'Change the Script': It's time to tell the real story of social work
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00:00Social workers sometimes get a bad rep. I've had many overwhelmingly positive
00:16experiences with social workers, so why is this image of them so common? I'm Beth
00:21Maughan, a novelist and foster carer. Today I'm going to meet social workers
00:26and people with lived experience of social work. I'm on my way to talk to a social worker
00:31who grew up in care herself. How did you get into social work? At 15 I went into the care
00:39system. When I had my son at age 17 I think my whole life changed and I realised that
00:44actually I had somebody that was relying on me and I couldn't end up in prison. That
00:48led me into the social work field, wanting to be the person that I probably needed as
00:54a child. There is a public perception that social workers only work with children and
00:59their families in times of crisis. That is literally a myth. I've worked with vulnerable
01:04adults, adults with learning disabilities and adults with physical disabilities, as well
01:09as parents and carers within the community to empower them to advocate on behalf of their
01:15children. And can you tell me a bit about Ken? It's been an amazing journey with Ken. I can't
01:20believe that he's actually the age that he is now because I still remember the 15 year
01:23old that was not a very happy 15 year old, quite defensive.
01:27I first actually met Claire a few years ago when I was still getting involved with the gang life
01:35and losing my friends and my mum actually ended up finding a weapon in my room so she seeks for
01:41help and called social services and that's how it ended up me and Claire.
01:48So what have social services done for you? Social services has changed my life. If Claire
01:58and the people like Claire didn't get involved in my life, I know I'll be dead right now. This
02:03saw my talent, this saw the potential in me so they started to work on me and put me in a studio. That led me to be performing
02:10at the Commonwealth Games. Wow.
02:15Next, I'm meeting a social worker who knows first hand how problematic these negative narratives
02:21in the media can be.
02:26So how does the public perception of social work affect you?
02:30I really love my job but I think that sometimes the public is really misinformed by the media
02:37about the role of social workers and this information can really breed some fear, suspicion and it
02:44impacts our capacity to build positive working relationships with children and their families.
02:50So how did you become a social worker?
02:53I think as somebody who experienced some kind of adversity and difficulties in my own life
02:58and childhood, I recognised that perhaps I could have benefited from having somebody like a social worker in my life.
03:06There was one mum in particular that I worked with and I remember the first day I knocked on her door
03:11and she kind of like wouldn't let me into her house and I think she was absolutely terrified of what I was there to do.
03:16We worked together for probably over two years to help her kind of leave an abusive relationship,
03:24learn much more about her children and really build a deeper connection to them.
03:28She eventually was really empowered to kind of take control back of her life.
03:33My foster daughter Bella has had a social worker on and off since birth, so I'm interested to hear what she thinks.
03:40So what would you say your relationship with your social worker is like?
03:45My relationship with my social worker is really positive because when I first started getting to know each other
03:52she took us out from milkshaves and got to know me a bit better and she just listens and cares about me.
04:01We've heard how the negative narratives around social work create problems, both for the social workers
04:08and the people they've supported. But these personal stories can help us to rewrite the narrative,
04:14leaving the false stereotypes in the past and showing how important social workers are to us,
04:19both as individuals and to society as a whole.