Debate contribution: Social Services Vacancies: North Belfast and West Belfast

Debate contribution by Mr Gerry Carroll on 8 October 2024.

MLA

Mr Gerry Carroll

Party at the time

People Before Profit Alliance

Date

8 October 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Social Services Vacancies: North Belfast and West Belfast

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4582084

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Member for tabling the debate. The fact that the gap is 81 staff in North Belfast and West Belfast is pretty shocking. One gap is one too many, obviously. The fact that the gap is so large — close to 100 staff — shows that working-class communities in North Belfast and West Belfast are once again being failed, left behind and denied the services that they need to help them navigate the complexities and difficulties of life. I had not seen the answer to the Member's question for written answer beforehand, so I was shocked to hear those figures. Given that social workers are overloaded with work, it probably amounts to hundreds of children and young people who are not getting the services and the support that they should get and to which they are entitled. Again, one young person not getting access to services is one too many, but, if hundreds of young people in North Belfast and West Belfast are not getting access to them, that is really concerning and troubling and something on which we should all be focused. My concern is this: how many young people are falling through the cracks in the system? What is the knock-on effect on those who have been denied services, a social worker and support, with everything that that support entails? The Minister always talks about the importance of mental health: what is the knock-on impact on the mental health of young people, if they are denied services because of the high number of staff vacancies? Young people's development and that kind of stuff will be impacted on as well. I share the Member's concerns about a possible SAI, if one has not happened already. Given that gaping hole in the number of staff working with vulnerable people and given that, as I said, people are falling through the cracks, I am concerned about a potential scandal or SAI emerging down the line. That really should focus minds. As I said earlier, social workers have been out on strike over the past year and longer. I have stood with them in the Whiterock and Shankill areas. To repeat, they are in dispute with the trusts. They demand a recognition payment, a career pathway and a caseload ceiling. All of that is relevant to what we are talking about now. Some people feel that the sector is not appropriate for them, given the pressure that they are under. The Minister also needs to look at the domiciliary care sector and at the fact that so much domiciliary care is privately, not publicly, provided. People should not make money and profit from the provision of care. Finally, we need to tie the Budget into all of this. The Minister's party has raised points and concerns about the Budget not being appropriate. The Budget also does not meet the needs of working-class communities more generally. It exacerbates deprivation, which will lead to more people needing social workers and using the care and support sectors. We therefore need to talk about what the Budget does not do for social work and about the knock-on pressures and problems that it will create for North Belfast and West Belfast in particular.

538 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:13 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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