Professional and service user views sought on College of Social Work

The chair of the Social Work Taskforce Moira Gibb has launched a UK-wide consultation into the development of The College of Social Work.

Social workers and people who use social work services are being invited to give their views on how the college should function. They will be able to give their opinions on who should be able to join the college and how the college should work with unions and regulators, such as Ofsted.

They will also be invited to suggest how the college should work with people who use social work services and their carers. A total of 22 consultation events will be held across the country, 12 for social work practitioners and managers, and 10 for users of social work services.

Gibb claimed the college would give social work the “authoritative and influential” professional voice it deserves.

“It is important that from the outset the college speaks for the breadth of the profession and represents the views of all social workers,” she explained. “This consultation is a major opportunity for the whole sector to set the direction and control the future of the college.”

Allan Bowman, chair of the college development group, encouraged everyone with views on social work to take part in the consultation and help develop the college.

“We’ve been looking forward to today because it’s when the college’s work can really begin,” he said. “We need the input of social workers, people who use social work services and their carers. Their views will shape the way the college is run.”

The consultation on the college will run until October, but the college is expected to start functioning under an interim board within the next couple of months. The college is set to be launched formally in Spring 2011.