Hull job cuts 'could lead to child deaths and crime spike' (video)
CUTBACKS to services in Hull could lead to avoidable child deaths, a meeting of union members heard last night.
The city council is proposing to shed almost 50 jobs from children and young people's services.
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Concerns: From left, Ryan Ward, Joe Gibbins, Nikki Osborne and Adrian Kennett at the Unison meeting in Alfred Gelder Street, Hull.
At the Unison meeting, staff whose positions are under threat raised fears of a spike in crime, drug use and homelessness if the cuts went ahead.
Unison convenor Nikki Osborne said: "We want to make sure we don't end up with a child death on our hands because, ultimately, that's what we're concerned with.
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"This is getting rid of all the structures and going back to the drawing board.
"Even if we can't change anything, we will shout as loud as we can and make Hull City Council as accountable as we can."
About 30 workers attended the meeting in Alfred Gelder Street.
They asked the Mail to protect their identities for fear of repercussions from senior management.
One said: "There are a lot of cases that have not been allocated to a social worker in Hull.
"Yet they want to reduce the money and provide not only the same service but a better service."
Another worker likely to lose her job was concerned the cuts would fail the most vulnerable.
She said: "We've already seen a massive increase in young people coming through our door homeless.
"We've got no accommodation left in this city for young people.
"You're going to see a massive increase in crime, drugs and young people on the streets."
Staff pointed to the gloomy job prospects for Hull's young people and said that for vulnerable children in care, fostering support was their only safety net.
One woman at the meeting had worked with foster families and children with complex problems for more than a decade.
She said: "It's worrying for the carers and young people we work with because we don't know what to tell them.
"If we can't help, we don't know what's going to happen to them."
"We're feeling demotivated and devalued – staff morale is very low."
Staff have been briefed by managers about the proposals to shed 36 frontline social and family support workers' jobs, along with ten from integrated youth services.
In 2011, proposed cuts led to a letter being sent by team managers to bosses claiming they could lead to the death of a child.
The latest plans would result in a further 10 per cent reduction in numbers, following the 28 per cent cut two years ago.
When plans for the most recent cuts were reported in the Mail this week, city safeguarding manager Jon Plant said: "We have conducted a systems review of child protection services with the aim of working with a more child-centred approach, as recommended to every local authority in England by the Department for Education.
"Proposals regarding the new service mean we need fewer posts and we will do everything we can to avoid compulsory redundancies.
"The review gives us an opportunity to change the way we do things in the future, to create a service in which the conditions for outstanding practice are assured and the best outcomes for children and families are achieved."
24 Comments
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by killer127
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 10:17PM
“Perhaps some of the shortfall in council funds could be made up from the council tax the council have failed to collect, I suspect its enough to fund the cuts in frontline social services..Or perhaps they could put the plans for the fishing pond in orchard park on hold, or the plans to buy up derelict buildings on Anlaby road and then demolish them, it appears the council have plenty of money for crackpot ideas, but can cut frontline services because it makes god PR for the loony left and bad PR for those nasty Tories..”
by Guildhalldog
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 9:59PM
“Do we take it then that the 4 people in the top photo (Ryan Ward, Joe Gibbins, Nikki Osborne and Adrian Kennett) are part of the very small group of union reps that cost the tax payer about £50,000+ each? Surly if they are union reps then the union should be paying the very over inflated wages that this city really can't afford.
If the unison union won't pay for them you have to ask why should the tax payer and what do you get as a tax payer for the money from them apart from a heavy wage bill. Sack them save the money spend it on what's needed.”
by beverleybard
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 4:34PM
“Why is it, when something happens that they don't like, all these loony leftists and do-gooders bring children, the infirm and pensioners into their rhetoric. I suspect that it is because without recourse to the pity pot their cases would lack any meaningful reasoning and they would just be seen for what they are (see first sentence).”
by resifh
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 3:32PM
“It's about time all these union do-gooding idiots where made a thing of the past.
We are in a situation we can't afford:
http://tinyurl.com/ngcnfu”
by jezhull
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 3:27PM
“Union dinosaurs scaremongering yet again.the days of plenty, with massively over staffed and underworked local council departments are long gone, hopefully never to return.
Welcome to the real grown up world, you are now getting a dose of the medication that the private sector has been taking for years.”
by David_Nivea
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 3:17PM
“"At the Unison meeting, staff whose positions are under threat raised fears of a spike in crime, drug use and homelessness if the cuts went ahead."
Excuses, excuses.
Maybe they should ask why their clients/customers will not refrain from illegal activities and what sort of society it is that produces such selfish people, along with those who attempt to justify/excuse criminal behaviour for which they alone are entirely responsible.
Hull's hostels are full of young people, kicked out the family home for nicking to feed drug habits.
I know this because I've been in them.”
by Worker111
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 3:14PM
“The problem is, the likes of Vicmay come on here with their hysteical language, yet offer no explanation as to whee the money is going to come from.
We are piling debt on to our grandchilden so we can live a lifestyle we cannot afford”
by Donkeydan
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 2:07PM
“VicMay, at least there will be pieces left which was more than the last government left!!!”
by VicMay
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 11:38AM
“Britain wasnt broken, it certainly needed a bit of readjusting but after this government has its way it will be shattered.”
by ek_its_chily
Tuesday, March 19 2013, 11:35AM
“All of those knocking Social Services should try to live in a world without them. Then you will see what we as humans do to our children, our older people, our peole with disabilities without social services there to protect them.
There are always cases were things have gone so drastically wrong that looking back you can't understand how things have been allowed to happen; such as the death of a child. But things are always easier to rectify and more obvious in hindsight. How many of us wish we could have done certain things differently
What you actually need is more and more social workers, nurses, therapists, outreach workers to try to prevent these atrocities, not less. One worker could have 80 open cases. It is not because they just love not being able to cope and really want to see people being hurt and abused so they take on more than they can handle. They have this many cases because there simply isn't the budget to pay for what is really needed.
People need to accept this and readdress there anger and outrage towards the right areas - not frontline staff that are simply trying to help. Some very high profile cases have shown them trying and failing or through misguided intentions doing thems you think are bizarre. They are not doing intentional harm - they are fighting against it.
Thi is picture reflected in Policing, Nursing, Ambulance and Fire services and all people do is pick cases that have hit the headlines or decide to concentrate on the fantastic pay and conditions or pensions. Grow up.
For every case that hits the headlines there are tens of thousands of cases that never do because they are prevented from becoming worst case scenarios because of the dedication, training and personal sacrifices that the staff within these services do day in day out.
Go back to your Monday to Friday 9-5 where the biggest issue is that there is no milk for your coffee or your boss is giving you a bit of hassle. Think about what these services do for you and that they are at your beck and call 24 hours. You expect the perfection which is unobtainable.”