Bloody Social Worker: One Man's Three Decades in Social Care

by Richard Wills, Jeff Weston (Editor)

On Monday, 30 November 2020, Richard Wills resigned. Burnt out, unable to take it anymore and with his health shot to pieces, he decided that being a social worker was no longer him.

BLOODY SOCIAL WORKER – mallet and memoir – documents his 32 years on the front line, in ‘Madchester’ and Oldham, together with his childhood in Cumbria.

This isn’t a dry, academic splodge of a book though, about processes and policy, but one which illuminates the “glorious, tragic, funny, and enchanting figures” he came across.

Stumbling into moving taxis, looking after ‘Salman Rushdie’s’ cat, witnessing fights between Mr T (blind) and Mr M (Down’s syndrome) on the disco floor and in a helicopter, Wills invites you into his former world and simply asks you to look at complex individuals – those who “perplex and amuse” – with fresh eyes.


‘Wills makes your brain tingle and your heart ache as he takes you through the tunnel of society’s most serious issues. Yet the process feels like a delicate breeze as he honours the downtrodden. Sharp, informative, and laugh-out-loud in unexpected places’ Aidan Martin, author of Euphoric Recall

‘A fascinating peek into the world of social work. Emotional, honest and sometimes brutal, but with wonderful, deft touches of humour’ Mick Ferry, comedian / purveyor of lugubrious surrealism

Genres: Nonfiction

204 pages, Paperback

Published December 10, 2022

Reviews

[Yasmine Salisbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Social work student year 2

Interesting insight into a social work career that ended due to how difficult the career has become. Social work student year two.

[Peter Scholes]

An eye opener

This is a gritty, emotional and alarmingly honest account of an often misunderstood and underappreciated profession. Faced with constant cuts, low wages and intense day to day pressures, it's a wonder that anyone would choose social work as a career. .. but they do. Why? Because they care about the most vulnerable people in our society (many examples of whom are described in these pages). As an ex teacher who left the profession for the same reasons as this author, I can wholeheartedly empathise with the mental struggles and constant uphill battle against cuts, officious/cruel management and a system not fit for purpose. This isn't a happy story and neither should it be. It is a window into a world of the most desperate in our society and, within that number, I include the thousands of people who dedicated their lives to care and support those in need of our help.

[Kirsten Bett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written well, and edited well. I loved the beginning especially, of how Richard Wills came to be a social worker. He tells his story in relation to political developments at the time. They are so intertwined and important for how social work is prioritised and executed. I get that.

But its his stories of the people he takes care of where the book really comes alive for me. I hope he'll show more of them in future books!

[Jennifer Pittman · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting overview of his working life. Things are very different now and I can understand why he left.