Abstract
There is undoubtedly a widespread concern about a decline of standards in the services for separated children. In this chapter we discuss the four reasons that are most commonly advanced to explain this change. They are: the loss of specialised skill; increased rates of staff turnover; rising demand; and shortage of resources. Whilst we take most seriously the need to improve the quality of services for separated children, we have also been anxious to bear in mind that the country is not enveloped by a blanket of low standards. There are noticeable differences between areas, as there are between organisations and between the different spheres of work with children and their families. Some of the provisions we saw impressed us as being of a high standard; whether they were previously even better we cannot judge. However, particular examples of good practice do not justify general complacency. Much remains to be done and in considering four causes of concern we have also sought ways in which such improvements might be achieved.
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Notes References
DHSS and DES, Fit for the Future: Report of the Committee on Child Health Services (Court), Cmnd. 6684, 1976.
Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Report of the Committee on the Staffing of Local Government (1967) pp. 48–50, Tables 3.20 and 3.21. See also Report of the Work of the Children’s Department, 1964–6, HC 603 and 1967–9, HC 140. Although the trend was upward it must be noted that part of this was accounted for by the inclusion of those qualifying for the Declaration of Recognition and Experience introduced as from 1965. It is interesting to see that about 10 per cent of staff initially meet the requirement, which varied from nine to fourteen years prior experience.
See for example, OPCS, the Introductory Report of the General House-hold Survey (1973). This shows that in 1971 in Great Britain 51 per cent of households with professional heads had moved in the last five years compared with a national average of 35 per cent. About 20 per cent of the ‘professional households’ had moved more than once during the same period.
DHSS, ‘Local Authority Social Services Departments: Social Service Staff, 1973’, 1974 S/F74/1, unpublished.
DHSS, Manpower and Training for the Social Services (1976).
Department of Employment, Report of the Inquiry into the Work and Pay of Probation Officers and Social Workers, Cmnd. 5076 (1972). See Appendix II, especially Table 3C, p. 81.
E. M. Goldberg, R. W. Warburton, D. J. Fruin and B. M. McGuinness, Towards Accountability in Social Work (1976) unpublished prelimi-nary report, p.11.
Calculated from figures provided in the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, Local Health and Social Services Statistics, 1973–4 (1975) col. 210. Returns are provided for about 85 per cent of local authorities.
See for example, A. S. Hall, The Point of Entry (Allen and Unwin, 1974).
Derived from Home Office, Criminal Statistics, England and Wales Cmnd. 4398 (1969) (see especially pp. 197–8 and tables I(d) and (e), ‘Proceedings - Magistrates’ Courts’);
and DHSS, Children in Care of Local Authorities in England and Wales (March 1976), HC 506 (1977).
K. Judge, Rationing Social Services (Heinemann, 1978) p. 8.
R. Klein (ed.), Inflation and Priorities (Centre for Studies in Social Policy, 1975).
See for example, K. Judge, ‘Economic Analysis and Productive Efficiency in the Personal Social Services: the Differential Use of Man-power’, International Journal of Social Economics, III, 2 (1976) p. 89.
DHSS, Children in Care of Local Authorities in England and Wales, Cmnd. 3063 for 1965 and HC 506 for 1976.
DHSS, Priorities for Health and Personal Social Services in England: A Consultative Document, 1976, and Priorities for Health and Social Services: The Way Forward, 1977. See also A Joint Framework for Social Policies, (report by the Central Policy Review Staff, 1975).
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© 1980 National Children’s Bureau
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Parker, R.A. (1980). Causes of Concern. In: Parker, R.A. (eds) Caring for Separated Children. National Children’s Bureau Series. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16294-9_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16294-9_3
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