Our Advice & Representation (A&R) Service has been receiving a high volume of calls from members experiencing disability discrimination in the workplace, so we will focus on this topic as well as any other workplace issues attendees are experiencing.
In the UK several pieces of legislation protect workers’ rights and provide a legal basis for challenge. The Equality Act (2010) specifies the protected characteristics people have a right to protection from discrimination, harassment, and unfair treatment at work.
It is illegal for employers to discriminate against employees when they are aware of protected characteristics. There is a duty for organisations to individually risk assess with staff and to consider where appropriate the required reasonable adjustments so as to input supports where needed for the individual to be able to achieve their potential at work. Feeling recognised, valued, and supported at work can have a significant impact on our overall health and well-being – both professionally and socially. It undoubtedly contributes to positive working environments, achieves more for people accessing support, and contributes to overall greater efficacy and retention of staff within the team or organisation.
Despite there being expectations and duties, how reasonable adjustments are implemented in workplaces can be inconsistent. If you have informed your employer about any challenges you are having at work which are linked to a protected characteristic and they have not acted to assess or support this could be discrimination.
Talk to SWU about workplace issues
We invite all social workers and social work students in the UK to talk directly with the Social Workers Union (SWU) on Monday, 11 August 2025 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.
This online advice and representation session is free to attend and will focus on the on the intersection of disability and your rights at work. A panel of Advice & Representation (A&R) Trade Union Officers will answer your live questions about this and any other workplace issues you are experiencing. This webinar is a safe space where questions can be asked anonymously.
You have until 2pm on August 11th to register your place for this Talk to SWU webinar: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScaVmVbBOLQPxGUR4uPouO-dfCFTcR7gRAyhwYgYIQOnUPn_w/viewform?usp=header
Can I submit a question ahead of time?
If you would like to submit a question in advance you may include it when you fill out the registration form for the webinar. Please ensure that questions are concise and avoid going into very specific details.
If you are a member with a complex workplace issue that requires a longer discussion, we encourage you to call the Advice & Representation Service and speak to one of our duty initial response team.
Interested in seeing what a Talk to SWU webinar is like? You can watch the previous session below!
Support available to SWU and BASW members
The BASW and SWU Advice & Representation (A&R) team has developed 55 guidance sheets to support our social worker members from their first day of membership. These documents cover a wide range of employment law matters and on fitness to practice processes.
BASW members become eligible for telephone advice after just one month of membership. If you opt-in to SWU at the same time as joining BASW then you will also be eligible to receive representation from a SWU Trade Union Official after the one-month qualifying period. Please note that to qualify for advice and / or representation, the issue cannot have been a known pre-existing issue or active during the one-month qualifying period.
You can read here about the benefits of being a member of SWU including access to GFTU training – so remember to opt into SWU with your BASW membership!