Fact, fiction and a true vocation

You can never please all of the people all of the time, especially when making TV shows.

Some viewers hailed Peaky Blinders as a masterclass in portraying gritty organised crime drama.

For others, however, it’s simply been a grandstand for every human vice, including racketeering, swearing, smoking and – bloomin’ ’eck! – early morning whisky drinking.

Social_2_SmallThere’s no doubt then the producers of Channel 4’s new drama Kiri, which launched this month, knew they had a challenge on their clapperboards.

We don’t want to drop any spoilers so let’s just say the story involves social worker Miriam Grayson and a nine-year-old girl in her care who suddenly disappears.

After the first episode was aired the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) welcomed the fact child protection and adoption were being explored on our goggle-boxes.

It also said it would love to see even more social care work being shown so the public could understand and appreciate its importance in our daily lives.

No, the controversy has not come from the storyline but the portrayal of Miriam by BAFTA-winning actress Sarah Lancashire.

Miriam is, let’s say, complex.

She drinks in the workplace, drives after drinking and visits clients’ homes drunk. Oh, and she also takes her dog to work.

Actually, we’re not sure this last bit is such a bad thing but many social workers disagree and have expressed their unhappiness with Channel 4’s portrayal of their profession.

For their part, Channel 4 point out detailed research went into the show and its content is designed to highlight the personal and professional challenges social workers face.

The show certainly manages to illustrate the fact social care pros are passionate about their job – and they must be compassionate and understanding.

There’s also no doubt the Kiri shows Miriam dealing with complex subject matters.

In fact, every day there can be a fine line to walk between managing risks and allowing freedoms when it comes to making big decisions for clients.

If you’re interested in joining this sector – either as a short-term vocation or as a long-term career – Kiri might well inspire you to explore real life social work.

So while BASW says it will be watching the rest of the four-part series to see how the story progresses, why not take a look at the latest social care, housing and childcare vacancies on s1jobs?