A new Cross Party Group for Social Work has been launched in Westminster to strengthen the voice of the profession in Parliament and help tackle the growing pressures faced by social workers.
Chaired by Ian Byrne MP, the group brings together politicians from the House of Commons and House of Lords and from across the political spectrum. The group is being coordinated by the Social Workers Union (SWU) and with support from the British Association of Social Workers (BASW).
The first meeting of the group introduced politicians to BASW and SWU’s major campaign to tackle poor working conditions in the social work profession. The ongoing “Stronger Social Work, Better Lives” campaign is designed to highlight unsustainable workloads, excessive bureaucracy and the impact of chronic underfunding on both staff and service users. We’re calling for:
- Adequate and safe staffing
- Sustainable workloads
- Proper funding and investment in social work services
- Better services through better professional development
- Recognition and respect for social work expertise
- Improved mental health and wellbeing support for practitioners
Driven by the views of SWU and BASW members, politicians heard about the strong and persuasive body of evidence outlining the severe impact that poor working conditions are having on the profession and delivery of services. Compared to the UK average, working conditions for social workers are worse than 90-95% of other employees in both the public and private sectors.
Ian Byrne MP, Chair of the new group, said:
“Social workers play a vital role supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society, but too often their voices are ignored and their working conditions neglected.
“This cross-party group will ensure social work issues are given the political attention they deserve, helping to drive change in policy and practice so that social workers can do their jobs safely and effectively.”
John McGowan, General Secretary of the Social Workers Union, added:
“This is a significant step forward in making sure the voices of frontline social workers are heard in Parliament. We’ve seen the toll that unmanageable caseloads, poor pay and lack of support are taking on the workforce.
“The creation of this cross-party group, our ongoing Campaign Fund and our joint campaign with BASW, sends a clear message that social workers deserve respect, resources and recognition for the essential work they do every day.”
SWU and BASW were pleased to have the chance to amplify this message to a number of politicians at the Cross Party Group’s launch including Ian Byrne MP, Rachael Maskell MP, Shokat Adam MP, Andy McDonald MP, Ian Lavery MP, Chris Webb MP, Cat Smith MP, Will Forster MP, Neil Duncan-Jordan MP, and Lord Alf Dubs. We look forward to working with you all to progress this campaign in parliament.
In the coming months, this new group will hear about key issues including frontline challenges, workload pressures, recruitment and retention, mental health, and the impact of government policy on frontline practice.
SWU Ambassador Emma Lewel MP is joining the CPG and commented:
“As a former social worker, I know first-hand the dedication it takes to stand up for people who need support – and how difficult that can be when working conditions make it difficult to do the job properly.
“This new Cross-Party Group is a vital step in giving social workers the platform they deserve in Westminster. We owe it to the profession, and to the communities they serve, to make sure their voices shape the policies that affect them and the people they help every day.”
Can you help us get this issue on the agenda?
Can you help us get the message out to even more MPs? We need MPs and Lords to support our work in and outside of parliament by putting down parliamentary questions, attending debates, and being a voice for social work.
Please contact your MP to alert them to the “Stronger Social Work, Better Lives” campaign, ask them to promote it to UK Ministers, and urge them to look into how we can improve working conditions for social workers.
Let us know what they say by sharing the response with SWU General Secretary John McGowan at j.mcgowan@swu-union.org.uk.
Photos from the day
Thank you from the SWU and BASW team!
