<h2>This is a wonderful poem written by Charmaine Malcolm, a fellow of Frontline:</h2>
 Dear social worker, Waking up over the past few weeks to reports in the media that social workers are child killers, baby snatchers and evil people. Well, it simply is not true. There have been many children whose lives have been ended prematurely, by people they expected to protect them and not one of them died at the hands of their social worker, not one. Social worker, whilst you are a valuable resource to the nation you are not yet as respected as other professionals, your profession has had significant fiscal deficits and this has affected recruitment, retention, resources, caseloads and of course morale. Social worker I know you work compassionately and meaningfully with children, because you know how important it is to secure better outcomes for the children you see. Social worker, each day you wake up with a passion to help the most vulnerable members of our society, during the pandemic you have been instrumental in keeping children safe. You continued to visit children, you went the extra mile, you responded to increased complexity without additional resources, you worked whilst experiencing your own trauma and personal problems. You supported the sickness and significant bereavements without community and within your personal lives. You navigated new government systems to help our families where poverty became their new normal and food banks became their life supply. You supported families when their universal credit was reduced, you have seen mental health complexity increase amongst parents, children and amongst work colleagues. You have been exhausted, you have worked during your annual leave, you continue to come into work when you are unwell, you are anxious about your workload piling up and do not want to be a burden to colleagues. Social worker, you are always thinking, ever thoughtful, loving and kind. You visit families where at times the risks are unknown, no baton, no shield, no panic alarm yet you boldly go.&nbsp; I can imagine there have been times when your knees were knocking, armpits sweating and your thoughts were &ldquo;oh no&rdquo;, but you stayed, because your heart is full of gold and you go with the motto &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll leave no stone unturned, hell no.&rdquo; Social worker did you know that you not only keep children safe, but you also save lives. Just take a moment to&hellip;wait&hellip;what&rsquo;s the word&hellip;be reflective, stop, think and say &ldquo;ohhh.&rdquo; I helped a child live in a safer environment outside of their family home, I helped a child tell their story to the police when they were sexually abused, it was clear that the shouting and violence between the parents were too much for the child and you said &ldquo;oh no, this cannot go on any longer.&rdquo; You used your research to make an evidenced based decision and you social worker helped those parents create a safer home. Social worker, I valued so much when that mum, do you remember her she said she felt a bit low, you helped her understand her baby blues and again you said let&rsquo;s go. Off to the GP you go, mum receives the help she needs, but still you could not let it go. Organising a family group conference, helping the family develop a plan, your words &ldquo;it must be meaningful&rdquo; and you were intentional to help the family create a &lsquo;meaningful plan.&rsquo; Social worker do you remember your words &ldquo;mum can have time to JustBe&rsquo; and how wonderful it was to see the babies care supported by the wider family.&nbsp; Social worker that was you, you took the time to think and see what was needed for the mum and baby. I mean, I could go on at telling you how fabulous you are. So, you twisted my arm, close your eyes and listen to these words: you are amazing, spectacular, tremendous, energetic, wonderful, insightful, curious, exceptional, child centred, thoughtful, compassionate, kind, empathetic, research minded, reflective, awesome, skilled, professional and the reality is I could tell you how valuable and fabulous you are for hours. Each day commit to taking 5 minutes to stop and reflect on you and what you bring to the profession. Social worker think about all the miracles you make happen. Social worker you are warm, kind, strong, compassionate and full of strength. I see you, I hear you and grateful you&rsquo;re still here. Social worker the media are still learning how to respect your profession and right now you are going to rise up and not succumb to their oppression. Be courageous, be strong, be vocal and be bold because you dearest social worker are one of the mightiest and most cherished people we have in our nation overall.

'Dear Social Worker....'

<h3>Explanation of the new IR35 Legislation, our thoughts and what Sheldon Phillips are doing to help you with the new changes.</h3>
 Following a lengthy consultation period in August of 2016, HMRC have confirmed that their planned legislation change to IR35 will go ahead, taking effect on 6th April 2017. Sheldon Phillips have been heavily involved with the consultation meetings with HMRC and our industry body, the REC. As well as a written letter to HMRC, we also took the opportunity to directly write to the Chancellor of The Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Education and Child Protection. You may have seen our letter on our website and also on Linkedin. In short, anyone falling &ldquo;inside IR35 legislation&rdquo; will be subject to deemed employment dedications which will be made by the entity that pays the worker using their own Ltd Company (PSC) which in most cases will be the Recruitment Agency, i.e. Sheldon Phillips. Off Payroll Explained Off payroll describes anyone who is paid out side of normal PAYE processes; so anyone using their own Limited Company (PSC) would be categorized under this term.
<h4>Current Process</h4>
Under the current legislation, the liability to pay all deemed employment taxes falls on the Ltd Company &ndash; Income Tax, National Insurance and Employers NI contributions. If you fall outside of IR35, you would traditionally take a lower salary via payroll and then take dividends from the company, therefore paying less tax. Falling inside IR35 means that your income is deemed as employed income, therefore income tax, etc should be paid to HMRC in the normal way. HMRC estimate there are more than 200,000 Limited Company&rsquo;s in the UK and by their own admission, cannot allocate enough resource to investigate whether each company is operating in the correct way.
​
<h4>Moving Forward</h4>
From April 6th 2017 when the new legislation is introduced, HMRC will move the liability to make deemed employment payments for workers operating their own Ltd Company to the entity who pays the invoice; Sheldon Phillips. There are a number of criteria that would place a worker within IR35 legislation but the main parameters for this would be if the worker is providing a personal service, if they are subject to supervision, direction and control and also the right to provide a substitute. Due to the Professional code of practice and criteria from both BASW and the HCPC it is our belief that all social workers will be subject to the new changes within IR35 legislation. Receiving supervision or working in a controlled way is something all social workers are subject to and as a contractor, you cannot simply send a substitute worker to carry on with your allocated cases should you not be able to attend work in your assignment. That person would be subject to an interview process, compliance checks and it would not provide continuity or stability to the service users of the authority, therefore it would not be accepted.
Local Authorities and MSP&rsquo;s In the coming weeks, once official communication has been received by HMRC, Local Authorities and MSP&rsquo;s (Matrix, REED, De Poel) will need to decide on their own action regarding these changes and in some cases, may mean that using a PSC (Ltd Company) will simply not be allowed. Other options available will be to use a compliant Umbrella Company and for your agency to put you through their own PAYE processes. In practice, going through agency PAYE will dramatically reduce your hourly rate and so it is our understanding that you will be better off using a compliant Umbrella Company, through which you will be eligible for employment rights like holiday pay, sick pay, etc. Our Commitment To You To ensure that these changes are handled correctly and to avoid any disruption to your assignments, we at Sheldon Phillips are here to help guide you through every step of the way. We will be arranging an event in London for all of our Social Workers to attend, along with any colleagues who would be interested to talk about the legislation face to face and provide you with viable options for compliant Umbrella Companies. There will be a dedicated Q&amp;A section to try and put any concerns you have to rest, so you can concentrate on your busy working lives. This will be communicated shortly via email, our website and on Linkedin.

IR35 - The Facts

<h4>Uncompliant Models</h4>
When the IR35 changes were made in the public sector in April 2017, many public sector workers including lots of Social Workers felt that a huge weight had been put onto their shoulders.&nbsp; The weight of HMRC trying to make up a huge void in unpaid or avoided tax which was created in part by the confusion around IR35 and running a PSC when it was first introduced in 2000.&nbsp; After months of finding their feet, after these changes, another very real threat has emerged - Umbrella Companies appearing as if by magic, offering the holy grail.....90% take home pay!&nbsp; Now you might be thinking, "Yes! My prayers have been answered!" but believe me, this couldn't be further from the truth.
Most people know, or should, that the UK basic rate of tax is 20% and so the more you earn, that banding moves into a higher rate of tax.&nbsp; So how on earth can an Umbrella Company tell me I only have to pay 10% tax?&nbsp; One answer......Tax Avoidance.&nbsp; These schemes come in many forms with "grey areas" and "loop holes" touted to try and uphold their compliance with HMRC.&nbsp; The truth is, if you are using an Umbrella Company that pays you a small hourly rate or weekly wage, which is then topped up by a bonus, commission or even a loan - you could be in trouble.&nbsp; If any of this sound familiar, head over the HMRC website and search "Spotlight" where you can find more information.
The safest way to work and ensure that you are paying the correct taxes (and avoid a tax bills and penalties) is to use an FCSA accredited Umbrella Company.&nbsp; These Umbrella's have been audited to ensure they are making the right decisions and that you pay all of the right taxes to the Government.&nbsp; Here at Sheldon Phillips, we have created a small PSL of FCSA accredited Umbrella companies, so you can be sure that whatever money you take home at the end of the week, is yours to spend without fear of any wrong doing.
<h4 align="start">A Change in the Law</h4>
You may have noticed that Recruitment Agencies have recently started to create PSL's of Umbrella Companies and have even asked you to change your current Umbrella.&nbsp; This is because from 30th September 2017 a new criminal offense: Failing to prevent Tax Evasion was introduced.&nbsp; Simply put, and without getting into too much legal jargon, this focuses on Recruitment Agencies or intermediary's in the chain to ensure that the contractor is paying the correct tax and national insurance contributions.&nbsp; So in short, if an agency allow you to knowingly use a provider that evades paying correct taxes, they can be subject to huge fines and even a prison sentence!
<h4>Our Stance</h4>
At Sheldon Phillips, we have taken the decision to create a small PSL of FCSA accredited Umbrella Companies, to ensure that all of our contractors are safe in knowing that all of the correct deductions are being made.&nbsp; This list has been created through years of good service and plenty of due diligence done by Managing Director, Jamie Trick.&nbsp; So when you work with us, you can sleep soundly, knowing that you are 100% compliant, 100% of the time.

​Uncompliant Umbrella Companies: A Change in Law

I started reading at a young age and have enjoyed continuing this hobby throughout my adult life. Friends and family will usually ask me, &ldquo;How was the book?&rdquo; or &ldquo;Is it any good?&rdquo; and usually the answer will be one of enjoyment. However in this case, how can you really describe Sammy Woodhouse&rsquo; book &lsquo;Just A Child&rsquo;&hellip;..Powerful.
This is a difficult review to write really because you feel that you can&rsquo;t use normal ways of positive expression like enjoyment or saying &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a real page turner&rdquo;. But the truth is, this is a compelling read, one that is difficult at times but one that leaves you feeling empowered and wanting justice.
Sammy&rsquo;s writing in this book, I think, is highly commendable as it would have taken her back to a very dark place in her life and she has achieved what she intended &ndash; to tell her story and to do it in such a way that it will encourage other victims to come forward. The &ldquo;relationship&rdquo; between Sammy and Ash is hard to read and imagine, but she takes you through it step by step, not being afraid to tackle her own thoughts and feelings on what she thought her relationship was with him.
If you want to understand more about what led to the shocking revelations in Rotherham and to further understand a victim&rsquo;s take on how CSE can be viewed by young and impressionable girls, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
​
Well done Sammy, keep fighting.

​"Just A Child" - A Review

In general, Social Workers get a bad reputation in the media, but in this day and age with Social Media being such a big influence in many people&rsquo;s lives, there are countless ways that social workers and us as professionals working in the sector can sing the praises of what you do every single day. As a sector I think we need to get better at saying &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve done a great job here&rdquo; for this young person or family
I&rsquo;ve been working with social workers for nearly 12 years and I&rsquo;ve lost count of the many stories of positive outcomes for children and families that have been shared with me when meeting professionals. I am in a privileged position to hear these stories but unfortunately the general public only hear the negative stories. They don&rsquo;t see you in the office until late in the evening trying to complete those court reports or taking a child out for a bite to eat. They don&rsquo;t understand or recognise the fact that as a Social Worker, you put your own life on hold sometimes to help those that need you most.
In 2018, Channel 4 aired the drama series &ldquo;Kiri&rdquo; to mixed reviews. Of course, the negative reaction towards social work raised it&rsquo;s ugly head yet again however there was a really lovely moment for &ldquo;Miriam&rdquo; (Sarah Lancaster) when she was faced with four young people who she had helped as younger children. They all had the same message: I am who I am today, because of you and we are so grateful for that. I think it would be brilliant to see more stories like this in Social Work publications and across Social Media in general.
The COVID19 pandemic tested us as a nation. It tested our resolve, our freedoms and it tested and stretched our basic human instincts....to be close to others. However, as a sector, Social Workers, their managers, front line workers were all pushed to limits and boundaries we never thought possible. So from me personally and from our team, thank you for all of your hard work each and every day.

Social Workers - Unsung Heroes ​

To say that the last 18 months have been difficult is probably the biggest faux pas since our very own Prime Minister quoted Kermit The Frog recently at a UN climate change conference. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy being green&rdquo; will now forever in my mind be linked to that awkward silence often attributed to a bad joke told by the best man at a wedding.
The pandemic has changed the way that we work exponentially and in some ways for the better. For years as recruiters, we have tried to convince our clients to embrace technology and conduct video interviews to make processes more efficient and the fact we all had to lock down and limit contact with others has led to this monumental change. For Social Workers, this has opened up the opportunity to work from home, using video calls to attend meetings as and when needed; introducing a much more flexible lifestyle &ndash; something Social Workers have never been used to.
As the UK vaccination program hit its peak and with far less impact on hospitalisations and deaths compared with 12 months ago, Local Authorities are now slowly starting to open up their doors again, bringing with it the question &ndash; stick or twist? Do they continue to be flexible and allow home working where possible, or do they bring everyone back into the office like its 2019 again?
The answer is that most, if not all authorities are adopting a hybrid model, a rota style system to allow Social Workers to enjoy the best of both worlds, because lets face it, we are creatures of habit and we need social interaction. The jobs market is still as buoyant as ever and after a summer that has seen a huge jump in annual leave being taken, things are starting to settle and more candidates are deciding to make their moves before the darker nights settle in.
​
Are you happy with your new way of working?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sheldon-phillips.com/contact?source=google.com">Speak to our experienced team</a> to discuss your options and find the new role you deserve.

To be, or not to be...flexible

It&rsquo;s no secret now that we decided last year to freshen up the Sheldon Phillips branding and logo. We capped that off with a stunning new website and colour palette that I&rsquo;m really quite proud of. It rejuvenated our business and our outlook for the year ahead. That&rsquo;s all well and good I hear you say, but service is what matters! And you are right &ndash; no one is more important to us than you, our candidates and clients who have worked with us more recently and over the last 9 and a half years! 2021 was a very strong year for us when you needed our services more than ever. Hopefully, the pressures that have come with the pandemic are starting to ease. Last year our locum desk grew substantially and we won some fantastic new contracts, including Local Authorities in London, Berkshire and on the South Coast, among many others. Huge credit goes to Rhys Rafferty, our locum consultant who has really put his stamp on the locum division this year. Towards the end of the year we welcomed Fred, our new consultant to tackle the permanent side of the business and he has made an impressive start to life with Sheldon Phillips. The permanent and locum divisions are growing month on month and we hope to roll out Nationally during 2022. As we approach our 10 year anniversary, I have set some pretty big goals for the business, including maximising our office space with an array of talented consultants all driven to providing the very best service and adhering to our company values. As we move firmly into 2022, you will see a lot of growth in terms of our offering as a business. Rolling out Nationally across the UK is the first goal and we have huge plans for our International offering for Local Authorities too. Come and join us for the ride, it&rsquo;s going to be a great one! If you are a Qualified Social Worker or Manager looking got a new challenge, get in touch with our team on 01635 226350.

New Year, New Targets! ​

<h5>We want to help change the public perception of Social Work and focus on what makes our sector such a good place to be! Yes there will always be issues as in any line of work, but being a Social Worker can bring so much satisfaction and positivity, especially when positively affecting change in the life of a person in need. Here is the first in a series of good news stories from real Social Workers, sharing their real stories. We hope you enjoy.</h5>
I was in my local Aldi queuing up with my shopping where a man stood behind me with a 11 ish year old boy. The 11 year old was huffing that there was a queue and that they should open more tills, I chuckled to myself and turned round and said &lsquo;You&rsquo;re not wrong there!&rsquo; The young boy look familiar and so did the older male he was with. It instantly clicked, he was a child that I had removed from his parents during the pandemic due to long standing neglect and his parents alcohol and drug use. The wider family were desperately sad that they couldn&rsquo;t have him long term but he was destined for great things. It was a case I was covering on behalf of my colleague whilst she was off sick- I had only met him maybe 5/6 times before I had to issue proceedings, there was always something so loveable about him. A care order was granted and it was agreed for him to go into long term foster care, his parents didn&rsquo;t contest the care plan and have never turned up to contact. I immediately said &lsquo;are you (Childs name)?&rsquo; He said yes! I introduced myself to him and said do you remember me? He took a second, I think because I was out of work clothes, in his local Aldi and didn&rsquo;t look my usual professional self. He said YES! He instantly hugged me and said &lsquo;thank you, I love my foster family.&rsquo;
I was gobsmacked at his response- he told me how he was moving up to senior school, he sees his wider family once a month for the weekend and loves his foster brother. The foster carer also put two and two together and recognised me and told me how well he was doing and how proud they were.
Whilst still waiting in the queue the foster carer quickly ran to grab something he forgot- I had a brief moment with him alone when I said &lsquo;are you sure you&rsquo;re happy?&rsquo; The young boy said his views with conviction and that he truly was happy. And I believe him.
We paid for our shopping and continue to have a catch up chat, he asked how my dog was and whether I still had the &lsquo;nice car&rsquo; that I drove him from his parents to placement in. He was so brave that day.
I wished him well and told him that if he ever saw me to come and say hello, he promised he would and we had a farewell hug, instigated by him. I packed my shopping in my car and sat there full with emotion, but happy emotions that he was doing more than just ok.
Social worker is ever demanding, ever stressful and ever scrutinised. Yet moments like that, that really do catch you off guard with real success stories are the reason we do our job. I will forever remember the bravery of him and the power of loving foster carers.
<h5>Have you got a story you would like to share with us? Contact our team on 01635 226 350 or send over your experiences via email to hello@sheldon-phillips.com</h5>

Good News Story #1

<h2>Interview Tips - Local Authorities and Trusts</h2>
Here we have a list of some great tips and ideas to make sure that you really sell yourself at interview with Local Authorities and Trusts. You need to prepare whether it is a locum or permanent role, but always remember......BELIEVE in your own experience and do everything you can get that across. ​ ​1. Understand the Local Authority or Trusts mission and values: Before the interview, research their mission and values. Be prepared to speak about how your personal values align with those of the client. 2. Be prepared to talk about your experience: Prepare specific examples of your experience working with diverse populations, managing difficult situations, and using evidence-based practices. 3. Demonstrate empathy and active listening: Social workers need to be able to empathize with clients and actively listen to their concerns. During the interview, demonstrate your ability to do so by reflecting back on what the interviewer has said and askingthoughtful follow-up questions. 4. Highlight your communication skills: Social workers need to be able to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, and other professionals. Be prepared to give examples of how you have communicated effectively in past work experiences. 5. Show your commitment to ongoing professional development: Social workers need to stay up-to-date on best practices and be committed to ongoing professional development. Be prepared to talk about your continued education and how you stay current inyour field. 6. Address self-care and burnout prevention: Social workers are at risk of experiencing burnout and compassion fatigue due to the emotional demands of the job. During the interview, be prepared to discuss how you address self-care and prevent burnout inyour work. 7. Demonstrate cultural humility: Social workers need to be able to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds. During the interview, demonstrate your cultural humility by discussing your awareness and respect for cultural differences and how you haveworked with diverse populations in the past. 8. Discuss your knowledge of community resources: Social workers need to be knowledgeable about community resources that can help clients. During the interview, be prepared to discuss your knowledge of community resources and how you haveconnected clients with those resources in the past.

'Dear Social Worker....'

IR35 - The Facts

​Uncompliant Umbrella Companies: A Change in Law

​"Just A Child" - A Review

Social Workers - Unsung Heroes ​

To be, or not to be...flexible

New Year, New Targets! ​

Uncompliant Umbrella Companies: A Change in Law

"Just A Child" - A Review

Social Workers - Unsung Heroes

New Year, New Targets!