There have been a couple of events in recent weeks that have sharpened (my already sharp) focus on the identity of social workers in Wales and how the profession communicates this
BASW Cymru met with social worker and 20 year BASW member Jonathan Pearce this week to find out what it’s like to be a palliative care social worker in Wales.
BASW CEO, Dr Ruth Allen comments on successful Court of Appeal case against removal of student from social work MA course following anti-homosexuality public social media posts
BASW England and Research in Practice for Adults (RiPfA) have launched two new projects that will develop professional capabilities and continuous professional development (CPD) for social workers working with older people and adults who have learning disabilities.
During the first part of my time as Chair I had the pleasure of working alongside Luke Geoghegan, who was elected to Council at the same time as me, as Chair of the Finance and Human Resources Committee. After being re-elected with me in 2016, Luke stood down having become our new Head of Policy and Research, where he is developing a tremendous programme of work together with Policy and Research Officer, Godfred Boahen. Between 1998 and 2008, Luke was the Chief Executive at Toynbee Hall, the first Settlement in London’s East End, where Clement Attlee worked before the First World War. I feel a strong connection with the East End Settlements now myself, living near to them and being a frequent visitor to Oxford House and St Margaret’s House in Bethnal Green. This is a companion post to my previous “From Attlee to eligibility criteria”, in which I looked at the balance in social work between collective and individualised approaches. Here we focus on the former, beginning with an exploration of how the Settlement Movement helped to develop social work as community work.