The truth about the cuts: the social worker

UNISON members reveal how cuts in services affect both them and the people in their care

“I am a social worker working mainly with elderly people, aged 65 and upwards. I’ve heard so many of them saying they’ve got money to spend either on heating, or eating. Those are the stark realities. These cuts are biting very hard.

“We are seeing the results in terms of an increase in the level of referrals. If your son loses his job and he’s the breadwinner, the mother and father are bound to worry about their grandchildren. There’s a greater degree of anxiety in all families.

“We’ve retained frontline staff – there are no casualties there.

“It’s the support staff that have been affected. People are being employed on casual contracts, on minimum wage. And that affects people’s ability to plan their future – the further education of their children, pensions, clothes, holidays.

Tell us about a local service that has been cut in your community and how it has affected you in ‘Tell us your story’.