Praise for caring social workers

Social workers in Hertfordshire have won national recognition for the way they care for young people.

County's social services department has achieved accreditation from the International Standards Organisation (ISO).

The recognition is a first for the department.

The ISO looks at all aspects of the service, making sure that standards are improved through regular assessments.

Staff enthusiasm

In their report on Hertfordshire's social workers, the auditors praised the enthusiasm of the staff, team spirit and the inter-agency work, as a good example of how a children, schools and families department works in practice.

Hertfordshire's assistant director of the department, Cheryl Hopkins, said she was delighted by the recognition.

She said social workers, whose caseloads put them under a great deal of pressure, were rarely given the praise they deserved.

Last week the county's social services was given a two-star rating by the Department of Health's Social Services Inspectorate (SSI).