Demands from the Care Review Alliance

Care Review Watch Alliance

Our demands:

  1. We call on the government to replace Josh MacAlister with a suitably qualified Chair of the review. MacAlister is not sufficiently experienced in the areas under investigation and does not have demonstrable independence from government. 
  2. We demand the government places the lived experience of children and families at the centre of the Review process, facilitating genuine consultation with and involvement of Experts by Experience. 
  3. We urge the government to formally involve social workers, the largest professional group working within the children’s social care system, in the Review process. 
  4. We call on the government to include within the scope of the Review consideration of the impact of draconian long-term cuts to funding of children’s social care and powers to recommend that funding shortfalls in children’s services are reversed.
  5. We urge the government and the Review to promote a vision of children’s social care with a public service and not-for-profit ethos, informed by values of user participation and democratic accountability.

Who Are The Care Review Watch Alliance?

Following the formation of a group of people with many and varied interests in and shared concerns about the #CareReview, there is now a coalition called the Care Review Watch Alliance.

Whilst we have space on the SWAN website, and some of us are SWAN members, we are a stand alone group and our resources are ourselves! We are not funded by or affiliated with any other group or organisation. On this page you will be able to to find a list of members, short bios, our Demands statement and resources for everyone to use.

Follow us on Twitter @CareReviewWatch

You can watch our videos on You Tube – simply search Care Review Watch Alliance

You can also email us though SWAN – swansocialwork@gmail.com

Statement on Palestine

SWAN-I condemns the Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people of Gaza and the continuing moves by Israeli settlers to ethnically cleanse areas of East Jerusalem, especially the area of Sheikh Jarrah.

SWAN-I notes the popular movement for freedom developing in Israeli Palestinian communities and we offer this movement our complete support.

We call on social workers across the world to join the Palestine solidarity movement and to join the demonstrations and protests against Israeli attacks on Palestine.

#Save Sheikh Jarra!

#Stop the bombing of Gaza!                                                                                          

#Freedom for Palestine!

(cover photo: Chris Bainbridge)

Care Review Watch Alliance

SWAN is proud to be part of the Care Review Watch Alliance – a broad coalition of people and groups who oppose the Review of Children’s Social Care, chaired by Josh MacAlister, as it is currently constituted.

This page will be dedicated to sharing information, events, demands and motions that critique the evidence and agendas that form the Care Review.

Researching resistance in practice!

Social justice has long been recognized as a core value of social work practice, a value which only increased in importance, if one is to consider the effects of the advancing commodification of social services, the immense social consequences of the Corona-virus, and persistent inequalities.

In their practice, however, social workers are routinely faced with various barriers, which prevent them from practicing ethically. As a response, some social workers engage in acts of resistance and dissent, meaning the daily conduct, reflections, and decisions of social workers that disrupt and challenge systemic discriminatory practices. Currently, one SWAN contact in Germany is in the planning process for a research study, aiming to explore and map such practices of resistance of self-identified ‘resistant’ or ‘dissenting’ social workers.

Methodologically, this will be done by conducting interviews according to the model of the interview to the double, an in-depth structured interview technique aiming to illuminate and articulate practice. (Estimated time to complete: 1,5-2 hours)
In terms of time-scale, the interviews would ideally take place between June and July 2021. They can be also conducted via Zoom or corresponding platforms.

In case this description fits your practice, and you are willing to volunteer your time, expertise, and knowledge, you are invited to participate in this research study. Please feel free to contact SWAN on swansocialwork@gmail.com, and we will link you with the researcher.