None of Perth and Kinross’ social workers completed a key specialist mental health training course last year as workloads spiral and disquiet grows over a forthcoming transfer of specialist services to Dundee.
Training to become a Mental Health Officer (MHO) – who decides on a person’s ability to carry out their own affairs and on detention – was previously seen as a desirable step up and an established route to management.
But nobody in the region has taken up the training places in the last year, creating a “major challenge going forward” and forcing bosses to increase the number of places on the six-month course for 2018/19.
Chief social work officer Jacquie Pepper’s annual report, which goes in front of councillor’s on Wednesday, also reveals a 32% rise in a MHO’s workload.
The number of contacts the social workers performed grew from 689 in 2016/17 to 912 in 2017/18 with a further rise anticipated in the coming year.
The report states the MHOs are essential to meet the challenges “associated with an ageing workforce.”
“Two social workers are funded and supported to complete the full time MHO course every year. It was not possible to generate sufficient interest in 2017/18.
“The opportunity was again offered for those interested in participating in the MHO programme, but we received no applicants and feedback suggest [sic] that this was as a result of uncertainty due to service restructuring.
“The additional workload and difficulties in generating interest in the MHO training presents a major challenge going forward.”
Acute adult mental health services are due to transfer from Murray Royal Hospital in Perth to Carseview in Dundee by 2020.
Carse of Gowrie councillor Beth Pover, SNP, who also practises as a social worker in other council areas, said she was “very surprised” by the figures and would be asking about them on Wednesday’s final full council meeting of the year.
“In my experience, and I have been a social worker for twenty years, there has never been a shortage of applicants for this. But attending can often be dependent on the attitude of a line manager, who may be reluctant to release someone.
“Restructuring seems to be a strange reason to give because, as one of the more established routes to management, social workers have always been keen to get a place on this course,” she added.
