Social work: no subs allowed (Heresy Corner) (96)

There is no way to win this from the perspective of the recruitment process. This has to be taken by organised privacy and consenting adult rights groups campaigning because individuals facing the recruitment process will just be trodden over one way or another.

moo

Edited 12 Sep 09, 12:43 AM by foibey

My point is, refusal to answer such blatantly illegal and discriminatory questions should not lead to anyone losing their job. It may not be the case until a couple of people refuse to answer and stand up for themselves, but it will happen.

It shouldn't happen but it does. And all that happens if you refuse to answer is that you get sacked anyway. The only way to deal with this is through the courts/tribunals with the backing of support organisations. And that's only an option if you want any kind of future career in another field, after all, nobody likes a trouble maker. It doesn't really matter that you believe it is wrong, this is what is happening, and not just in social work. Teaching is going exactly the same way, soon to be followed I suspect by other 'caring' professions like nursing and codes of conduct for NGO's, charities or voluntary organisations that work with children or the vulnerable.

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I agree that it shouldn't lead to anyone losing their job. Whether or not it's "blatantly illegal" though stands for the courts to decide, and there's every chance they'll decide that the government might be right to allow this discrimination to happen (and the government have a case of spurious studies to back it up should it come to court).

That's the problem I'm getting at. The law (as it stands) is against social workers until the courts revise it somehow. It's not right, but the law often *isn't* right. A couple of people standing up for themselves might bring a relevant case to court for the purposes of overturning it but the might equally become a very expensive precedent case for the court going the other way, and in any case, by bringing a case to court they will be automatically making it impossible for them to ever work in that field again because noone in social work will employ them.

moo

Edited 12 Sep 09, 1:11 AM by foibey

Well, no. That's another tribunal waiting to happen, after all.

Yes, but until someone actually stands up to such discrimination and challenges it in court, things will never improve. We can't all sit back and wait for someone else to make things better on our behalf. As a transvestite I'm well aware of the sort of discrimination that can and does happen, and I'm well aware that things will not improve until some of us stand up and allow ourselves to be counted.

The authorities are so blind in the rules they currently adhere to...i mean, how the heck can anyone work with people without any life experience?! It's like they're saying that you're only employable in some areas if you've spent your life wrapped in cotton wool!

And clearly, anyone who has lived their life wrapped in cotton wool, well, what the blummin heck would they know about working with people who've probably seen a lot in their lives?!

Tis deffo a need for tolerance here. I really do hope that you still get to fulfill your dream Serena and I'm so sorry to hear about what you had to go through...keep your chin up, I'm sure you'd make a brilliant social worker

Isn't it funny that the day we realised we like you was the day you got a pool!

Erm, Sorry but yes, a case like this has been to court, and has as far as I am aware, so far been unsuccessful, and the European court of human rights has declared his appeal as inadmissible, (if I'm reading it right)

His job wasn't as a social worker, but working for the probation service dealing with sex offender,s but it's not a big leap from them using this case against someone else involved in a 'delicate' job and having some involvement with BDSM

http://www.unfettered.co.uk/bdsmrights/BDSM%20an... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BDSM-HumanRights/

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However, I have heard of people who win tribunals for unfair dismissal being given references as though they chose to resign as part of a deal, so there's no reason that an employer in another field would necessarily know.

There is the issue of winning the tribunal or court case first though.

owned , happy and contented.x

Edited 12 Sep 09, 11:01 AM by Miss_serena

If a court case Serena became involved in down the line akin to the Baby P case, wouldn't an admission that in her past as a prosub predudice the case , it would tip people (who dont see from a lifestlye point) into feeling she was unfit as she had engaged in 'immoral' practices in the past, and be cruicified in the news of the world who would find out.

I know we should have a private life, and we should accept others, but this is society, we have to live in consideration of what 'the moral majority' beleive is acceptable.

from the point of view of Serena, I understand and applaud her stand and her ambition and truly wish she ha success , but from an employers stance, I can see how they have to protect the institution they are representing.

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