As a retired social worker, it was with sadness but not surprise that I read your headline ‘Children in care on the rise’ (Enfield Independent, October 15).

This will remind readers what a difficult job social work is; sometimes nearly impossible. But I was glad to see this headline because at least it was, for once, not telling us that social workers are the ones to blame. So who can we blame, and what can be done? I believe one problem is that social workers very often don’t meet a family until it’s almost too late to do anything really useful to help.

One reason for this is that the public view of social workers is frequently very negative. And so there are many occasions when a mother might have been able to receive some support, but terror of losing her children will stop her from asking for help.

An example of this might be when a woman has a violent partner, whom she has had difficulty in leaving, for financial or other reasons. The Government could help, if it chose to do so, by making social work a respected profession again, where people would be glad to turn for support. Social workers need better pay scales, better conditions, better training and better management. However, on Saturday, October 18, I took part in a march of protest in central London against the continuing cuts.

People were angry at the way our Government is spending our money. I met teachers who told me of pupils whose only decent meal each day is their school dinner.

So I cannot see this Government doing anything to improve conditions for social workers, teachers, or any other public service workers, and still less for those whose welfare depends so much on them.

Jean Robertson-Molloy

Prospective Parliamentary Green Party candidate for Enfield Southgate Arlow Road, Winchmore Hill