Benefits of joining BASW

Benefits

Protection, representation and support 

• Protection.  £5 million professional indemnity insurance cover tailored to your social work role and experience level.
• Representation.  Access BASW/SWU Advice and Representation, a team of qualified social workers for professional/regulatory help.  
• Professional support service.  Confidential 1-1 support and coaching service for social workers and students. 

Build your CPD and best practice

• Training and CPD. Develop your knowledge and skills and carve out your career path with free and discounted CPD. 
• Specialist resources.  Access policies, resources and practice guides for social work. 
• Events and conferences.  Free and discounted access to leading conferences and events. 
• Apply BASW’s Code of Ethics to your work placements and uphold the highest professional standards and practice
• Show your commitment to professional practice and use MBASW after your name.

Connect

• Network and connect with like-minded colleagues to discuss practice and share knowledge and ideas. 
• Extend your networks online and offline through regional branches, special interest groups, events, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
• Join our community of social workers online – through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Lobby  and influence

• Campaigning.  Add your voice and influence on what matters in social work today. 
• Enjoy the UK’s only printed social work magazine Professional Social Work Magazine, delivered directly to your door  

Save

• Benefit from subsidised cost for the Social Workers Union
• Receive up to 75% off subscriptions to the British Journal of Social Work and Practice: Social Work in Action 
• Discounted books in the BASW Bookshop

Member benefits for every stage of your career

• Independent social workers.  Enhanced package of professional resources for independent social workers. 
• Student social workers.  Discounted membership for students and newly qualified social workers.
• Existing members can benefit from a special discounted retired membership rate.
• See membership categories for more details 

> Claim tax back on your membership subscription

UK tax payers who pay the BASW membership fee yourself can claim tax relief on professional association membership subscriptions. You can claim up to four years’ subscription fees.  Find out more on the HM Revenue & Customs website. If you make a claim using SRS Ltd’s service, the company will pay £10 to the Social Workers’ Benevolent Trust.  Please be aware BASW is listed as Social Workers British Association of on the HMRC website.  Terms and conditions apply

Social Workers Union

BASW works with the Social Workers Union (SWU) to guarantee members the legal entitlement of representation in employers’ hearings.  

SWU is a trade union with 15k members dedicated to social work professionals and run by social workers. 

Our team understand the issues you face and are able to advise and represent you at regulatory councils. Opting in to SWU means you get all the benefits of the trade union alongside BASW, your professional association – all under one roof. To make it easy, you pay one monthly or annual fee and you are signposted to where you need to go across a network working to support you at any time you need it.  

• Opt into SWU for discounted membership.  Contact the membership team for details.

SWU Trade Union Officials in the Advice & Representation service work throughout the UK and provide representation at internal hearings for disciplinary and grievance procedures, and employer investigations into practice and misconduct allegations.  The team provide professional, swift, practical representation. 

If going through a formal employment process, a SWU member has the right to be represented by an Official of a Trade Union of their choice.

Here are just some of the issues we have helped members with recently:

• Disciplinary and grievance procedures, including representation at internal hearings and appeals.
• Issues around discrimination in employment. This is something we can provide advice upon and support you to take action.
• Investigations into professional social work practice and allegations of misconduct.
• Representation at the later stages of the absence management processes.
• Representation through probation and performance processes.
• A range of Social Work Student placement difficulties – including situations where the placement is breaking down or has broken down.
• Representation at Employment tribunals. This will be arranged if our Solicitors assess that the case has a 50% or more chance of success.