In 2010, Eileen Munro, a professor of social work at the London School of Economics, was asked to look at the state of child protection services in the UK and write a report about what she found.
Three phases of the report were published in October 2010, February 2011 and April 2011, looking carefully at the state of social work in the UK and where changes are needed.
The Social Worker’s Focus in the Munro Review
Over the course of the three reports, the Munro Review found a number of shortcomings in child protection in the UK. Munro showed the problems that social workers all over the country face, from flaws in high-level regulations to limits on frontline work.
Social work members, the review found, are overly concerned about complying with the many rules and regulations that apply to the social work industry and, as a result, can make children’s well-being a top priority. drop. This ruthless and focused culture appears to have caught up with the needs of children in social work organisations across the UK and has also impacted the social worker’s ability to make personal judgments for fear that such judgments will violate regulations.
Munro has also found that social workers quickly become demoralised because the emotional impact of the work they do is not recognised by their organizations. Many social workers reportedly feel unsupported in their work and are recognised only for mistakes made and not for continued good practice. Instead of being praised for their work, the focus seems to be on making improvements all the time.
The general state of child protection services in the UK
When assessing the social work sector as a whole, Munro has found an overemphasis on families and not individuals, again making the well-being of children not a top priority. Delays in family court appear to exacerbate this problem, allowing too much time to pass without urgent issues being addressed.
Children’s Secretary Tim Loughton commented on the review’s findings by stating: “Professor Munro has identified areas where professionals’ time is wasted and children’s needs are not properly identified. I applaud her approach to helping the most needy children and families as early as possible, recognising that child protection is not the sole responsibility of social workers. “
The Munro Review was conducted primarily to advise the coalition government on changes within the social work sector, and as such, national transformation must take place at the government level. However, changes in individual practise are already being implemented by many independent organisations in direct response to the findings of the Munro Review, which is already revolutionising the approach to child protection in the UK.