In October 2010, February 2011 and April 2011, three stages of the report were published, looking carefully at the state of social work in the UK and where changes need to be made.
The focus of the social worker in the Munro Review
Over the course of the three reports, the Munro Review found a number of shortfalls in child protection in the UK. Ranging from errors in high level regulations to frontline practice limitations, Munro laid out the difficulties faced by social workers nationwide.
Members of the social work profession, the Review has found, are too worried about complying with the many rules and regulations that govern the social work sector and can, as a result, let the welfare of children fall from top priority. This unforgiving and target-driven culture seems to have overtaken the needs of children in social work organisations throughout the UK and has also impacted the ability of the social worker to exercise personal judgment for fear that that judgment will violate regulations.
Munro has also found that social workers are becoming quickly demoralised as the emotional impact of the work they do goes unrecognised by their organisations. Many social workers are reported to feel unsupported in their work and only recognised for mistakes made and not ongoing good practice. Rather than being rewarded for their achievements, the focus is found to be upon continual improvement.
The overall state of child protection services in the UK
When reviewing the social work sector as a whole, Munro has uncovered an overemphasised focus on families and not individuals, once again allowing the welfare of children to fall short of top priority. Delays in family courts are found to add to this problem, allowing too much time to pass without addressing urgent issues.
Children's Minister, Tim Loughton, has responded to the findings of the Review by stating, "Professor Munro has identified areas where professionals' time is being wasted and children's needs are not being properly identified. I welcome her approach to getting help to the neediest children and families as early as possible, and recognising that child protection is not just the responsibility of social workers."
The Munro Review was primarily undertaken to advise the coalition government on changes within the social work sector and, as such, national transformation must be undertaken at government level. However, changes to individual practice are already being enacted by many independent organisations, in direct response to the findings of the Munro Review, already revolutionising the approach to child protection across the UK.
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