Kerelaw Report - initial response from UNISON

Monday May 11 2009

UNISON, the union representing the social care staff working in the Kerelaw residential school, today agreed with the general trend of the conclusions and recommendations of the Frizzell report – particularly the criticisms of the council’s own earlier investigations.

Ronnie Stevenson Convenor of UNISON’s Glasgow City Branch Social Work stewards said:
“While it will take us some time to look in full at the 154 page report from Mr Frizzell, our preliminary view is that we find ourselves in agreement with the general trend of its conclusions and recommendations.

“We particularly welcome his criticisms of the Investigatory Team’s work and its reporting. They left many staff unaware and isolated. They left many perfectly good child care staff “broken” people with devastating effects on their families. Their actions left all ex-Kerelaw staff, regardless of their practice, with their reputations tarnished and often their ability to find employment compromised.”

UNISON also says that many of the report’s recommendations are about issues which they have been raising with Strathclyde Regional Council, Glasgow City Council and the external inspection regimes for years.

Andy McCallion, Residential Convenor of UNISON’s Glasgow City Branch Residential Social Work stewards and also a Child Care Worker, said:
“Despite the staff raising these concerns the employers have done little about them. A question still remains of what confidence we can have that this failure to react in the best interests of children, young people, services and the staff will change.

“Nevertheless we still hope that we can look forward to a more positive engagement with our employers to improve the quality of residential care for children and young people in Glasgow.”


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