NEC Member Robert Mooney moves motion 62 on Social Care
Conference, I’m here today to celebrate the work of social carers across the country. Social carers provide essential support for many of the most vulnerable in our society. It is a sad fact of modern life that as the forces of globalisation transform our society, the work of social carers has become more important than ever to ensure that vulnerable people get the help they need.
The paradox here, delegates, is, that as the position of social carer has become more important to society, as the number of people who need their support continues to grow, the role of social carers and social workers has been stigmatised.
Social carers are all too often shunned by the public and attacked by the media. Attacking individuals becomes sport as it sells more papers than questioning the fundamentals of funding for social care.
These fundamentals show that there is chronic under-funding in training for social carers; people are underpaid and undervalued; there is little or no career development structure. Case loads are high and support for frontline workers is low.
This is what social care workers are up against day-in-day-out. This is a system that is being pushed to breaking point – but it’s absolutely vital to the lives of thousands that it does not break.
Congress, as unions, it is our duty to take up the cause of social carers and fight their corner. Not just the basic demands of fair pay, equal pay and respect in the workplace, which is the day to day work of our union. We need a wider campaign involving the TUC to fight for respect for social carers outside the workplace in the wider community.
Caring and social work are vocations that require dedication and sacrifice. They come with skill that requires discipline and application to ensure professionalism. This must be recognised by the wider public as the importance of social carers in our society will continue to grow in the coming years. Now is the time to counter the slanderous attacks from the ravenous red top media and ensure that the workers in this sector are provided the level of respect and support that they deserve.
Delegates, support social carers, support respect for all workers and support this motion.
Thank you.
TEXT OF THE MOTION
Social Care
Congress applauds the work of social carers in both the public and voluntary sectors and their day-to-day work that significantly improves the lives of millions of individuals and families. Congress condemns the continuing media attacks on frontline social carers, who are all too frequently blamed for the ills of society and the extreme actions of individuals; and who are not afforded a voice or right of reply.
Congress recognises the daily challenges faced by social carers in professions that are undervalued and continue to suffer from lower pay, under-investment in skills and training, poor career development and a lack of political and managerial support.
Therefore, Congress calls on the TUC to defend the work of social carers from media attacks and to highlight the essential and valuable work of social carers.