If it still goes ahead, I’ll be taking up the opportunity to join the College of Social Work next Tuesday.
That certainly isn’t because I believe any of the ‘ services’ offered, or any of the cheap deals being promoted are likely to be real or sustainable.
In fact, it’s because of my BASW membership, (which incidentally entitles me to the support of the best Advice and Representation team in the business) that I’m able to do this in the first place.
Without BASW, the College would by now have sacrificed its independence to its still favoured deal with Unison, and there wouldn’t be anything for me to join.
Nor is it because I approve of very much that the College has done.
Launching a membership scheme when you don’t even own the College name and without the backing of any of the trade unions, BASW/ SWU, and many other professional associations, is about as half-baked as it gets.
Using state sponsorship to try to undermine those free, democratic organisations and replace them with a puppet administration is the sort of thing that used to go on in Eastern Europe.
Publicising your ‘free’ offer without noting that it doesn’t include trade union/ advice and representation services is a trap for the unwary, and is downright irresponsible when social workers need the very best support.
Nevertheless and however they’ve tried to qualify it, membership of the College should provide a democratic opportunity. So while my organisation BASW is hopefully working with all others to help create the real College that social work needs from the outside, I also intend to work away on the inside to that same end.
Social Work is my profession. A proper College of Social Work should belong to social workers, not to anyone else, and when membership brings me the right to use my voice and my vote that’s what I intend to do.
If you’re a member of BASW/ SWU or another trade union or professional organisation, I hope you’ll join me in what I’m going to legitimately and democratically try to do. If you’re not a member of anything, I strongly recommend that you get the protection of BASW around you, before you join the College but please get involved too. It’s our profession and it will be our College by the time we’re through.
College membership currently only applies to social workers in England. Joining the College would provide no benefit to social workers outside of England at all. BASW, with SASW, NIASW and BASW Cymru, remains the only professional body for social workers throughout the UK.
Working together from the inside, let’s open up a second front in the effort to create the UK-wide, independent, powerful College led by and accountable to social workers that social work needs and that social workers want to see.
Hilton Dawson RSW