The other side of social work

By Helga Pile

The only time social workers hit the headlines is when there is a child protection tragedy. But, every day, social workers battle tough working conditions to give people the support they need to change their lives.

UNISON wanted to turn the spotlight onto the daily difference that social workers make, and at our conference last year we launched an award for outstanding social work. If you are interested in the real story of social work – read on.

Our award winners are inspiring. From a specialist social worker in Warrington who helps families where sexual abuse has taken place, to her colleague singled out for her total dedication, commitment, determination and thoroughness, and for the unwavering support she gives to her colleagues.

We had five winners from Warrington, who range from a newly qualified social worker who has developed her skills at an astonishing pace, to a former office manager who built the confidence to retrain and now brings to the job a wealth of experience.

A fantastic young woman from West Lothian was a very deserving winner. She works with mothers who have suffered from post natal depression, and has been instrumental in setting up and developing a pioneering ‘positive steps’ course. It has had huge success in getting these mothers and babies through challenging times by boosting their lives. On her nomination form, her colleague praised her complete dedication to her work.

And our winner from Northern Ireland, who helps young people stay in education, was nominated for her all-round approach. Her colleagues said that she values every aspect of her work, doing it to the best of her ability. She gains great satisfaction from seeing young people she has supported through education get to graduation.

And one of our longest serving social work winners from Cambridge told of how she bumps into people she has helped, and takes joy in seeing the success they have made of their lives.

Today UNISON also marked the achievements of Ian McDonald – a social worker with 12 years of service, who sadly passed away in 2009. Ian, who died suddenly from cancer, was described by his colleagues as a powerful force in social work. On the application for this award, his colleagues said he was ‘loved and respected by his peers, his managers, his clients and his UNISON colleagues’.

All of the people we awarded today, and all the public service workers out there, are the unsung heroes and heroines that make such a difference to our communities, and to people’s lives – they deserve our thanks.