UNISON response to Baby P report

UNISON, the UK’s largest public service union, today warned of the danger of cuts to council budgets, in the wake of the latest report into the tragic death of Baby Peter. Cutting so called “back office staff” could have serious consequences for social workers, who want to spend more time with families and less with paperwork.Helga Pile, UNISON National Officer for Social Workers, said:“Social workers tell us that they want more time to spend face to face with families, to see the true picture of what is happening in the home. Instead they are burdened with high case-loads, hampered by staff vacancies and overwhelmed with paperwork.“UNISON believes that social workers should have at least 2 years’ experience before they are allocated to child protection work. And that two social workers should make home visits - one to concentrate on the adults and the other to spend time with the child.“Today’s report into baby Peter’s tragic death must act as a grim warning about the potential danger of what cuts will do to vital council services and jobs. Cutting so called “back-office’ jobs will make social work even harder.”