Tuesday 15 December 2020

Reminiscences of an out-of-hours social worker #2: Sam & Stuart

 

Between 1983 and 1997 I worked shifts on the out-of-hours standby duty team, as it was the only way for a social worker to earn extra money. I had a mortgage and 3 children under the age of 5, and a social worker’s pay did not go very far.

We dealt exclusively with emergencies and crises that arose outside normal working hours, covering nights, weekends, and Bank Holidays.

Out of hours, two social workers covered the entire county. It was a large geographical area of over 2,000 square miles, and it could entail a journey of 40 or 50 miles to reach the far ends.

Some of these incidents entailed creative thinking to resolve them.

Which brings me to a Bank Holiday weekend and 2 13 year old boys, Sam and Stuart.

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