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British Association of Social Workers Strive to Revive Public Confidence with Independent College
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) has voted to establish a new College of Social Work. 89 per cent of the 5000 qualified social workers voted in favour of the action, which they hope will help raise the profile of their profession.
In a Guardian blog, Hilton Dawson, former MP and Chief Executive of the BASW, states
"We need devolved governments that will recognise the critical importance of social work to people's lives that they are just as good as doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers."
Qualified social workers feel that their profession is undervalued. By creating a college that is led by and accountable to those in the social care sector, the hope is that there will be greater quality control over those in the profession. For example, a social care recruitment company would only put forward candidates who have completed a national competency standard test. By introducing more stringent entry requirements, the standard of work and consequently the status of the profession will improve.
In London, the BASW are battling with the Ministry of Justice where planned cuts threaten Independent Social Workers with being excluded from giving evidence in family court cases. These specialised and qualified social workers are being seen as a luxury and not as a necessity, as a result family practitioners have resoundingly stated that children will be at risk' if the MoJ proceed with the decision. Without deserved acknowledgement, the social care profession is being threatened. And subsequently, so too is society at large.
Social care recruitment has also suffered from a blow to the reputation of social work. With fewer recruitments in social care, social workers face increasingly heavy caseloads. As a result, locum social work has been necessary to keep workers afloat. Without locum recruitment, those in permanent positions would be inundated and the quality of work, threatened.
A great deal of responsibility then falls on social care recruitment companies to keep abreast of those in locum positions to ensure that competent and fully qualified social workers are assigned to suitable roles. This is beneficial also to the social workers to maintain a level of morale in a stressful occupation. This is no mean feat in a large city such as London, which is why it is important for social care recruitment companies to maintain contact and supervision over their applicants. With a new College of Social Work, the hope is that not only will we see an increase in the recruitment of social workers, but also there will be a guarantee that those in temporary or permanent positions are amply prepared for a role of high responsibility.
It is indisputable that the social care sector is in short supply of qualified social workers. What is disputable is whether a College of Social Work will be effective enough in raising the profile of this honourable profession. By putting a little faith in this new plan, hopefully society will be rewarded with a higher quality service in social care.
