Most children in care believe their lives are better for being removed from their families but want more support in making the transition to adulthood, according to a report.
Securing post-qualifying qualifications can help make social workers more resistent to burnout, initial findings from research into building resilience amongst social workers in Northern Ireland has...
BASW has responded to the latest government plans to reform the adoption system in England by insisting that a child’s right to the best possible outcome should not be sacrificed in a “knee-jerk”...
Ofsted has now revealed that adoption breakdown will be factored into inspections, despite no reference to this issue when it announced that only local authorities who place children for adoption...
BASW has endorsed the views of Graham Hodkinson, director of Adult Services at Wirral Council, in which he emphasised the importance of social work in the local authority’s future performance.
BASW has called for the proper regulation of all private fostering arrangements in the wake of the convictions of Eric Bikubi and Magalie Bamu for the murder of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu
BASW is one of a number of organisations who submitted evidence to the commission for dignity in care draft report, which has just been published.
In a response to the Health Professions Council’s (HPC) consultation on student registration, BASW has stated that scrapping the social work student register would pose a risk to service users.
In a move claimed to ‘speed up’ the adoption process, Ofsted have announced that local authorities will only be given an outstanding rating, if they place children for adoption within 12 months.
The Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW – part of BASW) has urged the government to embrace flexible and creative solutions to public sector reform in order to ensure the best possible outcomes...
England’s Children’s Rights Director Roger Morgan has released the annual children’s care monitor.
The Children’s Society have published a report, I Don’t Feel Human, about the shocking levels of destitution among refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant children and young people in the UK.
Ahead of the government’s adoption action plan, due to be published next month, in a speech at the Isaac Newton Centre today, Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, has reignited the...
Care Quality Commission (CQC) chief executive Cynthia Bower has resigned her post as a critical Department of Health report is published.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has announced that 1.6 million council workers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will have their pay frozen for the third year in a row.
Nominations are now open for members to put themselves forward for the England Committee.
The final programme in the three-part Protecting our Children series on BBC2 gave further insight into some of the difficult cases that arise so often within children and families social work.
New statistics from Cafcass reporting record numbers of children being referred to social services have sparked widespread debate in the media, even drawing in ITV’s flagship daytime show, This...
Commenting on Cafcass’ announcement that the number of children referred into care in England has hit a record high, Sue Kent, BASW professional officer, said: “It is necessary that referrals are on...
Social workers in Northern Ireland are invited to come along to the Long Gallery in Stormont to mark the 2012 World Social Work Day on Monday 12 March.
Free workshop for members on ‘gaining influence in government’ BASW Cymru is hosting two interactive workshops.
Social workers in Wales will mark World Social Work Day with a conference featuring a presentation on multi-agency working from Gwent Police, and life as a social worker overseas, presented by the...
BASW professional officer Sue Kent shares her perspective on the second of the three Protecting our Children documentaries on BBC2.
A major event in Perth on 20 March offers social workers a chance to advance their professional development while joining with fellow professionals across the globe in marking World Social Work Day.
The Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW – part of BASW) has hit out at plans to abolish prison Visiting Committees.
BASW has responded to the government’s decision to reject the stance of the Family Justice Review and press ahead with legislation that would enshrine the rights of both parents to have access to...
Social workers have reacted strongly to the first episode of ‘Protecting Our Children’ on BBC2, a documentary following the case of a family in Bristol subject to the intervention of the council’s...
The Social Workers’ Educational Trust is encouraging social workers to apply for one of two £1,500 grants for undertaking research into key areas of practice.
Ahead of the first episode of ‘Protecting Our Children’ on BBC2 on Monday, BASW urged local authorities to follow Bristol City Council’s example in allowing cameras to follow their social workers as...
Following lobbying from the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), an All Party Parliamentary Social Work Group has held its first meeting, a move aimed at moving social work higher up the...
BASW has welcomed a report from Action for Children in which the charity highlights social workers’ powerlessness to intervene in suspected neglect cases.
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and The College of Social Work (TCSW) have each agreed to appoint one independent person to work together as mediators and negotiators seeking to...
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) has updated its Code of Ethics for social workers as evidence emerges that frontline workers being put under pressure to turn a blind eye to unethical...
BASW Cymru has highlighted the pressures facing social workers in Wales and called for a change in culture among employers to offer more scope for social workers to raise concerns about resource...
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) is hearing from increasing numbers of social workers facing financial difficulty, with some turning to payday loans with extortionately high interest...
Membership continues to rise and BASW’s visibility and impact on the sector is increasing. The Association is now seeking nominations for the honorary officer posts of BASW Chair, BASW Vice Chair and...
BASW has lent its support to a report claiming that the government “misled” MPs and peers over the levels of “hostility” to disability benefit reforms.
BASW is urging social workers who have qualified overseas to take part in a survey aimed at better understanding the information and support people receive on arriving to practise in the UK.
With cross party talks on the future of social care due to begin again, BASW has added its support to a letter, published in the Daily Telegraph.
BASW has raised concerns that proposed proficiency standards for social workers would place unreasonable expectations on newly-qualified social workers.
The Health Professions Council (HPC) has launched a consultation on whether it should keep a voluntary register for social work students.
The University of Bedfordshire have published a report entitled ‘What’s Going on?’ into safeguarding children and young people from sexual exploitation.
Three prominent social work figures who have held discussions with leaders of BASW and the Interim Board of the nascent College of Social Work over the past year, attempting to resolve key...
BASW’s Additional General Meeting kicked off with news that the Association’s trade union arm, the Social Workers Union, has received its Certificate of Independence from the Trade Union...
Following calls from the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) for an enquiry into the College of Social Work’s exclusive membership deal with Unison, the Education Select Committee will now...
BASW members this week voted overwhelmingly to support the transfer of the Association’s £3m assets into a future unified College of Social Work, provided the body into which it will merge has the...
BASW has described the publication of adoption league tables to identify local authorities deemed not to be adopting enough children out of care as “crude and simplistic”
BASW has challenged Ofsted to focus on causes and not just effects after the children’s service inspectorate identified key practice issues surrounding the protection of vulnerable babies and young...
BASW has questioned why the government is washing its hands of serious financial questions by refusing to properly address legitimate concerns raised by social workers over the yet to be established...
A former social work team manager based in a remote part of Scotland has written to his ex-employer raising concerns that social workers have been replaced by unqualified workers to carry out complex...
This page will be used as a rolling blog, containing contributions and updates from the BASW member’s trip to Russia, check back for regular updates.
The editors of the British Journal of Social Work invite submission of applications to act as guest editor(s) for a Special Issue with a publication month of March 2013 (Volume 43, No.2).
Social workers have told BASW that deep cuts to social work services are already impacting on the frontline, with almost all respondents to an online poll expressing concern at potentially tragic...
Plans to cap fees for independent social workers acting as expert witnesses are “ill-conceived and discriminatory”.
BASW Scotland convenor Graeme Rizza has written to the first minister Alex Salmond urging him to help safeguard social work services from Westminster spending cuts and offer the same recognition for...
The number of looked-after children in Wales has risen by 10 per cent in the last year, according to the National Statistics for Wales.
Children and young people say that social workers are not always respectful and open, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England has said in its submission to the College for of Social...
BASW Scotland leaders appear to have secured a notable concession from MSPs considering legislation that would allow people to ask a doctor to help them end their life.
BASW assistant chief executive Phil James re-affirmed the Association’s commitment to independent social work by announcing further investment in ISW members at their conference on Saturday
The co-director of a community cohesion and empowerment organisation has pledged to make a television programme that promotes social workers and showcases real social work. Peaches Cadogan, co-...