News Articles
Search and read social work related news articles across a range of topics
BASW responds to allegations of targeting foreign families for adoption
There have been a number of claims made recently by families, notably from Slovakia, that children have been unfairly taken from their parents by authorities in England, culminating in a protest outside the British Embassy in Bratislava last month.
4th October 2012
BASW calls for social workers and judges to get same protection as celebrities
Following a successful campaign to take down a number of online hate sites ‘naming and shaming’ social workers and family court judges engaged in the protection of vulnerable children, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and its trade union arm the Social Workers Union (SWU) is asking for these professionals to receive the same concern from the police as recent high profile figures.
3rd October 2012
HCPC launches video as concerns grow over slow start to re-registration process
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has followed up its warning that social workers in England who do not re-register before 30 November will be unable to practise using the title ‘social worker’ by issuing a video outlining how to renew swiftly.
2nd October 2012
College walks out on talks with BASW
The British Association of Social Workers is extremely disappointed to report that The College of Social Work (TCSW) has decided that it is not possible to create a unified organisation for social workers in the UK.
28th September 2012
Rochdale report: BASW supports call for better training on sexual exploitation issues
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) strongly welcomes today’s report into why professionals in the Rochdale area failed to stop the sexual abuse of young girls, between 2007 and 2011. BASW believes the report, commissioned by Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board (RBSCB), offers a rare opportunity to learn vital lessons about how social workers, the police, healthcare professionals and others can work far more effectively to minimise the chances of such appalling outcomes for such vulnerable young people
27th September 2012
Member update – BASW Chief Executive and SWU General Secretary
Yesterday the Social Workers Union (SWU) Executive agreed that the duties of the General Secretary shall be carried out by the Acting Assistant General Secretary, David Allan, during the period of Hilton Dawson’s absence from the British Association of Social Workers (BASW).
25th September 2012
BASW: Lack of advocacy for asylum seeking children “diabolical”
As the Children’s Society publishes a critical report of the UK Border Agency’s practices when dealing with asylum seeking children, BASW has condemned the lack of legal advice, advocacy and specific supportive services for asylum seeking children as “diabolical”.
22nd September 2012
Will the government Dilnot or not? We need to get on with it
As the recently ousted care services minister today launched an attack on the Treasury for a lack of political will on funding care reform, BASW is today urging the government to stop “dithering” and get on with it.
21st September 2012
Whistleblowers sought amidst Derry care home concern
Northern Ireland Assembly health minister Edwin Poots has urged whistleblowers to come forward with information, following allegations of the abuse of adults with severe learning disabilities at a Derry care home.
21st September 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
‘King Richard III’ causes a stir among social workers in Leicester
It may have meant the loss of their carpark but social workers at Leicester City Council aren’t complaining.
14th September 2012
Trafficked children: “Staff lack skills, not compassion”
As the Council of Europe’s GRETA (Group of Experts on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings) today releases a report on trafficked children, BASW is supporting GRETA’s call for better services and more specialist trained staff.
12th September 2012
BASW: social workers must confront taboos around suicide and depression
BASW is urging social workers to use today’s World Suicide Prevention Day to begin confronting taboos about suicide and depression, as a preventative film is launched with part funding from the Association.
10th September 2012
BASW launches guide for social workers on alcohol use in older people
Ahead of Joan Bakewell’s BBC Panorama investigation of older people’s drinking habits, BASW has launched a guide aimed at spotting the signs of alcohol abuse, and expressed concern that the excesses of this group can be overlooked by hospitals.
7th 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
SASW: Food parcels “a taste of looming poverty”
Following a report from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) showing that the number of people asking for food parcels from charities in Scotland has doubled in the past two years to 2,200, the Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) has warned that the situation will get worse as welfare reforms bite ever harder.
4th September 2012
Social workers exposed online – the dangers we face
Last week saw public attention drawn to the launch of a new “name and shame” website aimed at “exposing the truth” about social workers and their penchant for unjustly removing children from their parents.
3rd September 2012
BASW condemns ‘name and shame’ website and urges employers to act
BASW has expressed serious concern after the emergence of a new website aimed at ‘naming and shaming’ social workers who are involved in child protection work – particularly cases involving the removal of children deemed to be at risk.
29th August 2012
Never knowingly undersold: social workers, not accountants, should have say on assessments
BASW has countered a report by public spending watchdog The Audit Commission, which suggests the adult social care funding gap could be plugged by using unqualified staff to complete assessments, with a reminder that cheaper doesn’t always mean better.
23rd August 2012
Cuts to Working Together guidance will lead to less protection for disabled children
BASW has warned that proposed changes to child protection guidance may exacerbate the risk of abuse faced by disabled children, as Ofsted publish a new study of 173 cases in 12 local authorities, finding that too many disabled children had child protection needs which went unidentified.
22nd August 2012
