As a registered locum you receive these newsletters each month with job vacancies, training opportunities, special events and the latest developments in the social work profession. If you would prefer us to send it to a different email address just let us know. You can also unsubscribe at any time using the link at the foot of this newsletter.

This month our e-newsletter goes out to a much larger audience for the very first time. SocialWork 2000 joined with Amicus Recruit in June 2010. The strong bond that already exists between the two companies is embodied in the 2011 calendar which we hope many of you use each day.

Our decision to join was in order to increase the range of work and training opportunities across a larger geographical area and to reach a greater number of social workers. This has proved extremely timely as cuts in public spending have served to restrict opportunities to work. Our observations and knowledge of the social work sector tells us that this can only go on for so long. The demand for services has certainly not decreased and social workers who are in posts find themselves under increasing pressure.

Our shared values which safeguard locums to the highest standards and match them to opportunities where they can have maximum impact, mean that together we are perfectly positioned to offer you the best possible service in the year ahead.

From this month we will be sending out this joint newsletter monthly and I will welcome any articles which you would like to share with other readers. We aim to achieve a blend of informative articles, news and something a little light hearted. Please email your contributions to James.

Social workers should be freed from excessive bureaucracy and box-ticking to give them more time to do vital face-to-face work with families and at-risk youngsters, according to a major overhaul of child protection.

The government-commissioned review of safeguarding practice by Professor Eileen Munro recommends that centrally imposed targets and regulations are scrapped, and that children's social workers are given freedom to exercise their professional skills and judgment.

Among its 15 recommendations it calls on ministers to establish a national chief social worker to advise ministers, and says councils should be obliged to ensure "sufficient provision" of early help services such as Sure Start and family support schemes.

Munro was commissioned last year by the education secretary, Michael Gove to look at a system he said was too bureaucratic, unaccountable and obsessed with procedures and targets.

The report found that safeguarding had indeed become overly dependent on procedures and paperwork, with frontline professionals spending over 60% of their time in front of computer screens.

Munro said: "A one-size-fits-all approach is not the right way for child protection services to operate. Top-down government targets and too many forms and procedures are preventing professionals from being able to give children the help they need and assess whether that help has made a difference."

For more articles and comment on the report:
The Guardian
Children and Young People Now
BASW

Read full report...

Amy Chanel and Vicki have been working very hard at producing a new look to the Amicus website. The site shares the functionality of the SocialWork 2000 site and enables you to Register for work, to receive Job alerts and to receive newsletters.

Take a look at the team who are working in Battle.

During the revamp of all our websites Vicki has taken the opportunity to review and freshen up the look of the SocialWork 2000 site.

Come and meet the team and have a look for yourselves!

The development of a stronger, more confident and better supported social work profession has moved forward after The College of Social Work (TCSW) and BASW – The College of Social Work (BASW/CoSW) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) committing both parties to working towards establishing a single UK wide College of Social Work.
Read more...

The agreement, subject to the approval of BASW/CoSW's membership, outlines a clear path for creating a new entity, The College of Social Work, by January 2012. The single College would benefit from BASW/CoSW's 41 years of promoting and supporting the profession, plus the impetus The College of Social Work offers through its emergence from the Social Work Taskforce, which enjoyed near unanimous political and professional support.

Click here for the Community Care article.

For more articles and comment on the report:
The Guardian

Jenny qualified in 2008 and soon gained experience within an Adult Physical Disability Team, followed by an Adult Learning Disability Team. Having a strong desire to work in children's services, Jenny completed the 'Return to Social Work in Children's Services' course. She now works in a social work assistant role in a Child Protection Team which puts her in a strong position to secure a qualified role. Jenny should be rightly proud of her versatile approach in gaining the experience she needs to achieve her ambitions. 180 !!!!!!

My secret life... I love Disney films

My parents were... Londoners

The house/flat I grew up in... a semi detached in Dunstable

When I was a child I wanted to be a... nurse

If I could change one thing about myself... the size of my legs

You wouldn't know it but I'm very good at... Darts

You wouldn't know it but I'm no good at... presentations

At night I dream of... different things which I can't usually remember very well

What I see when I look in the mirror... someone who doesn't look too bad for her age

I wish I'd never... worn my flip flops which just broke

I drive... more slowly the older I get

My house... is nice but not always as tidy as I would like

My favourite work of art... any Dali painting

It's not fashionable... but I like comfy clothes

My favourite building... any of the Stately homes

My secret crush is... Johnny Depp

Movie heaven... Pirates of the Caribbean

A book that changed me... Jane Eyre

My greatest regret... not having done my degree earlier

My real-life villains... the Kray Twins

The last time I cried... a long time ago

My five-year plan... to help my 3 girls through Uni and then spend some well earned time and money on myself!

My life in six words... happy, fortunate, blessed, healthy and grateful

A life in brief... should be happy, not have regrets, always look forward but also live each day like it's your last!

Social Worker
Northamptonshire

 

Senior Practitioner
North London

 

Perm opportunities
Hertfordshire & Berkshire

 

Social Worker
North London

 

Social Worker
Peterborough

 

Social Worker
West London

 

Social Worker
Alton

 

Care Manager
Kent

 

Social Worker
Gloucestershire

 

Social Worker
East London

For further information simply click above or call us on 01494 555 220.