Come and see some real life Cameron: award-winning social worker's invitation to PM

A social worker honoured for lifetime achievement to the profession challenged David Cameron to come and see “how families really live”.

Karen Panter spoke out in wake of the Prime Minister’s speech at the Conservative Party conference in which he said he wanted to focus on achieving equal opportunities for all.

Picking up her award at the annual BASW Cymru Social Work Awards in Cardiff, she questioned whether this was possible when the lives of some families were so blighted by gross inequality.

Ms Panter, who works for Pembrokeshire’s Children in Need team, said the current outrage over child sexual exploitation, for example, had to be looked at in the context of the “horrendous” lives some families lived.

“No parent would allow that to happen if they were comfortable and had money, if you are in a position where you can offer a good home and food and comfort to a child.

“I spent my first local authority years working in child protection teams. In the first team I worked for we successfully prosecuted a paedophile ring.

“You realize how horrendous life can be not just for children, but also for families. Some of the mums were drawn into letting this happen out of poverty.

“It is a societal issue rather than an individual issue. What you can’t do is blame the families.”

Asked what her message would be if she met the Prime Minister Ms Panter, who has worked in social care for 37 years, said: “I would say to talk about whether we have equal opportunities for all families. I think David Cameron doesn’t see how families really live. I would invite him to come and have a look for himself.”

She claimed things were harder for some families in the current climate of austerity and social workers had to find more creative ways to help them.

Despite this, she added: “I still love going to work. It is always a challenge. The political landscape changes, but people and the families are exactly the same.”

For a full list of winners in the  BASW Cymru Social Work Awards click here