News Articles
Search and read social work related news articles across a range of topics
BASW: Profiteering private firms won’t save under-funded LA social services
BASW has hit out at Sandwell Council’s decision to award a £1.5m 30-month contract to management consultancy firm iMPOWER to run its children’s services.
9th November 2012
MPs listen to concerns from social work frontline
MPs acknowledge "crisis" in social work after professional testimonials underline concerns raised in BASW's State of Social Work survey.
7th November 2012
Resource implications cannot be ignored after MPs express safeguarding fears for older children
BASW welcomed a report by MPs on the House of Commons Education Select Committee, highlighting failings in the care system for older children, but warned the situation would get worse unless the government recognises the urgency of the dangers facing the child protection system.
7th November 2012
Rise in children coming into care amid cutbacks puts increased pressure on social workers, Lords told
Lords inquiry warned social workers are straining under increased workload as more children come into care in a climate of service cuts.
7th November 2012
BASW says leadership and resources are key to transforming Birmingham children's services
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) says sustained leadership improvements are crucial if Birmingham City Council is to successfully turn around its child protection services, following the latest critical Ofsted report, but that this must be supported by a central government acceptance that local authorities cannot cope with any more funding cuts.
19th October 2012
Eastenders responds to Professional Social Work Magazine (PSW)
In light of the controversy surrounding the EastEnders’ storyline, PSW put some questions to the show’s executive producer, Lorraine Newman. Here are her answers.
16th October 2012
Social work funding constraints toughest for a whole generation
Senior BASW member and social worker in Wales speaks out about how funding for social work is worse today than it has been at any time in the last three decades.
15th October 2012
IPPR ‘Frontline’ report: we first need to retain existing social workers
As the IPPR today publishes a new report proposing to apply the Teach First model to children’s social work, BASW cautioned of the need to support and retain existing staff and current graduates, many of whom are struggling to secure their first posts.
4th October 2012
BASW’s caution about increase in service outsourcing
BASW has questioned the extent to which councils in England understand the role of social work, in the wake of a government backed report which reveals that more than a third of council leaders and chief executives think that there are “no local services that could not delivered by an external agency”.
14th September 2012
New ministers challenged to contribute to social work inquiry
BASW has responded to the appointment of Edward Timpson MP as new children’s minister and Norman Lamb MP as care services minister by urging them to learn the lessons their predecessors refused to heed.
5th September 2012
Local authorities respond to BASW’s State of Social Work survey
Among the 17 local authorities to respond to BASW’s State of Social Work survey at the time of going to press, many accepted that social workers were under pressure, particularly in children’s services, but emphasised local efforts to ensure their own staff were better protected.
3rd July 2012
Social workers fear for vulnerable children as cuts push system to breaking point
Read BASW’s latest Huffington Post blog Our social workers are cleaning toilets instead of protecting children.
17th May 2012
