The coming year offers a real opportunity for social workers to shape the future of our profession.
Run by the Social Workers Union (SWU) in partnership with social enterprise Campaign Collective, the SWU Campaign Fund exists to help members and branches turn good ideas into real-world impact. It can support campaigning activity that aligns with SWU’s values and priorities, whether that’s local organising, public-facing campaigns, political engagement, or creative projects that amplify social workers’ voices.
If you have an idea that could influence policy, raise awareness, or improve working conditions then the Fund is there to help you get it off the ground.
Social workers know better than anyone how workload pressures, underfunding, and staff shortages affect both practitioners and vulnerable people. The Campaign Fund can help ensure those lived experiences shape the debate early.
You don’t need to have a fully formed national campaign. Local, regional, and issue-specific ideas are encouraged, especially where they can feed into wider political moments or build momentum ahead of elections.
For social workers in Scotland and Wales, the elections are on the horizon and new governments will be forming, new programmes agreed, and new priorities set. That creates space for fresh ideas, bold campaigning, and practical action to improve conditions for social workers and the people we support.
SWU has also been strengthening its voice at Westminster.
In October 2025, SWU and BASW launched the Cross Party Group (CPG) for Social Work with MPs and Peers attending an afternoon tea in the House of Commons, hosted by the Chair, Ian Byrne MP. Since then, the group has grown to 20 MPs and Peers, all committed to focusing on the realities facing the profession.
The CPG will shine a spotlight on unsustainable workload pressures, chronic underfunding of services, as well as workforce wellbeing and retention.
A key focus will be making clear how the shortage of social workers puts vulnerable people at risk, while also taking a toll on those still in post. The group will also support SWU’s campaign to recruit more student social workers and to secure better financial support for students entering the profession.
This parliamentary work strengthens the case for campaigning activity on the ground and creates new opportunities for our members to influence national debate.
Get involved in campaigning activity.
Members can play a direct role in growing and strengthening the voice of our profession:
- Email your MP and ask them to join the Cross Party Group on Social Work. Explain why tackling workload pressures is essential to recruiting and retaining social workers, and share your own experience from practice.
- Contact a Peer if there is one who lives in or has a connection to your city, town, or village. A personal message can make a real difference.
- Apply to the SWU Campaign Fund if you have an idea for a campaign or project that could build pressure for change, especially in the run-up to the Scottish and Welsh elections.
If you’ve ever thought “someone should do something about this”, the Campaign Fund is a way to make that “someone” you. Now is the time to get involved, be ambitious, and help shape a better future for social work.
To get involved, email campaigns@swu-union.org.uk.