Child Neglect Increase - UNISON Reaction, UK

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 18 Oct 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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"The early detection of child neglect is an important part of ensuring the long-term safety of children", said UNISON, the UK's largest public sector union. Responding to a report from Action for Children that child neglect is continuing to rise, Helga Pile, UNISON National Officer for Social Workers, said:

"Child neglect is a serious problem and people working in nurseries and schools should be able to act as an early warning system. It is vital that they are given the training and skills they need to help them recognise the signs of neglect and, as importantly, how to respond.

"Local Authorities have been forced to make cuts in early intervention services in order to prioritise child protection, but this is a false economy. Half of social workers responding to a UNISON survey said children's social work services were now worse resourced than five years ago. Council cut-backs mean that social workers are mainly deployed on complex case work and no longer get to work with children in the early stages of neglect, when they can make a big difference in preventing problems from spiralling out of control.

"UNISON would like to see more social workers liberated from their desks so that they can be out in the community in schools, nurseries, and Sure Start Centres, able to advise staff and act on any concerns they raise at an early stage. This is the kind of rewarding work that social workers want to do more of."

Source
UNISON

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