Review of Children’s Social Care: BASW England web hub

The Department for Education announced its Review of Children’s Social Care in January 2021.

This dedicated web hub is a way to stay up to date with the review and BASW England's response:

• Latest updates

• Our approach

• Get involved

• Additional information

• BASW England's 10 Priorities for the Care Review 

BASW England will continue to update this page with the latest information and action by BASW in response to the review. 

Latest updates & BASW England's response to the Review

August 2022

** Independent Review of Children's Social Care - BASW England full response **

See BASW England's response to individual chapters of the report:

• Introduction
• A Revolution in Family Help
• A just and decisive child protection system
• Unlocking the potential of family networks
• Transforming Care
• The Care Experience
• Realising the potential of the workforce
• A system that is relentlessly focused on children and families

May 2022

** Care Review final report: BASW response **

• ** BASW statement — Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in England releases final report **

Media coverage:

• Launch of national review into child deaths – BASW senior exec respond to the review into the tragic murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, including failings of social workers. Appearing on BBC News, ITV, Good Morning Britain and BBC Politics North, we addressed the failings but also covered the wider context of poverty, deteriorating working conditions, lack of resources and poor retention rates contributing to a poorer service in some areas.
• Launch of Independent review into Childrens social care – BASW senior exec and members engaged with all the major TV outlets, including BBC News, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, to comment on this ‘once-in-a-generation’ review. While the review requires a thorough on-going analysis, BASW’s initial reaction was to broadly welcome some of the aims of the review and calling for Government to match the funding set out.

  BASW commented however, that the review doesn’t go far enough in tackling the wider context of poverty driving up demand on social services.  We also queried many aspects of the review’s recommendations for certain social worker roles, as wells questioning whether implementation of the wider plan was realistic. 

• Care system: Help families before they reach crisis, urges review - BASW widens the focus to look at how austerity years and poverty is driving up demand on social services
• Review proposals to ‘axe’ child protection conference chairs a ‘massive concern’, warns BASW - BASW warns about the loss of IRO's and the diluting of specific social worker roles
• PSW magazine: Children's social care review must make the link to poverty

March 2022

• CMA review into children’s social care: BASW England statement

February 2022

• Let's Talk Social Work podcast: 'The kids aren’t alright—how unregulated placements fail our young people'
• PSW magazine: 'Truth to power - a care experienced campaigner's journey to Number 10'
• BASW England releases new resource for Children and Families Social Workers

December 2021

• Blog: #WhyICare: Social workers on the importance of engaging with the Review of Children's Social Care in England
• Why Care About the Care Review? Webinar
• Resource: BASW England publishes Scoping Review for Children and Families Social Workers

November 2021

• Review of Children's Social Care agrees to Children's Rights Impact Assessment: BASW England response

October 2021

• BASW England responds to Care Review's latest publication - a summary of feedback received on the Review's Case for Change report

September 2021

• BASW podcast: 'The Care Review, Part 2 — Meeting the needs of Black & minoritised children in care'

August 2021

• BASW England publishes response to 'Case for Change' document

July 2021

• 'Children are the future: Why a Child-Centred Approach must be at the Heart of Pandemic Recovery' 
  Rebekah Pierre, BASW England Professional Officer, writes a powerful article for the Inside Government blog, in which she brings both personal and professional insight into the complexities of the looked after system.
• BASW podcast: 'Who Cares? — Examining the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care'

June 2021

• BASW England encourages members to complete survey on Case for Change report to help inform its overall response and influence the future work of the review.

June 2021

• The Case for Change - review of children's social care report - an initial BASW response
  "More must be done to grasp and fully understand the value and the importance that social workers bring in supporting children, families and young people." (Maris Stratulis, BASW England Director)
• 'Independent Review of Children's Social Care - Oversimplification of the role of social workers and negative government narrative of social worker engagement with children and families'  
  Andy Gill, BASW England Chair and Maris Stratulis, BASW England National Director comment on Sunday Times article
• Maris Stratulis, BASW England National Director, talks to BBC News about the Care Review following reports of increasing demand for child care services

May 2021 

• BASW England outlines 10 Priority Areas for the Review

March 2021

• Vicky Ford MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families letter in response (dated 31 March 2021) to BASW England letter dated 19 February 2021. BASW England continues to monitor, explore progress and develop our responses to the review.  
• BASW England raise further deep concerns on how the Review of Children’s Social Care will be conducted

February 2021

• BASW England writes to SoS for Education Gavin Williamson
• A policy statement was developed after consideration by relevant BASW England member-led groups and the National Standing Committee.
• A Vision for Social Work: Children and Families is launched. 
• BASW England shared an update on the principles that BASW holds about social work on responding to the Children’s Social Care Review 2021. 

January 2021

• Education Secretary launches review of children’s social care.  (15 January 2021)

 

Our approach & next steps

• The BASW England Review Steering Group which includes members of the Children and Families Group, BASW branch representatives and National Standing Committee, will be the lead working group for collating views of members.
• We will be consulting with BASW England membership and seeking their views about the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care via surveys, open events, and other accessible means based on the needs of members.
• Members are encouraged to read more about the review and may choose to respond directly to the review at  https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/independent-review-of-childrens-social-care
• We will work in collaboration with experts by experience, advocacy groups, social work managers academics and researchers, members of allied professions to ensure the voice of children, families, carers and social workers are heard.
• We will lobby MPs, other identified stakeholders and partners based on statements generated in partnership with members.

 

How do I get involved? 

It is vitally important that our profession has an opportunity to engage with the review.

We are urging all members, particularly those working in children and families social work to contribute to the BASW England response and make submissions to the review  from your practice knowledge or research, as individuals or team members.

• If you are in practice, ask your employer to disseminate information on the care review to all children and families social workers in your organisation.
• Keep in touch with BASW England action and updates
• If you are making a submission, where the nature of your role makes this possible, do this together with a parent(s), young people or carers you are working with
• If you make a submission, it would be good if you would copy BASW in so that we can know what issues are being brought to the attention of the Review
• Contact your local BASW branch where one exists to ask them about the review and local activism.

Contact the BASW England team for more information: rebekah.pierre@basw.co.uk or paul.shuttleworth@basw.co.uk. 

 

Additional information

Why is the government reviewing children’s social care services?

It states that the review will reshape the services for children and families who receive social work services, (the processes as well as the practice) and aims to improve the lives of England’s most vulnerable children, so they experience the benefits of a stable, loving home.

This review has the potential to impact on all aspects of children and families social work and the way in which social workers practice.

We are urging all social workers to familiarise themselves with the independent review of children’s social care, respond to consultations and activity attend regional and national BASW events related to it and others such as the All Party Parliamentary Group events.

There has been an increase in recent years in the number of looked after children and there are variations across the country in respect of child and family social work and social care practice. The review is aiming to address the needs of children who are felt not to have “stable loving homes”.

Useful links

A new website has been launched by the review to provide updates on progress, events and other ways to get involved.

Events

BASW England hosted events for BASW members so that they could find out more about the review and share their own views and professional experiences:

• Tuesday, 13 July 2021 - 12:30pm to 2:00pm
• Tuesday, 3 August 2021 - 12:30pm to 2:00pm
• Friday, 27 August 2021 - 10:30am to 12:00pm

Timescales

We understand that the review will last between twelve and fifteen months. BASW is asking the government to reconsider this not-least because the short timeframe, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, makes it extremely difficult for social workers and social work educators/researchers to find the necessary time to contribute considered and coherent analyses of the present situation and raises concerns as to how comprehensive the review will be.