An interview with our Guest Contributor, Jess Yeaman-Smith 

Jess, can you tell us about your journey into social work and your placement with the For Baby’s Sake team in Blackpool?

I grew up in an area with high rates of socio-economic deprivation, crime, and statutory service involvement but was lucky to be part of a loving family with a reasonable amount of structural and financial stability. From a young age, I was aware of the differing levels of privilege within my community. I was also aware that my own privilege was simply a product of luck; children do not get to choose the environments they grow up in, and no individual child is more fundamentally deserving of safety, security, or happiness than another.

This lay the foundations for my professional journey. I found myself working in Blackpool’s Edge of Care team at the tail-end of the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting children at risk of being accommodated by the local authority to safely remain at home with their families. I loved this work and the fact that it was fundamentally underpinned by the “Blackpool Families Rock” model of practice. Since starting my placement on For Baby’s Sake, my belief in these principles has been reaffirmed and I have benefitted hugely from being immersed in the team’s truly trauma-informed, person-centred, and empowerment-led way of working.

As a social work apprentice with the Supporting Our Children and Carers team, could you describe a typical day or week in your role?

Supporting Our Children and Carers is a specialist team which uses evidence-based interventions to promote stability for children in local authority care. We support children at all stages of care proceedings, navigating the legislative landscape of Interim and Full Care Orders, Section 20 Agreements, and Remand to Local Authority Accommodation. I particularly enjoy supporting children and young people who are returning home to their families, and those who are transitioning to independence as they approach Care Leaving age. We visit children and their carers on a regular basis to understand what they want their lives and relationships to look like. The team is trained in Solution Focused Brief Therapy; the people we support are encouraged to reflect on their existing strengths and strategies in relation to small signs of progress towards their “best hopes”. This approach is adapted and diversified to ensure it remains accessible and engaging for everyone we work with.

We work in partnership with allocated social workers and other professionals to ensure consistency and continuity of care, attending multi-agency meetings and advocating for children’s wishes and feelings. The team employs creative methods to explore specific issues with children and young people – helping them to make sense of their circumstances, facilitating their reintegration into education, and supporting them to maintain important relationships. Our knowledge of the children and young people we support is particularly valuable when they move to new homes, and we work closely with foster carers/residential staff to manage these transitions as safely as possible. We are lucky on the Supporting Our Children and Carers team, to spend quality time with families and build particularly strong and meaningful relationships with them.

What has been your proudest moment so far during your placement with the For Baby’s Sake team?

Although it’s not a moment of my own, I am particularly proud of a For Baby’s Sake dad I am working with who – in the face of challenging circumstances – has made huge progress recently. Despite not always finding it easy to maintain stability in his life, he is the most naturally capable dad I have ever worked with and he comes into his own when he is with his children. He once told me “I don’t know how to explain it, but being a dad is just in my bones” and I don’t think I could sum him up any better than that.

Soon after I became professionally involved, this dad was remanded into custody following an extended period of active addiction. I have continued to see him weekly, which has taken resilience and commitment on his part as we have had some difficult conversations about really emotive topics. He is now in employment within the prison, has not used substances since being arrested, actively participates in our sessions, and presents as healthy and hopeful for the future. We are now in the process of planning for his release, to ensure that he has the stability, structure, and support he needs to continue in this direction. He is working hard to become the best version of himself for his children, and I consider myself lucky to have played even a very small part in that journey.

What advice would you give to other social work students or aspiring social workers based on your experiences?

You will meet people who inspire you and who infuriate you; children who tell you things that break your heart and show bravery that puts it back together again, and families who you continue to think about years after your work ends. Every interaction is meaningful. The people we work with are all human beings before they are “service users”, “clients”, “cases”, or “participants”. Taking the time to get to know and connect with them as people first is instrumental in practicing in a truly trauma-informed and child-centred way.

The moments which seem the scariest are the ones you learn the most from. Social work is rarely represented accurately, and I don’t think that learning about it in a classroom ever prepares you for the reality. Take opportunities when they present themselves and get as much real-world experience as possible; it helps to contextualise your work and develop self-confidence in your professional abilities. That said, I’m not sure I will ever stop feeling imposter syndrome so it’s important to look after yourself. Know your own limits, take time to rest, and surround yourself with people who support you and understand your values.

Considering your experience as a custodial family worker, how do you see yourself making a difference in the lives of vulnerable families?

I have spent 6 years supporting male prisoners and their families, and seen first-hand that social work is one of the rare sectors where men are sidelined in policy, planning, and practice. This is particularly the case when they do not live with their children – custody creates a uniquely powerful barrier. Social work professionals have been observed to take an “out of sight, out of mind” approach to paternal imprisonment, which leaves fathers struggling to make sense of the services involved in their children’s lives. I have worked with men who have not been consulted at any stage of Care Proceedings for their children, men who have been excluded from contributing to Family Court hearings, and even men who have been told that their children are being adopted during their final family time.

There are often assumptions made about the priorities and parenting capacity of people in custody. After holding back tears on countless prison family days, I can confidently state that some of the most committed and caring parents I have met were in these environments. Despite this, findings suggest a “strong tendency among workers to overlook fathers’ involvement”, with dads often reporting minimal and delayed inclusion in social work plans. Supporting dads through these challenging and emotional circumstances has been one of the most significant influences upon my practice, affirming my commitment to ethical and rights-based social work, which takes a whole family approach and treats parents equitably regardless of gender.

How has your placement with The For Baby’s Sake Trust team influenced your career aspirations or goals?

Until now, the majority of my work in Blackpool has been with teenagers. I came into this placement with very little experience of supporting families with babies or young children and was initially somewhat resistant to this change. Reflecting on my time with For Baby’s Sake however, working alongside this team has broadened my knowledge and deepened my understanding of social work in ways I didn’t anticipate.

For Baby’s Sake support families throughout pregnancy and their involvement can continue until the child’s 2^nd birthday, giving me opportunities to work with children across their “first 1001 critical days”. Although the team work with families across every level of Children’s Social Care, they are based in the Early Help Family Hubs and are directly accessible when people need immediate support. This has significantly impacted my understanding of where our work should start, as the success of the For Baby’s Sake programme demonstrates the importance of preventative and empowering, community-based social work.

Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve personally and professionally in the field of social work?

I would love to explore custodial social work opportunities, but these roles are few and far-between. Given the disproportionate rate of care-experienced people within the secure estate, as well as the vicarious impact of parental imprisonment on children, I believe that every UK prison should have at least one one-site social worker. In the absence of this, I am drawn to statutory safeguarding – working with families to develop and deliver intensive plans of support which enable children and young people to remain at home safely. There is high staff turnover in this sector, as well as extremely demanding workload pressures and resource limitations which can make effective and ethical social work difficult. I hope that emerging changes to the structure of Children’s Social Care will contribute to an environment where professionals can work in true collaboration with families to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people.