Social workers in Bath and North East Somerset have raised urgent concerns about planned council redundancies that they say will severely undermine their ability to support vulnerable families and children. The council’s proposed restructure of its children’s social care department is expected to lead to at least five redundancies. However, many more social workers will lose their current roles as teams are eliminated, forcing them to compete for a reduced number of positions.
The restructuring comes amid the government’s “families first” reforms, which require councils to adopt new approaches to children’s social work. Yet social workers warn that the planned cuts risk eliminating the very services the reforms highlight as essential.
On February 9, council leaders faced tough questions during a meeting of the Bath and North East Somerset Council’s children, adults, health and wellbeing scrutiny panel. Outside the Guildhall, social workers and allied professionals represented by Unison held a protest, chanting slogans such as “No job losses!” and “Council bosses, listen!”
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Despite the council’s assurance that the restructure aims to improve service delivery and that no final decisions have been made, social workers say the changes will dramatically reduce their capacity to deliver critical support.
Charlotte Spires, who works with parents undergoing court proceedings, revealed that her role was being eliminated with little warning. She expressed deep distress about the uncertainty ahead, highlighting the potential loss of vital kinship assessments and family support services.
Peter Abbott, who manages kinship support services, reported that his team would lose half its management and 40% of senior practitioners. He criticized the contradiction between the government’s focus on kinship care and the council’s cutbacks that diminish that support.
Social worker Kate Allport emphasized the urgency of the issue, noting the national need for 10,000 more foster carers even as B&NES’s fostering team faces devastating reductions.
One of the most concerning changes is the proposed disbanding of the council’s Connecting Families team, which intensively supports families with complex needs to prevent escalation into social care. Team members testified to the effectiveness and positive feedback this award-winning team has earned over the years.
Long-serving social worker Tracey Bidgood described the news as “devastating,” stressing that working in children’s social care is not just a job but a lifelong commitment.
Retired social worker Mark Baldwin spoke out at the council meeting, condemning the decision to eliminate a service that has demonstrably turned around the lives of many local families.
Council officials maintained that they intend to integrate the Connecting Families skills within new multi-disciplinary teams as required by the “families first” reforms, aiming to provide more seamless support to families. However, social workers and panel members expressed skepticism and called for greater transparency and an extension of the consultation period.
Throughout the meeting, passionate protests underscored the gravity of the situation. Many social workers voiced concerns that cutting experienced staff would leave vulnerable children and families without adequate care and support.
A council spokesperson reiterated that the proposed changes are part of ongoing consultations designed to improve services. They assured that staff involvement continues and apologized for communication errors during the process.
As this consultation proceeds, social workers and community advocates urge decision-makers to recognize the vital importance of maintaining a robust and well-supported children’s social care team to protect the area’s most vulnerable members.