The activities of social workers are usually shrouded in secrecy, only unveiled when a major scandal hits the news headlines. But Ian Leadbetter, head of social care in the west half of the borough, gave CHARLOTTE McDONALD a rare insight into their work.

In the first of two reports, we hope to untangle the myths and explain what challenges social workers are facing in the community.

Mr Leadbetter, who has been working in social work for 18 years, said: “It’s a tough job. It’s not always an easily understood position.

“At times the impact of the publicity of cases that go wrong make that job tougher.

“If something goes wrong, you are accountable- that is the perception.”

So what do social workers do?

Concerns about families get passed to the council’s referral and assessment unit, often by schools or health workers.

Some families even refer themselves, particularly if they are having problems with a wayward teenager.

Those concerns are passed to a senior manager who decides whether a social worker needs to assess the family.

Social workers will then begin the process of looking into the issue that has been raised about an individual or their family.

In the referral and assessment unit, a social worker could be looking after around 15 cases at a time.

Mr Leadbetter said: “The case loads fluctuates each day. Some days we may have three to four referrals, the next day we may have none and the day after that we might have 10.

“Anybody can contact us if they have concerns about children.”

A social worker would have to see the child to make an assessment, in which case they contact the family in advance to let them know they are coming- either by phone or letter.

Of course, if a child is thought to be in immediate danger, social workers would go round immediately to assess the situation.

The home visit...

Procedures and checklists have to be followed when checking out a family.

Social workers have to examine how the home is run - for instance, if there is enough food.

Mr Leadbetter said: “It’s not unusual to get people accusing you of being nosy, saying ‘it’s none of your business.’ “It’s a dangerous job but it’s the skill of the social worker to know when to raise issues, and finding a different way of asking.”

“It’s not like we have to ask ‘can I see in the cupboards?’ if I can see a mum is cooking at the stove.”

One procedure that must be followed when assessing children: they must be seen alone and their bedrooms must be looked at.

Next steps Once a case has been investigated, it will either be closed down because no further action is needed or it will be assigned to another social worker to deal with.

Problems encountered could range from children getting caught up in domestic violence or a parent not being able to provide everything for their child.

Mr Leadbetter said: “Often what it’s about is identifying and changing people’s behaviour.

“Some might have a drug or alcohol problem. We could help identify their problem and make them see the effect on their children.

“Sometimes our help could be as little as making a call to a housing association because a lift is out of order and a mum can’t get down from the fourth floor with a pushchair.”

Read News Shopper next week to find out more about what social workers do in the borough and how national scandals and people’s perceptions affect them.

To find out more about the council’s services visit bromley.gov.uk/socialcareandhealth