AskBASW – The England Team

	Ruth Cartwright RSW BASW England Manager Ruth qualified as a social worker in the 1980s, joining a team that covered all service user groups, including child protection and mental health. A former senior practitioner and training manager, Ruth spent a number of years as a manager for a hospital social work team before her longstanding membership of BASW prompted her to join as a staff member. Ruth’s areas of expertise include: social work with adults, teaching, learning and development for social workers and students, social justice and poverty, and the effects of stress on social workers. An experienced media spokesperson, Ruth currently serves on a number of boards, including a riots sounding board, and the Local Government Association Advisory Implementation Group on Employer Standards.
	Joe Godden RSW Professional Officer Joe specialises in adults services and currently chairs a learning disability advocacy charity called Independent Advocacy Cheshire. He began his career as a social worker in 1979, before taking up various adult services management posts and becoming a workforce development manager in Stockport. He spent a number of years working independently, on projects including commissioning strategies in residential and domiciliary care and research into workforce development issues. Joe has a wide range of experience of mental health, older people, learning disability, physical disability, hospital and community work. Joe works with carers in training health and social care workers and is a former board member of Skills for Care North West. He has an MA in social work management from Birmingham University.
	Sue Kent RSW Professional Officer Sue qualified as social worker in 1992 and worked in a number of local authorities as a children and families social worker before becoming a practice educator and part-time university tutor. Sue has a wide range of expertise, including working with children who have been victims of sexual exploitation, child protection, fostering, user involvement and complaint resolution. Sue was an expert witness in the Pindown inquiry into the practice of punishing children in care homes in Staffordshire by locking them in solitary confinement. Working in the private sector, Sue established and ran children’s residential units for young women who had been sexually exploited, before joining CAFCASS as a service manager. She has worked as an independent consultant specialising in commissioning strategies in residential and domiciliary care and research into workforce development issues. Sue has an MA in child care law and practice, and an MBA. Prior to joining BASW, she was an Associate Lecturer for the Open University.
	Nushra Mansuri RSW Professional Officer A committed advocate for children’s rights, Nushra leads on children and families social work in England and compiled both BASW’s response to Professor Munro’s review on child protection and evidence to the Justice Select Committee’s inquiry into the workings of family courts. A much sought after spokesperson on child protection issues, Nushra has made frequent appearances on national, local and international media. Originally a secondary school teacher, Nushra retrained as a social worker in 1993. A qualified practice teacher, Nushra has contributed to a number of university programmes, and has recently completed an MA in Childcare Law and Practice and the Advanced Award in Social Work. She represents BASW on the Refugee Children’s Consortium, the Inter-Disciplinary Alliance for Children, and the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) Social Work Advisory Group.

AskBASW

Examples of the sort of queries you might put to the A&R Service

Conduct concerns
Grievance cases
Disciplinary matters
Stress or bullying
Suspension or dismissal from work
Whistleblowing

Examples of the sort of queries you might put to AskBASW

Ethical dilemmas in your work?
Care council registration problems
Training questions
CPD issues
Supervision standards
Stidents concerns about practice placements
Work permits or international qualifications