Cat Smith calls on government to give social workers the resources that they need

In a Westminster Hall speech, Labour’s Cat Smith told the Hall that social workers “care deeply about society and the people with it” but can only do their job properly if the government give them the resources to do so.

Smith described the way that “nearly 5,000 family social workers left the profession in 2022”, 16% more than the previous year, and that staff shortages will lead to burnout.

“In many professions, burning out of work means that you drop the ball on the deadline,but a burnt out social worker can actually be a matter of life and death”.  Therefore, Smith argued, “the government must do their very best to support social workers”.