College of Social Work ‘not ready’ to represent the profession

The College of Social Work is not yet ready to take on the responsibility of speaking on behalf of the profession, the body’s co-chair has admitted.

Speaking at the National Children and Adult Services Conference in Manchester, Professor Corinne May-Chahal, the interim co-chair of the college, said work around media relationships is ongoing but needs to be completed.

“All of that work feeds into the concern we have that social work is not being adequately represented,” she said. “Everybody has high expectations [of the college] but we are not quite at the point of being able to do it.

“There is quite a lot of confusion in the profession about who does what and who speaks up for them.”

The concession came on the back of concerns raised by General Social Care Council (GSCC) chief executive Penny Thompson that the profession is not adequately represented.

Referring to comments made by junior children’s minister Tim Loughton this week that volunteers could work alongside professional social workers, Thompson said the college should have spoken out on the issue, pointing out that it is a protected title.

“The college has the opportunity to be champion of excellence and the voice of the profession. It should have been on that,” she said.

“We need to put a lot of focus on the college and create the conditions for success.”

Thompson added that social workers should be prepared to pay for the college in addition to paying for their registration through the GSCC.

“I’m sorry if that’s a tough message but I think the outcomes will be very productive,” she explained.

Speaking during the session, Mark Rogers, vice-chair of the Social Work Reform Board, said a government moratorium on publicity spending is hampering efforts to inform social workers of the college’s work.

“We need to work out some viral communication techniques to make sure that, by whatever means, people know what is being done and how to use it,” he said.