Social workers urge politicians for UK social work college

More than 100 social workers gathered in London today to challenge politicians on the crisis in their profession.

The Social Workers: Taking Back our Profession rally was organised by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) in a bid to get answers from all political parties on how they plan to improve social work.

Among the politicians quizzed at the event were children’s minister Delyth Morgan, shadow children’s minister Tim Loughton and Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone, as well as chair of the social work taskforce Moira Gibb.

Social workers urged politicians to support the founding of a UK college of social work. Tim Chittleburgh, chair of BASW, said: “We will play a founding role in what should be a UK college of social work building on the BASW code of ethics and our membership.

“We commit ourselves to devoting our resources and skills to bring about this college as soon as possible and to have key decisions made before a general election.”

Children’s minister Morgan said the government was aware that a college of social work was an important part of the taskforce’s work and said she hoped progress on this would be made soon after the final report of the taskforce expected later this month.

She added: “This is the moment to do the right thing for social work and we are committed to that.”

Earlier this month the campaign won cross party support when an early day motion asking MPs to support the campaign and back a college of social work, was tabled by Labour MP David Drew. Lib Dem Andrew George, Conservative Peter Bottomly and Labour MP Lynne Jones backed it.