Michelle Donelan, the Minister for Children and Families, has spent a morning with charity Frontline and B&NES Council to learn about the support being given to vulnerable children and families.
During her visit on Friday 24th January, Michelle spoke to social workers and shadowed child protection teams to witness first-hand the impact social workers are having.
Frontline, which runs the largest social work training programme in the country, is partnering with Bath & North East Somerset Council for the first time, placing four trainee social workers to support the most vulnerable in the area.
To date, over 1,000 social workers have been trained nationwide through the Frontline programme across 48% of local authorities in England.
The visit gave Michelle, whose ministerial role covers children’s social care, the opportunity to see the impactful results being delivered by social workers in the local area.
Children and Families Minister, Michelle Donelan said: “Social workers are the unsung heroes in our society, helping support the most vulnerable children in the country and I am continually struck by their commitment and dedication, including from those I have met today.
“While there are more social workers than ever, I want to keep attracting talented graduates and career changers to this profession, as well as creating opportunities for them to develop in their careers.
“Fast-track schemes like Frontline and Step Up to Social Work are helping to train the brightest and best social workers, giving them the tools they need to do their jobs.”
Councillor Kevin Guy, Bath & North East Somerset cabinet member for Children’s Services added: “We already have a strong track record of working closely with universities and training providers to train our social workers and so it made sense for us to be part of Frontline.
“It is rewarding to see that many students, who are on placement with us, end up working in our Children’s Services teams, including three of the most recent graduates through the Step Up programme.
“While our recent Ofsted inspection rated us as Good we are continuously looking to improve.
“This means investing in a diverse, skilled and competent workforce to meet the council’s core purpose which is to help improve people’s lives and in so doing, to get the best outcomes for our children, young people and their families.”