At the height of the Baby Peter case last year following the Sun Newspaper’s mass petition and vilification of public servant Sharon Shoesmith and her subsequent dismissal by Secretary of State Ed Balls the ADCS remained quiet. So it was with surprise that I learned that, on the eve of Shoesmith’s High Court Case against the Cabinet minister’s decision, Association President Kim Bromley–Derry criticised Shoesmith. He went on to say that the government decision to remove the then DCS was “perfectly legitimate”. How can he possibly know the details of the case yet to be presented in court and concluded what the results should be?
The point is that social workers must be recognised for their high levels of skill and courage; they should be instilled with the confidence and respect so necessary for anyone supporting children in often desperate conditions. This is why the LGiU Children’s Services Network was the first to call for a Royal College of Social Work to promote and maintain the highest professional standards and to help promote broader public appreciation of the role of professional social work. The president’s comments have hindered the goal of improving the public profile of social work.
