Most social workers believe a disconnect exists between senior management and frontline practitioners, a Community Care poll has found.
The need to ensure leaders are in touch with the front line has been highlighted in both the major reviews of children's services in England carried out over the past 15 years.
In his 2021-22 Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, Josh MacAlister recommended that all registered social workers, at whatever level, complete 100 hours of direct practice annually.
'Crucial for leaders to keep up with practice'
“It is crucial that leaders, inspectors, policy makers and academics keep up with the realities of frontline practice,” the review stated, though MacAlister's recommendation was rejected by government.In her 2010-11 review of child protection in England, professor Eileen Munro also tried to narrow the gap between leadership and practising social workers through the creation of the principal social worker role.
“There must be a stronger commitment by all levels of local administration to understand how senior management decisions impact on frontline social work,” she wrote. "[The PSW] role would take responsibility for relating the views of social workers to all levels of management..."
Management 'more detached than ever'
Unlike MacAlister's recommendation, Munro's was implemented.However, in a 2024 interview with Community Care, she claimed that senior management was more detached from the front line than ever.
“Once you’re away from the front line, you forget quite how chaotic and messy the reality of it is," she said. "You get a much cleaner, more sanitised version of it. That’s dangerous.”
An overwhelming 92% of readers said that there was a disconnect between frontline practitioners and their senior managers.
In an echo of MacAlister and Munro's views, Dame Moira Gibb, who chaired the 2009 Social Work Task Force, recently called for stronger bonds to be forged between management and practitioners.
“It is my hope that senior managers understand what the life of a frontline social worker is and what they need to make a difference for families," she told Community Care.
What is the relationship with senior management like where you work?
We are looking for social workers to share their experiences to spark conversation among fellow practitioners. Share your perspective in a short paragraph (150-250 words) or a 10-minute interview to be published in Community Care. Submissions can be anonymous.To express interest, email us at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com.
Celebrate those who've inspired you
We're expanding our My Brilliant Colleague series to include anyone who has inspired you in your career – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.
Nominate your colleague or social work inspiration by filling in our nominations form with a letter or a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.
If you have any questions, email our community journalist, Anastasia Koutsounia, at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com
