UK Articles

Deloitte, the multi-national tax avoidance specialists, have been given a high profile teaching role http://bit.ly/1x2AJrZ on the Frontline’s fast track into social work five week summer school that came to a self-congratulatory end last week, writes Simon Cardy of SWAN West Midlands. Read More

There is growing support for SWAN's Mental Health Charter (please see attachments below), which was launched at this year's SWAN National Conference in Durham this April, with a London event in November. A list of around 300 signatories to the charter follows this article. To add your name or your organisation's name to this list please email jeremy.weinstein [at] tiscali.co.uk Read More

Le Grand review - the marketisation and outsourcing of children’s social care is the aim writes Jolyon Jones (SWAN West Midlands).“ The game's out there, and it's play or get played. That simple”  Omar Little Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.Matthew 19:14Forget Birmingham’s children, the Le Grand review of Birmingham’s failing children’s social care department is part of a bigger national political game and Birmingham’s failings are Michael Gove’s opportunities. Read More

There has been much coverage of Education Secretary Michael Gove's speech discussing child protection to the NSPCC, delivered on Tuesday this week. This included his position on social work and social work education and his feeling that such training involves 'idealistic students being told that the individuals with whom they will work have been disempowered by society' which 'robs individuals of the power of agency and breaks the link between an individual’s actions and the consequences'.  Read More

A critical issue for the labour movement is the use of zero hours contracts by unscrupulous employers, which enable them to guarantee no regular hours of work. This leaves their workers living dreadfully precarious lives, living from week to week without knowing what their pay cheque might look like. We are delighted to receive this report from Malcolm Jones of North West SWAN, who, along with other social workers and home care workers has been on the picket line supporting Hovis workers in their dispute against Premier Foods. There have been two rounds of strikes - while the Bakers Food & Allied Workers Union are now in talks (as of 19th September 2013) with bosses about their use of zero hours contracts - a third round of strikes is planned if no resolution is found. SWAN National Steering Committee offers their full support and solidarity. Read More

This week SWAN has learned about the unofficial strike by social workers in the North and East Community Homeless Casework Team of Glasgow City Council, who are members of Unison. They walked out on Friday 13th September, following the suspension of a colleague who refused to cover the work of vacant posts. UPDATE: wildcat strikers returned to work on Wednesday 18th September, pending official industrial action as their member was reinstated to their position and talks with management were agreed. See foot of article.Unite the Resistance reported yesterday (Monday 16th September), that the strike had escalated across the whole service following a union meeting of 60 people, after talks with management over workload failed to resolve the issues. The workers are demanding management take action to prevent excessive workloads by agreeing to a cap of 35 cases per worker. Read More

The SWAN website has previously featured articles on the campaigns against the 'One Barnet' programme being implemented in the Conservative controlled north London Borough, an authority which has become another malign neoliberal laboratory for local government. While SWAN has supported the work of Barnet Alliance for Public Services and the Campaign Against Destruction of Disabled Support Services (CADDSS), we have not highlighted the debacle of the Your Choice Barnet Local Authority Trading Company. This was set up in February 2012 to spin off the previously in-house learning disability services in the borough, and shortly found itself £2m in debt. CADDSS was so concerned about the future of services provided by Your Choice Barnet that it asked Prof Dexter Whitfield, the Director of European Services Strategy, to review the situation.  Your Choice Barnet is experiencing considerable financial difficulties and is very unwilling to engage with service users and families who are worried about the future of the services they use. Read More

An impressively large and enthusiastic People’s Assembly met in central London on June 22nd. Among the 4000 delegates were many SWAN supporters, whether representing the London group or from other organisations so it will be interesting to see what ideas we can bring back into social work and SWAN. Read More

Sandwell Council's Cabinet was met by a noisy lobby of forty people calling on councillors to keep the Spon Lane Children's Home open. The Cabinet received a report on 12th June proposing the closure of the last remaining Council provided Children's Home in Sandwell. The closure will mean the loss of over 15 posts. Read More

The government has announced an independent review on the education of social workers. This seems to be concerned particularly with education in relation to adult service users. See below the official announcement and the links which it provides. David Croisdale-Appleby who is to Chair the review, is Chair of Skills For Care the national organization concerned with the social care workforce. His experience relates to social care rather than social work. Read More

Below, Liz Davies of London Metropolitan University writes on organised crime against children and investigations following Tom Watson MP’s Prime Minister’s Question and important links to social media as the main source of information about current investigations. Liz encourages you to add supportive comments to the sites listed below. You can contact Liz with any information you have which relates to these enquiries or any questions. She is working with Tom Watson’s small team which is collating the evidence coming to light. Read More

Peter Beresford of SWAN writes below of his analysis of the social policy of the Coalition Government, the recent implementation of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the role of the media in artificially associating malignancy with those claiming benefits. SWAN notes that an obvious example of this, was provided by this week's Daily Mail frontpage labelling Mick and Mairead Philpott, who were convicted of killing 6 children, as being a direct product of 'vile UK welfare'. No one can yet say whether the Coalition’s ‘welfare reforms’ will in the long run save money or actually increase public spending. Experts are currently guessing whether they will reduce or increase the relatively low levels of fraud in the system which the evidence has long pointed to. While masquerading as practical policy, this radical round of welfare reforms is actually informed by the crudest ideology and based on the most cynical kind of social psychology. But what’s really important about them is the walk-on parts they demand of the rest of us. Read More