Media stories of failures in social care have meant that social workers are often vilified in the press and portrayed as ‘fools’ or ‘folk-devils’. As the job they do caring for vulnerable children and adults is confidential, social workers are unable to defend themselves and provide their side of the story. As a result, their voices are missing from any kind of public debate. The reputation and standing of the social work profession has, in turn, deteriorated in recent years and, in a number of different ways, this has affected social workers’ practice and their identity.

The artwork and audio stories that form this exhibition have been created with the hope of providing the public with a different perspective; a more sensitive insight into what social work means to those who do it on a daily basis.

This exhibition is taking place as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science. For more information about the Festival, please see http://www.esrc.ac.uk/public-engagement/festival-of-social-science/