Social work is re-discovering its lost voice – Hilton Dawson

In his keynote speech to the BASW annual conference, chief executive Hilton Dawson paid tribute to the thousands of professionals who stood up for fact that every social worker across the UK should have access to a College of Social Work.

Social work had lost its voice during 13 years of Labour government, he told the crowded conference hall in Birmingham, but BASW’s recent referendum was the “critical moment when we got off our collective knees and said we will be quiet no more”.

The coming year during which the College will be established would be hugely important for BASW, Mr Dawson said in his speech entitled Social Work’s New Assertiveness, and he called on members to help ensure the association had a “fundamental impact”. Social workers were “the best profession in the world” and they should have a powerful role through the new College in setting standards in education and the workplace, and in establishing a proper career structure.

“This organisation is leading the way on the transformation of social work,” Mr Dawson added. While the last government had failed to see social work as a “critical ally” in bringing about social change, the new government’s emphasis on democracy and empowering frontline professionals should be “music to our ears”.

BASW’s membership is growing towards 13,000 and the association’s council is investing in knowledge and research, as well as better communications, to ensure that it would have a prominent role in the College, which should be UK-wide, led by social workers and fully accountable to the profession.    

Responding to questions afterwards, Mr Dawson said BASW had already begun to build a good relationship with the new government through children’s minister Tim Loughton, while social work should be pivotal to David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ policy. He emphasised, however, his view that cuts in quangos and other public services should take precedence over cuts in social workers’ jobs.

Asked about the future of the College, BASW development manager Bridget Robb said the College Development Group had discussed it with all the political parties before the election and the proposal had had all-party support, although there might be some differences between them over how it will be funded. Labour had promised some initial funding, but it is not clear whether the new government will find money to pump-prime the new College.  “We can’t stop the discussions about the new College now, we’ve got to take it forward,” Ms Robb said.