Scotland -- A HIGH Court judge has bitterly attacked social workers,accusing them of conspiring to d

Judge: social workers ‘conspired’ to destroy the Airborne Initiative

By John Bynorth

Officials accused of wrecking successful project young offenders’ scheme

they deemed ‘elitist’

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.1708442.0.judge_social_workers_conspired_to_destroy_the_airborne_initiative.php

A HIGH Court judge has bitterly attacked social workers, accusing them

of conspiring to destroy the successful work of an outward-bound scheme

which rehabilitated young offenders.

The senior judicial figure's comments came after organisers of The

Airborne Initiative, which closed in 2004 after a TV programme depicted

unruly behaviour among young male recruits, presented proposals to the

justice secretary Kenny MacAskill for the project to be revamped last week.

The judge accused officials of colluding with the local authorities to

scupper the efforts of staff working on the original project, which they

regarded as an "elitist" rival to their own work with offenders.

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Speaking on condition of anonymity, because he fears his comments will

be construed as "too political", the judge told the Sunday Herald: "The

social work departments of various local authorities objected to

Airborne from the start because they thought their little world' was

being invaded.

"They thought Airborne was something to do with the elitist upper

classes, which was completely untrue. It was a reality check for

disadvantaged, messed-up young people who, if their behaviour was

allowed to continue, could end up killing.

"It was making an excellent contribution to the criminal justice system

and was quite unreasonably de-funded for political reasons.

"The number of young people we have in the High Court for serious

criminal offences is appalling. What Airborne did was try to get hold of

most of these unfortunate people - it's often not their fault - and try

to unravel them from that life of crime.

"I have huge respect for the social work system, but I couldn't

understand why a small percentage of people were in favour of having it

Airbourne de-funded."

Former Labour justice minister Hugh Henry axed the project's £600,000

funding package after the 2004 BBC documentary Chancers depicted young

people involved playing up to their "hard" image for the cameras with

rowdy behaviour and drug-taking.

One of MacAskill's priorities after the SNP formed its minority

administra-tion in May was to meet with the initiative's trustees to

discuss ways of replacing it with a new scheme, which would be part of a

more integrated approach to deal with issues involving young people.

The proposals will aim to address addictive behaviour over a period of

three months, longer than the original nine-week scheme. The organisers

are confident many of the former staff, who still work on rehabilitation

programmes, will return to their old jobs if it is given the go-ahead.

Trevor Royle, the Sunday Herald's diplomatic editor and a trustee of the

original scheme, said: "It's time-consuming and expensive, but society

has to foot the bill and this couldn't be done for less than £600,000.

We also need a quango. When we were an independent charity, we didn't

have enough clout with the sheriffs. We have to make them realise there

is a viable alternative to custodial sentencing."

Tony Burley, pictured left, Airborne's former general manager who now

designs programmes to deal with challenging behaviour among the young,

added: "Research has shown the outdoors accelerates rehabilitation

greater than anything else. They need to get their heads clear, be away

from the substances so they can think clearly in a manner that will

allow them to change their lives."

The government said the proposals would be fully examined before any

firm commitment is made.

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Posted by: Colin B, Bearsden on 11:13pm Sat 22 Sep 07

Of course the Social Workers destroyed it. Social workers are

unaccountable , their disciplinary processes are a sham, they frequently

mislead judges as to dangers posed by convicted criminals in pleading

for leniency . But they vote LAbour in their thousands so Labour let

them do what they want. We have more social workers than soldiers.

Of course the Social Workers destroyed it. Social workers are

unaccountable , their disciplinary processes are a sham, they frequently

mislead judges as to dangers posed by convicted criminals in pleading

for leniency . But they vote LAbour in their thousands so Labour let

them do what they want.

We have more social workers than soldiers.

Quote | Report this post

Posted by: Bill Mac, Falkirk on 2:22am Sun 23 Sep 07

Colin you are absolutely spot on, it will take a generation to undo the

damage caused by these people who are paid to show us how much they

"care". The Judge should speak out publicly about the problem and

the consequences.

Colin you are absolutely spot on, it will take a generation to undo the

damage caused by these people who are paid to show us how much they

"care". The Judge should speak out publicly about the problem and

the consequences.

Quote | Report this post

Posted by: Bill Mac, Falkirk on 2:30am Sun 23 Sep 07

Surely the Herald is a tad prudish, on my post is merely the word

used by Rhett Butler, when he said " frankly my dear I don't give a

d mn" it is nothing to do with d mnation it refers to an Indian currency

of low value.

Surely the Herald is a tad prudish, on my post is merely the word

used by Rhett Butler, when he said " frankly my dear I don't give a

d mn" it is nothing to do with d mnation it refers to an Indian currency

of low value.

Quote | Report this post

Posted by: Oscarmacapfel on 9:29am Sun 23 Sep 07

Chaps, you're directing your anger at the wrong people. It is not the

individual social worker that is to blame, but the social work managers,

and directors. Most of whom are not qualified as social workers. The

recent HMI report into Dumfries and Galloway Social work department,

found that only one senior social work manager was actually qualified as

a social worker. An appalling state of affairs where people making

decisions are less qualified then their employees. It's akin to putting

a plumber in charge of a team of heart surgeons. The anonymous judge

should have been more specific in his condemnation. If he had named

rival schemes his comments would have had more effect instead his

comments tar all social workers with the same brush. Politically most

social workers I know are apathetic, having seen services mismanaged and

a culture of nepotism & cronyism fostered by their predominately Labour

led council bosses.

Chaps, you're directing your anger at the wrong people. It is not the

individual social worker that is to blame, but the social work managers,

and directors. Most of whom are not qualified as social workers.

The recent HMI report into Dumfries and Galloway Social work department,

found that only one senior social work manager was actually qualified as

a social worker. An appalling state of affairs where people making

decisions are less qualified then their employees. It's akin to putting

a plumber in charge of a team of heart surgeons.

The anonymous judge should have been more specific in his condemnation.

If he had named rival schemes his comments would have had more effect

instead his comments tar all social workers with the same brush.

Politically most social workers I know are apathetic, having seen

services mismanaged and a culture of nepotism & cronyism fostered by

their predominately Labour led council bosses.

Quote | Report this post

Posted by: Colin B, Bearsden on 10:26am Sun 23 Sep 07

Oscarmacpfel is in denial and as usual apologists for social workers

will creep out while Social workers will take no responsibility just as

the SCRO did ove MCKie- blame management, lack of training. No wonder

social workers have become a villified profession. Most SOcial Work

managers are Social Workers Lord Turnbull called an East Dunbarton

Social Worker "absurd" for recommending a non custodial sentence for

attempted murder- the social worker trying to undermine the criminal

justice system. The judge's fear about political interest is right -

Social workers are far too close to the Labour Party.

Oscarmacpfel is in denial and as usual apologists for social workers

will creep out while Social workers will take no responsibility just as

the SCRO did ove MCKie- blame management, lack of training. No wonder

social workers have become a villified profession.

Most SOcial Work managers are Social Workers

Lord Turnbull called an East Dunbarton Social Worker "absurd" for

recommending a non custodial sentence for attempted murder- the social

worker trying to undermine the criminal justice system.

The judge's fear about political interest is right - Social workers are

far too close to the Labour Party.

Quote | Report this post

Posted by: Oscarmacapfel on 10:58am Sun 23 Sep 07

Colin I am neither in denial nor a creeping apologist. I am, however,

married to a social worker whom I see return home every day ground down

by a system not built to cope with the parade of fcuk ups that

constitute the great unwashed Scottish public. I see her unsupported by

a completely flawed management system staffed by incompetent,

unqualified, abusing cnuts. She's been phsically attacked, spat at, had

abuse hurled at her, her life and our children's threatened, I've seen

her warnings of danger go ignored, in one case resulting in the death of

a child, which resulted in a whitewash of the senior managers. All of

whom took comfortable severance packages and then came back as highly

paid consultants. Managers in social work now pay more attention to care

coordinators and administrators than the people who support the entire

system. Your views on what social workers are, seems to be informed by

the Daily Mail. Until you have seen first hand the work these people do,

perhaps you will think twice before spoffing your curdled manfat over

your keyboard.

Colin I am neither in denial nor a creeping apologist.

I am, however, married to a social worker whom I see return home every

day ground down by a system not built to cope with the parade of fcuk

ups that constitute the great unwashed Scottish public. I see her

unsupported by a completely flawed management system staffed by

incompetent, unqualified, abusing cnuts. She's been phsically attacked,

spat at, had abuse hurled at her, her life and our children's

threatened, I've seen her warnings of danger go ignored, in one case

resulting in the death of a child, which resulted in a whitewash of the

senior managers. All of whom took comfortable severance packages and

then came back as highly paid consultants. Managers in social work now

pay more attention to care coordinators and administrators than the

people who support the entire system.

Your views on what social workers are, seems to be informed by the Daily

Mail. Until you have seen first hand the work these people do, perhaps

you will think twice before spoffing your curdled manfat over your keyboard.

Quote | Report this post

Posted by: Colin B, Bearsden on 11:31am Sun 23 Sep 07

Oscar, Am sorry to hear with what your wife puts up with but just

because your wife is badly treated by those she is supposed to be

helping does not mean Social Workers are good, objective nor have their

own agendas( for example Social Workers rarely report crimes to the

police preferring their trendy social justice, justifying it with

poverty or inequality and it is to be wondered if your wife reports

these assualts). Your wife and her colleagues should vote with their

feet if conditions are so bad or is it more the case social workers are

unemployable elsewhere? Actually I am incredibly well informed on the

subject (although you pre judge me as not so being ) and in any case are

you really advocating only social workers should criticise social

workers ( or those married to them ?).

Oscar, Am sorry to hear with what your wife puts up with but just

because your wife is badly treated by those she is supposed to be

helping does not mean Social Workers are good, objective nor have their

own agendas( for example Social Workers rarely report crimes to the

police preferring their trendy social justice, justifying it with

poverty or inequality and it is to be wondered if your wife reports

these assualts).

Your wife and her colleagues should vote with their feet if conditions

are so bad or is it more the case social workers are unemployable elsewhere?

Actually I am incredibly well informed on the subject (although you pre

judge me as not so being ) and in any case are you really advocating

only social workers should criticise social workers ( or those married

to them ?).

Quote | Report this post

Posted by: Oscarmacapfel on 12:02pm Sun 23 Sep 07

Without going into too much personal details, one assault was reported

against department advise. The offender was finally given 80 hours

community service. Personally I wanted to visit him with a claw hammer

and extract some more personal justice. Social Workers are represented

by UNISON one of the most inept paradies of union representation you

could hope to find. It doesn't help matters in this region that the

Union head is also a senior manager, whom many of the complaints are

about. As my wife has two degrees and has had a working life outside of

social work, she is readily employable elsewhere, thanks for your

concern. Unfortunately she views her work as a vocation, despite all the

fcuk ups in charge of the department. Colin you prejudged me, as an in

denial creeping apologist. You're views, to me seem to be Daily Mail

orientated, painting all forms of social worker with the same 'trendy

loony left tar bush'. I presume you're either involved in police or

justiciary.

Without going into too much personal details, one assault was reported

against department advise. The offender was finally given 80 hours

community service. Personally I wanted to visit him with a claw hammer

and extract some more personal justice.

Social Workers are represented by UNISON one of the most inept paradies

of union representation you could hope to find. It doesn't help matters

in this region that the Union head is also a senior manager, whom many

of the complaints are about. As my wife has two degrees and has had a

working life outside of social work, she is readily employable

elsewhere, thanks for your concern. Unfortunately she views her work as

a vocation, despite all the fcuk ups in charge of the department.

Colin you prejudged me, as an in denial creeping apologist. You're

views, to me seem to be Daily Mail orientated, painting all forms of

social worker with the same 'trendy loony left tar bush'.

I presume you're either involved in police or justiciary.

Quote | Report this post

Posted by: Seumas on 1:58pm Sun 23 Sep 07

It's not often that I read remarks made by a High Court judge spoken on

condition of anonymity. If these remarks are true, then this is a very

serious matter indeed. I know that a lot of social workers justifiably

receive a bad press because of their incompetence, but in this case

individuals aimed deliberately to scupper a scheme which was proving

itself a success. I think Colin B makes a good point when he questions

the weaknesses in the system surrounding the accountability of those

employed in this so-called profession. About 10 teachers in Scotland

were dismissed last year because of incompetence, I wonder what the

figure was for social workers?

It's not often that I read remarks made by a High Court judge spoken on

condition of anonymity. If these remarks are true, then this is a very

serious matter indeed.

I know that a lot of social workers justifiably receive a bad press

because of their incompetence, but in this case individuals aimed

deliberately to scupper a scheme which was proving itself a success.

I think Colin B makes a good point when he questions the weaknesses in

the system surrounding the accountability of those employed in this

so-called profession.

About 10 teachers in Scotland were dismissed last year because of

incompetence, I wonder what the figure was for social workers?