What's your viewpoint?
Is social work for you?
Pit your judgement against social workers by trying to do the right thing faced with hard choices.
The historical viewpoint
While the failures may be memorable, the history of child protection is generally a positive tale of increasing awareness and support.
If the programme has left you wanting to know more about child care, child development and working with children, we've got some suggestions for taking your interest further. On this page we've got a collection of weblinks, on the next page you can explore the range of courses offered by the Open University, and then finally we explain how you can study to become a social worker.
Weblinks - on Open2.net:
Careers With Children - Interested in a career with children? Sample our suggested pathways.
Child of Our Time - Follow the project tracking children from birth across the first twenty years of their lives.
School Day - Explore the education debate in the company of those who really know the true picture: the teachers, the pupils and the attendance officers.
Social work links
We've got a wide variety of organisations and groups listed; for ease of use we've grouped them under the following broad headings: Voluntary organisations and charities working with children and families; Parenting and family support; Children's Commissioners, the independent 'champions' of young people's interests; regulation and control from the UK government, Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly; Regulatory bodies; organisations providing support to professionals and groups working in social care; Fostering and adoption charities; Mental health groups and general social welfare agencies
Local social work contacts can be found in the phone book under your local council’s large display advert. An emergency out-of-hours number is usually available
Voluntary Organisations & charities working with and for children and families
Barnardo's - long-established charity giving vulnerable children and young people the resources they need to change their lives
Childline - confidential telephone help service for children and young people with any concerns or worries
Children 1st Scotland - the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty; they operate the Parentline service providing round-the-clock advice and support for parents and carers in Scotland
Children's Legal Centre - a unique charity providing legal and advocacy services to young people, and for people working with young people
Family Rights Group - exists to provide help, support and advice for families and children involved with social services
Family Welfare Associaition - provides grants and social work support to families in financial hardship
Kidscape - national charity aiming to eradicate bullying and child abuse
NACOA - the Nationall Association of Children of Alcoholics
NSPCC - The largest charity working in child protection and preventing cruelty to children. They run a child protection helpline, available in English, Welsh and number of Asian languages
Parenting Help, advice and support
National Family and Parenting Institute - a charity offering support to families and working to make the country more "family friendly"
Parentline Plus - providing support and advice for anyone parenting a child
Disabled Parents' Network - of and for disabled people who are parents or who hope to become parents, and their families, friends and supporters
REU Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities - formerly the Race Equality Unit of the National Institute of Social Work, the REU works towards better support for Britain’s black and minority ethnic communities, and their Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities initiative is one of the largest parenting programmes in the UK
bbc.co.uk/parenting - tips and hints on all aspects of family life
Children's Commissioners
Commissioner for Children - Northern Ireland
Commissioner for Children - Scotland
Commissioner for Children - Wales [English] - Commissioner for Children - Wales [Cymraeg]
- Children's Commissioners lead independent departments overseeing the rights and interests of young people in their respective countries; they act as "Children's champions"; at present there is no Children's Commissioner for England
Department of Health - includes a wide range of resources and information including the
degree requirements, the official rules covering courses leading to social work qualifications in England and Wales
Deparmtent for Education and Skills - the DfES resources includes Every Child Matters, theframework for improving services "for all children and their families, to protect them, to promote their wellbeing and to support all children to develop their full potential"
Scottish Executive
Social work review - a wide-ranging study into social work provision in Scotland being carried out by the Social Work Services Policy Division of the Scottish Executive
Scottish social work education framework - the rules covering professional qualifications in Scotland
Welsh Assembly
National Assembly’s Children & Young People’s Pages [English] - National Assembly’s Children & Young People’s Pages [Cymraeg] - support for children and young people from the National Assembly
Children First [English] - Children First [Cymraeg] - programme designed to transform the management and delivery of social services for children in Wales
Organisations overseeing social work
General Social Care Council - regulates the social care profession in England, maintaining the Social Care Register and ensuring all workers in the field adhere to its code of practice
Northern Ireland Social Care Council - aims to improve the quality and standards of social care in Northern Ireland through registration and regulation of workers in the field
Scottish Social Services Council - regulates and registers Scotland's 100,000 social service workers
Care Council for Wales [English] - Care Council for Wales [Cymraeg] - aiming to ensure that the 100,000 children and adults who are receiving social care services in Wales can rely on a workforce that is properly trained, appropriately qualified and effectively regulated
Commission for Social Care Inspection - registers, inspects and regulates social care services across England
Rights4Me - the Commission for Social Care Inspection's page designed for young service users in England to be aware of, and able to act on, their rights
Professional Bodies and Organisations providing cross-sector support
British Association of Social Workers - UK-wide group offering support to workers in the sector
Social Care Institute for Excellence - promotes good practice in social care by reviewing knowledge to find out what works best.
Association of Directors of Social Services - for Directors in England and Wales
Association of Directors of Social Work - Scottish social work directors association
National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations - the NCVCCO role is to ensure that the contribution of volunteers and voluntary bodies to child care work is valued and achieves its full potential
Churches' Child Protection - a cross-denominational group providing professional advice and support to churches and other organisations working in child protection
Parent Education and Support Forum - an umbrella body covering any agency which works with or for parents
National Children's Bureau - an umbrella body for the children’s sector in England and Northern Ireland, we provide essential information on policy, research and best practice for our members and other partners.
Shaping Our Lives - with the aim of a truly equal and fair society, Shaping Our Lives aims to bring together User's Groups from across the country to learn from each other and ensure better services for all through better user participation
Fostering and adoption
The Fostering Network - ensuring that foster care is of the highest standard by working with everyone involved in foster parenting
The British Association for Adoption & Fostering - working for all children separated from their birth families, the BAAF aims to set standards, influence social policy and also runs its own child placement services
Mental Health charities
Mind - dedicated to improving life for everybody with experience of mental distress
Mad Not Bad - "the realm of the mental health 'service user'"
Mental Health Foundation - a comprehensive range of resources for anyone affected by, or interested in, mental health
Parent's Information Service - run by Young Minds to offer advice and support to parents of young people with mental health issues
SANE - provides a national telephone helpline offering information and support for anyone coping with mental health problems
General social welfare groups
Turning Point - social care provider working with and for people with complex needs
Frank - drug information and advice
National Domestic Violence Helpline - part of Women's Aid, offering a round-the-clock service by phone and through email
Victim Support - help and support for victims of crime across the UK and the Irish Republic
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