NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
OF SOCIAL
WORKERS IN
EDUCATION

Founded 1884

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Education Social Worker - death or resurrection?

NASWE is 140 years young this year, it is one of the longest standing professional groups in the caring profession, a rich inheritance of meeting the welfare needs of children in education. Yet ask the chap or chapeses in the street and they probably haven't heard of us! We remain known as the board man, wag man and school bobby a small insight into the diversity of roles and tasks we actually undertake.

I have worked in education for thirteen years as a qualified social worker, much of that time as a therapeutic social worker for children with emotional and behaviour problems and more recently working on addressing attendance issues and managing Education Social Work provision. With so many changes a head I have found myself reflecting on the role of the education social worker.

In the current priority that the government has placed on "Truancy" this should be our golden age and yet for many EWO/ESWs there is a feeling of tremendous fear and pessimism. Government policy often seems limited to a punitive, even draconian response and therefore limiting the role for the education social worker. At a recent national conference on Crime, Truancy and exclusion (note the associations) I found my self reflecting that the urge for EWOs was to be taking firm action against those parents not ensuring their child attends school and Police officers were celebrating their community work and engagement with young people strategies. Some how it just felt wrong. Don't be mistaken, I welcome many of the initiatives undertaken by the police, but It was more how did we end up here with so many other professional groups engaging in preventative work and ourselves being boxed in to law enforcement?

The history of education welfare has changed back and forth from law enforcement to social welfare time and time again, over the fourteen decades. Within our history there have been periods when that the majority of staff were recruited from ex police officers, army officers and alike. At one point we were a uniformed organisation and carried birches to keep the unruly youths in order. In other periods a wide range of psychological and psychodynamic approaches have been the focus. Our welfare role has ranged from issuing of benefits, therapeutic interventions or even enforced cleansing of the great unwashed!

From all the research and experience over this period it amazes me that the problem of absence from school is still often limited to a singular perspective of one of feckless parenting. If this was the singular cause then the increased punitive response would be a reasonable one. It would be foolish to argue that there are not some parents that the neglect of their child's right to an education is in need of challenge and even of serious consequences for failing to meet a fundamental right of their child. It is clear, however that the barriers to attend school are more varied than this singular cause. As a consequence the activity of EWO/ESW is wide and varied. Much of the activity is undertaken in time limited projects and initiatives and is often slow to be embraced as main stream activity. The individual worker calls upon a range of knowledge and skills to meet to assess and either meet or broker for child's needs but does so in the privacy of the direct one to one work. We need to have a greater public pride in our skills, knowledge and ability, we need a louder public voice. In all the publicity on "Truancy" how sad that so often the media don't seek the opinion of the EWO or ESW but turn to Head teacher, police officer or even psychologist!

So do I share the doom and pessimism or do I see an opportunity to celebrate and raise the profile of the education social worker? I think the choice is ours. If we defend our professional structures and appears precious about it. If we continue to have a voice divided between two organisations; if we are constant critics of change rather than instigators of change. Then yes I will become pessimistic. If on the other hand, we embrace the challenge of change, if we can be clear in our values and principles, if we unite behind the cause of the vulnerable child in education then I change my view to one of optimism and excitement. It is not the structure or dare I say the name of the organisation that is important but rather our core principles of equality, justice, anti-oppressive practice, non judgemental assessment, belief in empowerment and self determination or in summary placing the child's welfare as paramount. The Education Social Worker can operate from a multi-disciplinary team, a connexions team, even an extended school providing they are a confident professional that has a unique and valued contribution to the work of others. The chameleon is always a chameleon what ever colour it takes on, but its ability to change colour makes it more at one with its environment without ever forgetting what it is.

In conclusion lets be confident, lets embrace NASWE's response to the green paper "Every Child Matters", lets not be distracted by the structures we find our selves in but let us celebrate and declare the richness of our history, the diversity of our skills and the uniqueness of our perspective with an excitement for the future where 'every child counts' and every child is able to progress to the best of their ability.

Stephen Mason

Regional Co-ordinator

Kirklees

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