The Big Society enacted

The Big Society vision under the Coalition Government is expected to result in changes to the children’s social care workforce, of which the outlook is mixed. In particular, rising levels of support work and early intervention initiatives in local communities may increase demand for children’s services and qualified social workers. Conversely, increased provision of early intervention initiatives could equally lead to a reduction in the demand for children-related services and qualified social workers in current statutory services.

The core vision of the Big Society is to encourage greater local decision making. Local groups and communities are encouraged to take on ownership of assets and use them to deliver support and services for themselves, consequently developing informal, creative and more meaningful support. • Increased Big Society provision could result in reduced need for statutory services and qualified children’s social workers. • The development of new or improved provision by voluntary and community groups could result in job creation and improved employment prospects for social workers. • Research shows that by raising awareness and identifying concerns at an earlier stage in the process, intervention and support work through communities can result in an increase in the number of referrals to social services. This therefore may increase demand for children’s services and qualified social workers.

Sources or references

• http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/big-society
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Society
• http://www.communities.gov.uk/communities/bigsociety/

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.