Sir, - We in the School of Social Sciences and Legal Studies at DIT are involved in the education and training of social care workers who work professionally in a variety of settings, one of which is residential childcare. We are concerned about the negative impression of this profession which might be conveyed by the recent report of the Social Services Inspectorate into Newtown House.
The valuable day-to-day work undertaken by residential social care workers supporting and working with children, young people and their families tends to be overlooked when a crisis hits the headlines. Many of these young people have serious emotional difficulties and research has shown that the levels of aggressive and violent behaviour in residential settings has increased. The personal and professional demands of working in such a setting need to be acknowledged. Society must be prepared to put resources into providing adequate supports to professionals engaged in this challenging and difficult work.
Resources such as ongoing professional training, a good career structure, recognition of the critical importance of the work being undertaken and personal and professional supervision of staff are basic requirements. In addition, a well-designed range of settings appropriate to the needs of the young people is essential.
There is already a critical shortage of qualified social care workers in the residential care sector. Media coverage which deals mainly with negative aspects, without setting these in context, can only exacerbate the difficulties. We suggest that responsible journalism should reflect a balanced view by giving accounts of excellent practice, examples of which abound, and by showing an understanding of the increasing burdens which society places on this profession. - Yours, etc. Kathleen Kennedy Carmel Gallagher, (On behalf of the staff of the Department of Social Sciences), Dublin Institute of Technology, Rathmines House, Dublin 6.