Stop the ‘deficit’ talk in social work: there’s a different story to tell

The social work narrative has to shift from a “doom loop” to become more positive.

That was the message from Beverley Tarka, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS),  at the start of Social Work Week last month.

"Looking back, the way many of us in social care spoke about our sector, it could often be heavy with the language of crisis, scarcity, deficits and burdens, for very understandable reasons,” she said.

"We were painting ourselves into a doom loop, where a series of beliefs, actions and reactions work to reinforce negative beliefs and unwanted behaviours.

"One of the negative consequences of the doom loop is that it risked characterising the people we support as problematic.

"Thankfully the people who draw on care and support raised their voices to object to this framing, and by listening to them and working alongside them I believe our sector story is changing.

"Social work and social care isn't a story of deficits but really our interconnection."

Speaking of the potential for social care to become a story of “dignity and agency”, Tarka  said: "We have to be serious about changing our story. Changing the Script is an excellent example of how we are going about doing this.

"The descriptions we all identify with come through in action phrases – the fight for social justice, the fight for equality, making a difference, being courageous, caring, improving lives and saving lives. This is the work we do."

She said addressing negative beliefs and behaviours could advance the sector, alongside promoting preventative and early intervention approaches in conversations with local authorities.

"There's a real challenge for the social work profession to support a shift away from acute care to focus more on prevention and early intervention. We all need to help with these conversations back in our local authorities.”

Speaking of ADASS's report Time to Act: A Roadmap to Reform Care and Support in England, she said the document should be considered a framework for improving social care.

"It sets out a range of actions for organisations, national and local government commissioners, social workers, and every person in the social care sector."

She also stressed the need for strong leadership and collaboration, involving service users, their families and professionals in the design and delivery of care.

Developing a national workforce strategy for adult social care is key for its future, added Tarka: "We think it's a really important opportunity to prepare the next government, to focus on a ten-year workforce strategy and what that can mean for the sector."

She also stressed having senior leaders who themselves were social workers, and fostering more diverse representation in leadership roles was crucial to get the profession to where it needs to be.

"ADASS was formed by social workers who rose through the ranks to become directors,” she said.

 “We need senior leaders who are social workers, and I hope to see many of you step up to that challenge.”