The Social Workers Union (SWU) and British Association of Social Workers (BASW) are working together on a new campaign to highlight the challenges facing mental health workers in the UK.
The member-led campaign is being supported by the SWU Campaign Fund and is borne out of growing concerns about the lack of suitable beds when demand is increasing, as well as concerns about funding and support for preventable, community-focused services.
The first campaign meeting took place on 2nd May when SWU colleagues attended BASW’s Community of Practice aimed at practitioners from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. A virtual steering group with representatives from all four nations was established to help guide the campaign and on 4th July we signed off on sending a joint letter calling on all four governments to take action.
As part of the campaign, which we aim to launch this summer, we also hope to enlist the support of other organisations affected by these challenges, as well as individuals who are willing to share their own lived experiences.
John McGowan, General Secretary of the Social Workers Union, said:
“All social workers want to do the best they can for the children, families and adults we work with. But their efforts are being severely hampered by a lack of funding for community care and increasing demand for suitable hospital beds. All of this is contributing to challenges around recruitment and retention of staff. We want to urge all four governments to come together to work with SWU and BASW in addressing the concerns of our members.”
Carolyn Ewart, National Director, BASW Northern Ireland, said:
“Our priority is always to try and ensure that some of the most vulnerable in society get the care they need. This is becoming increasingly difficult though in circumstances where we have a system at breaking point. We hope that by bringing all four nations together, we can find ways to bring about positive changes in government policies that benefit the people we support.”
If you would like to find out more about the campaign or you have any suggestions for what you’d like us to include, please email campaigns@swu-union.org.uk.