Campaigns

Dear SWAN Supporter, At the recent International SWAN conference in Durham, a motion (see attached photo’s) was passed to support the Social Work Action Network here in Ireland in our fight against the introduction of the cheap labour graduate scheme ... Read More

Those who attended this year's SWAN conference AGM will have heard about two keys struggles against austerity playing out in England at the moment - Your Choice workers fighting for adult disability services and jobs in Barnet, North London, plus the Care UK workers fight in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. A vote at the SWAN AGM agreed to donate £100 to both campaigns, plus to take a collection at the end of the conference for the Care UK workers - on strike from today (18th April) until 22nd April. This collection raised £325 - thank you to all who contributed, the donation is on its way to Yorkshire. Read More

Check out the media coverage our campaign is getting! Read, watch and share these links. Then GET INVOLVED!!!! Check out our facebook page (SWAN Ireland), email swangalway@gmail.com, swancork@gmail.com or socialworkactionnetworkireland@gmail.com to find out when your next local meeting is taking place.   * Read More

EMERGENCY ‘MOTION’ ON THE ‘NEW GRADUATE PLACEMENT SCHEME’ TO BE SET UP UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CHILD AND FAMILY AGENCY We welcome the setting up of the new Child and Family Agency in Ireland. However, the chief executive of the Child and Family Agency has stated that a new ‘graduate placement scheme’ will ‘see young graduates in social work departments honing their skills in order that they fully understand the complex challenges facing families before they eventually join the workforce’ (The Irish Times, 30 Jan 2014). Significantly, those participating in the ‘scheme’ will placed on a salary below that of starting salaries negotiated, by the trade unions, with the government over a number of years. Read More

SWAN was pleased to receive the following request about payday lenders from Professor Sarah Banks of Durham University today.  Research by Durham University's Centre for Social Justice and Community Action and community partner, Thrive Teesside, showed the predatory lending practices of high cost lenders and the profound impact on low income families caught in spiralling debt. The research recommended much tougher regulation of high cost credit (including payday loans). Read More

This Monday (30th September 2013), the Hungarian Parliament voted to amend the 2012 Petty Offences Act. Passing the amendment local governments can now create homeless-free zones, (i.e. areas where living in public space is considered an offence) and the construction of homeless shacks. SWAN London organised a public demonstration against this action a couple of days before on 28th September, gathered signatures for a petition and delivered this to the Hungarian Embassy in solidarity with Hungary people affected by homeless. Photos of the action are below. Our activist peers from "A varos mindenkie" (City is for all) from Budapest held a defiant demonstration on the day of the vote and made the following press release, following this disgraceful commitment by the Hungarian government to criminalise homelessness in this country:  Read More

Feminism Belongs in Schools: The story of a group of  16/17 year old girls, their feminist society, how the education system failed them and how they’re fighting back.This week The Guardian ran a shocking story about the sexist harassment and abuse experienced when a group of young tried to start a Feminist Society in their school. Read More

You may have seen or heard the furore following the British Psychological Society’s call for a new approach to our understanding of mental health. It was on the front page of the Observer on May 12th and discussed the next day on Radio 4’s Start the Week. The BPS argues that there is no scientific evidence for the diagnosis of psychiatric conditions such as bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia. This raises all sorts of important and difficult issues and resonates with discussions we have been having in SWAN about how we see and work with ‘mental health’. Read More

Please support us to reverse the decision to close down the LAAC (Looked After and Adopted Children) Psychology Service at Dudley CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). This service provides dedicated therapeutic support for looked after and adopted children in the Dudley borough as well as support, consultation and training to parents, foster carers, social workers and other professionals. Read More

Please click on the link below, sign the SWAN online petition and forward as widely as possible: http://www.activism.com/en_GB/petition/no-to-political-point-scoring-put-children-first/40795 We, the undersigned, deplore the way both the UK Independence Party and also Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove have sought to to exploit the case of looked-after children in Rotherham for the purposes of electoral gain and to attack local social work staff. Read More

SWAN condemns the plans by Haringey Council to delete the Haringey Travelling Peoples Team (HTPT) (including the Traveller Liaison Site Management post that sits within the team). HTPT supply vital support to the Gypsy and Traveller residents in the London borough, who are, in many cases, a highly vulnerable community. Residents rely on this team for a variety of essential services. These include services for Traveller Children and Family Joint Case Work, Vulnerable Adults Case Work, Education Support Work, Community Group Work Youth Work and Welfare Rights Work. On accommodation issues the team play a key role in ensuring the cohesive and culturally appropriate management of the borough’s Traveller sites, engagement with unauthorised encampments and Traveller Housing Support. The team also provides support for Health Issues, Child Poverty Needs Assessments and support for Community Engagement and input into service provision. ***Sign the online petition here.*** Read More

  SWAN and Liverpool Against The Cuts activists held a joint public meeting last Thursday (10th May) in defense of Adult Social Care. The meeting, attracted around 30 – 40 service users, social care professionals, students and carers. The campaign ... Read More

SWAN activists in Liverpool are launching a joint campaign with Liverpool Against The Cuts against the recent cuts to adult social care services across the city. Liverpool City Council are in the process of implementing a total overhaul of adult ... Read More