Why can’t BASW just join the College after it is legally established as the IB claims it could?
BASW was heavily involved in much of the groundwork that has gone into developing a College of Social Work but has not been able to bring its influence as a social work membership body to the table over recent months, as a direct result of a decision of the Interim Board of the nascent College to exclude it from the process.
This is a vital phase in the establishment of a College, much of which will determine crucial elements of how this new entity will function.
BASW has been excluded at a time when it is proposed that a legally binding and exclusive deal with Unison will be agreed – a deal BASW has never been able to access in full.
As such, BASW is no longer a potential partner for the College of Social Work but a mere adjunct to a newly established body with no influence over the structures and arrangements that underpin it. Is this a proper way to treat 14,000 real, fee-paying social workers?
Given BASW’s grave concerns about the independence, probity and integrity of the College currently being developed, it simply must be involved now, not later once everything is cemented into place.
The best way to create this College is through a genuine merger, militating against the waste and inefficiency that would stem from setting up an entirely new organisation and then looking to bolt BASW on to this. Surely it is more practical and less wasteful to create the new entity by drawing on many of BASW's existing services and seeking to develop these and other services in the best interests of the social work profession.