Social work needs to be recognised in Streeting’s NHS maternity services investigation
As Wes Streeting announces an urgent investigation into NHS maternity services, it is crucial that social workers and the role they play in the under 5’s space, especially in regard to preventive work, is recognised and supported in any eventual outcomes.
One of the most important facets of this inquiry should be to be aware of the whole context. Families live in communities, often in poor housing, sometimes homeless and in poverty, deprived of the sort of support and good living conditions that others may take for granted.
This context, and multi-disciplinary working, are vital to the way midwives work and support families and new births. Several vulnerable new mothers and parents may already have a social worker, and it will be essential that midwives work as a team with other professionals.
Therefore, it is important that any work on midwifery, maternity and neo-natal takes account of the living reality and context of family’s lives – which can often mean single parents.
BASW welcomes the emphasis being given by this government to co-production with families. This is long overdue. It is a way of working that social work has extensive expertise and would welcome an opportunity to contribute.
There are areas that need special attention, one such being the reported poorer outcomes for Black and Asian mothers and their babies, which is completely unacceptable in a civilised society.
Local authorities, where most social workers work, have a statutory function for safe-guarding, mental health and other specific responsibilities in relation to mental capacity. Local authorities also have a key responsibility for public health and so for understanding and tackling health inequalities – this is a key component for improving lives.
Issues around health inequality with racially minoritised or deprived working-class white families are fundamental in tackling change, while using data and predictive analytics must be at the forefront. Ultimately, whether the investigation will lead to fundamental change will depend on how it tackles the crucial issue of providing wider support for children and families, especially among those who are economically poor and face further challenges.
BASW supports all efforts to remedy this within the context of improving lives and tackling health inequalities for all those impacted and urge the Secretary to ensure the vital role of social workers in this context is not overlooked.
