Munro’s Warning Puts the Spotlight Back on Workforce Stress and Support.

Professor Eileen Munro, is someone whose voice has long shaped the way we think about child protection and system reform, so  When Professor Eileen Munro warns in Community Care that children’s social care reforms are “very likely to fail” not because the aims are wrong, but because the scale of change is huge, untested, and underprepared.  

It’s Saturday and this got my attention and to be honest it stopped me in my tracks, I read it twice. 

I would encourage you to read the article if you haven’t already (by Mithran Samuel on July 3, 2025 in Children, Social work leaders, Workforce) 

...https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/07/03/munro-childrens-social-care-reforms-very-likely-to-fail-due-to-scale-of-change-and-lack-of-testing/ 

 As someone who has worked long-term on the frontline and as a former Transformation Lead, this hit home. working in and around the sector, We know what it feels like when change is introduced without groundwork, without listening, and without giving people time to prepare.  This isn’t just about policy... It’s people it’s about you, your team, your wellbeing. Your ability to keep showing up for others while trying not to fall apart yourself.  So, what of the people expected to deliver change? 

What is your experience so far? 

Are you already battling burnout, rising demand, and emotional fatigue? Are you being asked to do even more, even faster, with even less clarity? 

Are you the first or last to be consulted, the first or last to be blamed when it goes wrong? 

  Let’s pause the policy talk for a second and ask a more important question: 

 How are you doing? Really.  Not the “I’m fine” answer. Not the head-down, power-through response.  

1. How is all of this landing in your day-to-day life? 

 2. Are you feeling supported?  

3. Are you being asked to lead change while barely keeping yourself or your team afloat?  

4. Are there spaces in your organisation to process, reflect, and actually be heard?  

Who’s looking after the people doing the work? 

Reforms like this affect more than practice. They impact: 

• Your professional confidence 

• Your ability to lead through uncertainty 

• Your mental health and emotional resilience 

  
  

Is your organisation making space for these conversations? 

 Let’s not talk about reform without talking about the people who are supposed to deliver it.   

 Are you being offered: 

 - Protected time to reflect and plan? 

 - Meaningful supervision that goes beyond children’s case updates?  

- Training that builds resilience and not just compliance? 

 - Mental health support, not just workload tracking? 

Change without care leads to collapse....start preparing and planning for your self-care and well-being. 

So,let’s focus on the ‘can do’ elements...How can you improve what this might feel like going forward, and manage the changes and your own and other colleagues' well-being? 

This isn’t a blame game, it’s a reality check, check in with yourself, how can you take back some control? 

Ask yourself, your team or colleagues 

Further Questions for you to consider and raise that may support your future wellbeing 

• How are these reforms affecting us? 

• What would meaningful support actually look like in your role? 

• What needs to change so we can keep showing up, without breaking ourselves? 

• What do we/I need right now? 

• Where can the reflective spaces, the protected time, the honest check-ins be identified? 

Your insights matter... Your well-being matters, and your self-care matters.  

Make your self-care inevitable! 

If you feel able, share your thoughts or ideas in the comments. What’s helped you navigate stress, change, or overwhelm? What positive support have you seen work? 

Let’s learn from each other,  because you’re not alone, and your voice matters.