§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he will make a statement on his policy towards the observations made in the report of the inquiry conducted by Mr. J. B. Butterworth about the relative significance of accountability to a court as compared with accountability to a local authority;
(2) whether he will set up a one-man inquiry into the work and pay of local authority social service officers, in view of the present level of discontent amongst social service staff indicated by the readiness of social workers in a number of departments to undertake emergency out-of-hours standby duty;
(3) whether he will make a statement on the recommendations of the report of the inquiry of Mr. J. B. Butterworth into the work and pay of local authority social service officers, with particular reference to the proposed reduction in salaries as a result of their work having been evaluated as being marginally less responsible and difficult than the work of probation officers;
(4) whether he will conduct a survey of probation officers who are now working as members of social service departments as to their reasons for transferring to the local authorities and on the evaluation they would now make on their present rôle and responsibilities in relation to their rôle and responsibilities as a probation officer.
§ Mr. AlisonThe Report of the Butterworth Inquiry (Cmnd. 5076) published in August made pay proposals generally endorsed by Ministers in accordance with Government policy of accepting whenever possible the recommendations of independent review bodies appointed by Ministers to consider the pay of particular groups. I see no need for any 47W such further inquiries or surveys into this field so soon after the completion of that inquiry.
The report recommends not a reduction in pay for existing staff but common national starting salaries for newly qualified probation officers and local authority and hospital social workers, of £1,632 for the professional qualified non-graduate and £1,689 for the professionally qualified graduate. These have been incorporated into the national agreements for probation officers and hospital social workers and I understand that the employers' side of the Local Authorities' National Joint Council has asked local authorities to comply with the recommendation as regards their social workers. This action is welcomed by the Government because otherwise the distribution of social workers between the three services is distorted and, moreover, the consequence of such distortion would be inflationary.
§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he proposes to give local authorities on the establishment of a non-managerial career grade for local authority social workers following the recommendation that such a grade should be introduced for probation officers.
§ Mr. AlisonThe grading of local authority staff is a matter for the authorities and for the appropriate joint negotiating machinery.
§ Mr. Frank Juddasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what action he now proposes to take following the observation made in paragraph 174 of the Butterworth Inquiry Report that there may be too much supervision of basic grade social workers in social services departments;
(2) what advice he proposes to give to local authorities and to directors of social services following the suggestion of Mr. Butterworth in paragraph 278 of his Report that, as a result of too much now being demanded of social workers in terms of skill and knowledge in the light of the unending and fragmented demands placed upon them, the ideals of the service may be more successfully achieved through the application of the generic approach to the team rather than to the individual social worker.
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§ Mr. AlisonThese are matters for local authorities to determine, in the management and organisation of their services. My right hon. Friend has, however, noted the suggestion in the Butterworth Report that there should be further research into appropriate organisational structures, and he is giving further thought to this.
§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on his plans for encouraging the future training and recruitment of local authority social workers in view of the findings of the Butterworth Inquiry that only 40 per cent. of local authority social workers and only 40 per cent. of new recruits hold a recognised professional qualification against over 70 per cent. in the probation service and that the establishment shortfall is 11.5 per cent. and the wastage rate is 10.9 per cent., compared with 7.5 per cent. and 10.9 per cent. for the probation service.
§ Mr. AlisonWe have asked local authorities to submit ten-year plans for the development of their social services, and these will provide an essential basis for future manpower planning. Promotion of social work training is the responsibility of the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work, and its interim plans envisage an expansion of training places by about 50 per cent. in the next five years.
§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, following Mr. Buterworth's study of conditions of local authority social workers, he will list the present duties and responsibilities of such officers, distinguishing between those responsibilities where the nexus between client and worker is created by the social need and otherwise, their responsibilities with and without a coercive component and their responsibilites where the social service officer is expected to modify or change attitudes and behaviour and those where he is expected to provide material assistance and emotional support.
§ Mr. AlisonI do not think it would be helpful to attempt to break down local authority social workers' responsibilities in this way, since their nature is largely determined by the individual circumstances of clients.
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§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, following the evaluation made by Mr. Butterworth of the work and pay of local authority social workers, he will list the circulars issued by his Department since 1st April, 1971 requiring social services officers to alter, amend, improve or extend their responsibilities.
§ Mr. AlisonThe following Departmental circulars and letters affecting the responsibilities of local authority social workers have been issued:
Circulars Number Subject 26/71 Youth Treatment Centres. 28/71 Children and Young Persons Act 1969: Transfers between England and Northern Ireland. 45/71 Services for Handicapped People living in the Community. The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. 53/71 Help in the Home: Section 13 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968. 59/71 Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970: Section 21 Car Badge Scheme. 4/72 Solid Fuel Supplies: Priority Consumers. 29/72 Children and Young Persons Act 1969. 33/72 Heating for Elderly People in Winter. 37/72 Homeless Single Persons in Need of Care and Support. 39/72 Children and Young Persons Act 1969. Boys subject to care or supervision orders released from detention centres. 40/72 Services for Mental Illness related to Old Age. 43/72 Housing Finance Act 1972—Rebates and Allowances applicable to Registered Handicapped People.
Local Authority Social Services Letters 22/71 The Handicapped and Impaired in Great Britain. 24/71 Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped. 33/71 Local Authority Social Services Act 1970. Co-operation between Social Services Departments and Health Departments. 3/72 Children Abandoned in Hospital by their Parents. 27/72 Battered Babies.
§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish available information on the starting salaries being offered to newly qualified 50W social workers in local authority social service departments.
§ Mr. AlisonLocal authorities do not notify to my Department the salaries they offer.