Respect Social Workers, NO to Cheap Labour!
Events

Respect Social Workers, NO to Cheap Labour!

RESOLUTION ON THE ‘NEW GRADUATE PLACEMENT SCHEME’: AGREED BY SWAN (GALWAY)  2O FEB 2014) Call for a National SWAN demonstration to take place on Friday 21 March 2014, (1-2pm) outside Dail Eireann; organising slogan will be ‘Respect Social Work, NO to Cheap Labour!’ Read More
Emergency Motion from Social Work Action Network Ireland – Please Share
Campaigns

Emergency Motion from Social Work Action Network Ireland – Please Share

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
Call for papers extended – Conf 2014

Call for papers extended – Conf 2014

SWAN North East have extended their deadline for proposals for papers, workshops and presentations for this year’s national SWAN conference. Please download the full call for papers at the link below. Please send proposals to swannortheast@gmail.com by 28th February 2014! ... Read More
Social Work Action Network Ireland Steering Committee

Social Work Action Network Ireland Steering Committee

Dear SWAN Ireland friends, The new year is well underway and plans to progress the Social Work Action Network Ireland are in progress.  It was agreed at the SWAN conference in November 2013 that an All-Ireland steering committee would be established. The preference is for as many parts of the country as possible to be involved and to be represented on the steering committee. So far representatives from Cork, Galway and Dublin have come forward to be on the committee.  Read More
In defence of social work: Why Gove is wrong

In defence of social work: Why Gove is wrong

In 2013, SWAN wrote of Tory ConDem cabinet member and Education Secretary Michael Gove’s attack on social work. Many academics involved in SWAN and others issued a joint letter rejecting his claims in the immediate aftermath. SWAN also released the pamphlet, 'In Defence of Social Work: Why Michael Gove is wrong'. Read More
Whistle-blowing for Justice

Whistle-blowing for Justice

‘Exposing – Whistle-blowing – going ‘outside’ in the pursuance of justice for vulnerable people. Dr Margaret Kennedy PhD   Today in the Irish Times (10/01/2014) my case against the Brothers of Charity (BOC) , the HSE and the HSE (West) in the High Court clearly describes ‘vindication’ following what I believed were defamatory statements made about my professionalism and also inaccuracies that I had not reported concerns to the Brothers of Charity, which I had done, verbally and in writing, said in a published HSE review of Client Protection services in the Brothers of Charity Galway.   Read More
Los Angeles County Social Workers on strike for lower caseloads

Los Angeles County Social Workers on strike for lower caseloads

Simon Cardy (Twitter @simoncardy) of SWAN West Midlands, reports on the developing, mass strike action by social workers taking place in Los Angeles County, California: A very determined, and at times militant, strike of around 1600 social workers organised by the Service Employees International Union SEIU has been taking place in Los Angeles County over the last week or so. The SEIU is one of the largest public sector unions in America. A six day strike began on Tuesday 2nd December by social workers working in the Department of Children and Family Services Social Workers (DCFS) [1]. Thousands of support staff joined the strike after three days in a massive act of solidarity. They are fed up with a four year pay freeze, long hours and excessive caseloads – sounds familiar? Read More
Booking open for SWAN Conference 2014

Booking open for SWAN Conference 2014

Social Work in a ‘cold climate’: fighting for good practice in times of austerity Durham University and the Social Work Action Network (SWAN) are pleased to announce that the 9th National SWAN conference will be hosted at Durham University on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th April 2014. Booking is now open.In the context of savage cuts in public sector funding, ever increasing social work managerialism and stigmatization of service users, this conference will provide an important opportunity to debate ways of developing networks of resistance necessary to defend social justice-based social work and oppose the politics of austerity. This conference will mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of the “Manifesto for a new engaged practice”, the founding document of the Social Work Action Network. Read More
A response to Michael Gove: wrong on social work education

A response to Michael Gove: wrong on social work education

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

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