Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: A life cut short by cruelty

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Could be, but then you would expect that all social services in the uk would have the remark ''need improvement''(or fancier words to the same affect) which isn't the case as far as i'm aware so the conclusion that's it due to cutting funding, is to quickly made in my opinion.
Would it contribute? Sure we see that in all aspects of life, but is it the root issue? i'm not so convinced.
I work in children's services in an inner city area. I'm supposed to have no more than 15 cases at any one time. I've got 37 and some colleagues have closer to 50.

How are we expected to give our complete focus and attention when we've got so many cases? Is it any wonder things get missed in other services around the country?

I am experiencing constant burnout. I had to have a month off work last winter. There weren't enough staff to pick up my cases while I was off.

The staff turnover is astronomical. I've been in my current role for 2 years. Out of a team of nearly 30 social workers and managers I'm the 4th person that's been there the longest.

Social work is fukcing hard work. I start at 7am and often finish at 7pm. I don't get over time or TOIL. I will work during my annual leave. We should have more that 40 social worker and 8 managers to cover all the cases and supervision. I get supervision every 2 months to discuss cases. It should be once a month at least.

Supervision is vital. If we don't have enough it's easy for us to miss things. Every week have at least 2 or 3 situations which trigger my professional curiosity and I will have to ask difficult questions to families who treat us as the enemy. I have sleep problems with constant worry and anxiety.

I don't know how long I can last.

I have held back sharing all of this, but I can not any more.

This government is to blame for cutting vital money to local authorities. In turn departments have less money for training, managers to provide supervision and packages of care to help families and vulnerable children. This government cut the funding under Cameron and it has continued under May and Johnson. This cut to funds is down to ideological reasons.

The people who murder children are responsible for their actions, alone.

This government is responsible for cutting money to services (children's and adults services, Sure Start, police, education, NHS etc.) which all provide the safeguarding to prevent tragedies to Arthur, Star and all the other children who were victims of abuse.

If this government was really serious about preventing this they wouldn't be making statements about having social work services "in their sights." They would be making statements about investing in all the services they have starved of resources for the past 11 years.
 
Last edited:
I work in children's services in an inner city area. I'm supposed to have no more than 15 cases at any one time. I've got 37 and some colleagues have closer to 50.

How are we expected to give our complete focus and attention when we've got so many cases? Is it any wonder things get missed in other services around the country?

I am experiencing constant burnout. I had to have a month off work last winter. There weren't enough staff to pick up my cases while I was off.

The staff turnover is astronomical. I've been in my current role for 2 years. Out of a team of nearly 30 social workers and managers I'm the 4th person that's been there the longest.

Social work is fukcing hard work. I start at 7am and often finish at 7pm. I don't get over time or TOIL. I will work during my annual leave. We should have more that 40 social worker and 8 managers to cover all the cases and supervision. I get supervision every 2 months to discuss cases. It should be once a month at least.

Supervision is vital. If we don't have enough it's easy for us to miss things. Every week have at least 2 or 3 situations which trigger my professional curiosity and I will have to ask difficult questions to families who treat us as the enemy. I have sleep problems with constant worry and anxiety.

I don't know how long I can last.

I have held back sharing all of this, but I can not any more.

This government is to blame for cutting vital money to local authorities. In turn departments have less money for training, managers to provide supervision and packages of care to help families and vulnerable children. This government cut the funding under Cameron and it has continued under May and Johnson. This cut to funds is down to ideological reasons.

The people who murder children are responsible for their actions, alone.

This government is responsible for cutting money to services (children's and adults services, Sure Start, police, education, NHS etc.) which all provide the safeguarding to prevent tragedies to Arthur, Star and all the other children who were victims of abuse.

If this government was really serious about preventing this they wouldn't be making statements about having social work services "in their sights." They would be making statements about investing in all the services they have starved of resources for the past 11 years.
Thank you.
 
D

Deleted member 28

Guest
I work in children's services in an inner city area. I'm supposed to have no more than 15 cases at any one time. I've got 37 and some colleagues have closer to 50.

How are we expected to give our complete focus and attention when we've got so many cases? Is it any wonder things get missed in other services around the country?

I am experiencing constant burnout. I had to have a month off work last winter. There weren't enough staff to pick up my cases while I was off.

The staff turnover is astronomical. I've been in my current role for 2 years. Out of a team of nearly 30 social workers and managers I'm the 4th person that's been there the longest.

Social work is fukcing hard work. I start at 7am and often finish at 7pm. I don't get over time or TOIL. I will work during my annual leave. We should have more that 40 social worker and 8 managers to cover all the cases and supervision. I get supervision every 2 months to discuss cases. It should be once a month at least.

Supervision is vital. If we don't have enough it's easy for us to miss things. Every week have at least 2 or 3 situations which trigger my professional curiosity and I will have to ask difficult questions to families who treat us as the enemy. I have sleep problems with constant worry and anxiety.

I don't know how long I can last.

I have held back sharing all of this, but I can not any more.

This government is to blame for cutting vital money to local authorities. In turn departments have less money for training, managers to provide supervision and packages of care to help families and vulnerable children. This government cut the funding under Cameron and it has continued under May and Johnson. This cut to funds is down to ideological reasons.

The people who murder children are responsible for their actions, alone.

This government is responsible for cutting money to services (children's and adults services, Sure Start, police, education, NHS etc.) which all provide the safeguarding to prevent tragedies to Arthur, Star and all the other children who were victims of abuse.

If this government was really serious about preventing this they wouldn't be making statements about having social work services "in their sights." They would be making statements about investing in all the services they have starved of resources for the past 11 years.
Cool story bro!
 

mudsticks

Squire
I work in children's services in an inner city area. I'm supposed to have no more than 15 cases at any one time. I've got 37 and some colleagues have closer to 50.

How are we expected to give our complete focus and attention when we've got so many cases? Is it any wonder things get missed in other services around the country?

I am experiencing constant burnout. I had to have a month off work last winter. There weren't enough staff to pick up my cases while I was off.

The staff turnover is astronomical. I've been in my current role for 2 years. Out of a team of nearly 30 social workers and managers I'm the 4th person that's been there the longest.

Social work is fukcing hard work. I start at 7am and often finish at 7pm. I don't get over time or TOIL. I will work during my annual leave. We should have more that 40 social worker and 8 managers to cover all the cases and supervision. I get supervision every 2 months to discuss cases. It should be once a month at least.

Supervision is vital. If we don't have enough it's easy for us to miss things. Every week have at least 2 or 3 situations which trigger my professional curiosity and I will have to ask difficult questions to families who treat us as the enemy. I have sleep problems with constant worry and anxiety.

I don't know how long I can last.

I have held back sharing all of this, but I can not any more.

This government is to blame for cutting vital money to local authorities. In turn departments have less money for training, managers to provide supervision and packages of care to help families and vulnerable children. This government cut the funding under Cameron and it has continued under May and Johnson. This cut to funds is down to ideological reasons.

The people who murder children are responsible for their actions, alone.

This government is responsible for cutting money to services (children's and adults services, Sure Start, police, education, NHS etc.) which all provide the safeguarding to prevent tragedies to Arthur, Star and all the other children who were victims of abuse.

If this government was really serious about preventing this they wouldn't be making statements about having social work services "in their sights." They would be making statements about investing in all the services they have starved of resources for the past 11 years.

Thank you for your contribution , is all I can say.

I have a very ok life now
It wasn't always so.

No way of knowing if SS could have been a part of making things better for me.

But I do know that awareness is growing on these issues, at last..

And that the people working in SS are struggling to do a good job, whilst being underfunded , and under valued, by society , and our government.

Who?? Highlights the cases where the interventions of SS have prevented something terrible happening.??

No one ..Because that's just their job right ??

Or else they're do-gooding interfering, busy bodies ..

Anyway, thank you all the same 🙏🏼

Thankyou for trying - we (some of us at least) see you.

Trying very hard , In deeply trying circumstances.
 
D

Deleted member 28

Guest
I’ve got family & friends in the business & they’ve transferred to other areas & are not been replaced. Also half of the teams are constantly on sick, some genuinely stressed but most taking the pee. They end up with 4000 Bradford points but still never get warnings leading to sack. So I do have incite into how thinly spread they are.
If a community nursery nurse raises a concern it’s up to the health visitor to act & then onto social care. It’s easy for a break in the chain to happen usually because they don’t want all the extra work so do the “it’ll be reet” thing.
No different to this posters story but for some reason it was dismissed?

'Cool story bro ' was the reply to this, by @Bromptonaut
 
Last edited by a moderator:

mudsticks

Squire
Just quoting one of your favourite lines, yes I can provide a link. 😉

Sorry, you don't quite make the premiere league, on all this .

But still , all the same , you are a monumental @rriss..

Have a star from me 🌟

👍🏼
 
D

Deleted member 28

Guest
Sorry, you don't quite make the premiere league, on all this .

But still , all the same , you are a monumental @rriss..

Have a star from me 🌟

👍🏼
Just pointing out that for some reason one person can tell a tail of under funding and it's dismissed with this 'cool story bro ' bullshit yet another person with an equally valid story is treated with sympathy?
Go figure?
 

mudsticks

Squire
Just pointing out that for some reason one person can tell a tail of under funding and it's dismissed with this 'cool story bro ' bullshit yet another person with an equally valid story is treated with sympathy?
Go figure?

I see some folks dismissing a 'story' of underfunding with 'cool story bro'

Yes, I see that. .

But so far it's only you doing the dismissing.

Given your grasp of how society functions (or doesn't) thus far , you'll have to forgive me , for not lending great weight to your analysis.
 
D

Deleted member 28

Guest
I see some folks dismissing a 'story' of underfunding with 'cool story bro'

Yes, I see that. .

But so far it's only you doing the dismissing.

Given your grasp of how society functions (or doesn't) thus far , you'll have to forgive me , for not lending great weight to your analysis.
The person pulling me up did the very same thing himself, that's the point.
Plus, who's talking to you?

Remember that one?
 

mudsticks

Squire
The person pulling me up did the very same thing himself, that's the point.
Plus, who's talking to you?

Remember that one?

You quoted my post, so therefore I assumed you were talking to me.

But then you know what they say about assumptions right??
 
Top Bottom