The task was to come up with one good news story aboutthe department every week. The task defeated us most weeks. The idea was topresent the local media with a positive human interest story showing how on adaily bases we help people and improve the quality of their lives. The idea wasto move away from simple damage limitation or providing “no comment” pressstatements in relation to yet another graphic account of ineptitude,inflexibility or basic lack of kindness. The aim was to change from “Uncaring council closes Homes / Cuts funding for much loved day centre/ Takes home helps from the vulnerable to”Innovative council scheme helps Joan enjoy life again”. I am convinced even after years of trying and failingthat there are hundreds of good news stories that could be written aboutChildren services or Adult social services but they won’t get written. There were stories provided on regular bases but alwaysfrom Learning Disabilities day centres about sponsored events the staff hadorganised to raise funds. Nothing wrong with that and often providing a good photoopportunity. What we lacked was stories that showed how our intervention in ayoung person’s life turned it around. How we had helped someone with a learningdisability find a flat, a job and a meaning to life.The source for these stories would be social workersbecause that is what they did turn people lives around. But social workerswould not provide the stories-“too busy, issues of confidentiality, sensitivearea with the family”. We offer to write the stories all they had to do was beinterviewed. We gave assurances about confidentiality, change names, make itimpossible to identify individuals. If the social worker didn’t want to beidentified that was ok. We said we are not journalists we are yourcommunications team we are not looking to sensationalize we will explain the dilemmas,the difficulties families face, the tensions between rights and risks we willpresent the story in a sympathetic light.But still no doing. Some just didn’t want a light shoneon their work. Some thought it would only provoke a backlash like “holidaysabroad for young criminals” or “money for care spent on cigarettes, alcohol andgambling”. Some just thought it wasn’t part of their job. In the end I put itdown to a battered profession that lacked confidence in what it does. Or inmany cases feels that what it does isn’t what it feels it should be doing. As asocial worker once said to me, “most of the time we can’t give people the helpwe recognise they need so we are hardly going to boast about it are we”.Blair McPherson author of Equipping managers for anuncertain future and People management in a harsh financial climate bothpublished by Russell House.
