Put social work back in the heart of the community

The social worker's role at community level should be further developed, according to Peter Johnston of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

Mr Johnston, COSLA's Spokesperson on Health and Well-Being, told the Social Services Expo event in Edinburgh that this was one area that was ripe for exploration.

"After all, social work has its roots in community development. Given the focus of public service on building community capacity, working with – rather than doing to ­ communities, we should shine a new light on the contribution that social work makes to this important agenda," he said.

"Locality planning, which is a crucially important principle of the Public Bodies Bill, promises to put social workers and other professionals at the heart of community services, which are designed with and for local people. It has the potential to be truly empowering."

Mr Johnston said that with the integration agenda, development of self-directed support, new arrangements for criminal justice and legislation just passed on children’s services, it was both an exciting and daunting time to be a social worker in Scotland.

"It’s exciting because we stand on the cusp of far-reaching reform. We want to make inroads into poverty and disadvantage in the early years, creating strong foundations for children who, in the absence of social work support, might not fulfil their potential," he said.

"We want to make sure that for an older person with dementia or say an adult with a learning disability, social workers are the driving force behind the coordination of care and support - allowing those individuals to stay healthy and independent.

"We want to make sure that when people have emerged from the criminal justice system, social workers are on hand to facilitate the transition back towards a productive and fulfilling life. Social workers are - and need to be - at the heart of all of this.

"And yet it is also daunting because this needs to be delivered against a backdrop of diminishing resources, increasing demand for services and organisational change."