably made the role of social worker far more difficult, yet in the face of these cuts, many social care providers are continuing to provide a similar level of care to the vulnerable people of Britain.

Applicants for social work degrees in the UK have reached record highs in spite of these cuts and some of the horror stories to have emerged in the last few years. This would suggest that more and more people are seeing through press sensationalism to realize the benefits of a career in social care.

Making life easier

The media may suggest that it is not down to them to raise the profile of social workers but it is hard to argue against it being in the public interest to make social workers’ jobs as easy as possible.

The unfair reputation that the media are giving them is most definitely a hurdle to vulnerable families across the UK.

Social workers can be the most important people in the lives of vulnerable children or elderly people. Despite their thankless tasks and decreasing pay packets, they continue to work hard to improve the lives of others.

There are very few more selfless careers that one can choose to become involved in.

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