SWU statement on the murder of Sara Sharif

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John McGowan, General Secretary of the Social Workers Union, said:

“The case of Sara Sharif is dreadful, horrendous and sickening. In the UK this is a rare case but it shows the strain that the social work profession is under. Social workers work 24/7 protecting and safeguarding thousands of children every year, and we’ve got among the best safeguarding measuring and assessment processes in the world. We do this well and with limited budgets and staffing.

“There has been an ongoing systematic failure to address the pressures on Social Workers and ‘major reviews’ led by the government have failed to make any significant difference. Historical reviews have only brought about more paperwork, bureaucracy and skilled Social Workers leaving the profession. The SWU / ITV survey from November 2024 starkly highlights that underfunding in the sector is a clear and persistent issue – almost 90% of social workers said a lack of funding was seriously impacting their ability to do their job. In order to avoid future tragedies social workers need the tools, funding and resources to do the job properly. 

“Yes, it is right to look at what happened in this tragic individual case but don’t judge the entire profession from any potential review findings. What is urgently required is more funding and addressing the issues that we have consistently raised. The historical lack of funding and cuts in Social Care / Social Work are having real-time consequences and need to be addressed as a priority.

“Most Social Workers just don’t have enough time to spend on individual assessments due to work demand and changing workload allocations. We have been calling for better support for frontline social workers for years – including better working conditions campaigns and more investment.”