Help stop payday loan rip-offs
Campaigns

Help stop payday loan rip-offs

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
SWAN Ireland 1st Annual Conference!

SWAN Ireland 1st Annual Conference!

"Building Alliance, Defending Services" - the Social Work Action Network Ireland 1st Annual Conference. The theme of the conference will be building alliances in the struggle to defend services and challenge austerity measures. The Social Work Action Network Ireland (SWAN Ireland) is a growing grassroots network of people who are concerned about the increase in structural inequalities in Irish society, the attacks on basic services and supports that the welfare state has traditionally provided people and the increasing privatisation of our once public services. SWAN Ireland wants to build alliances with all social workers, social care workers, students, academics, family members, service users, welfare claimants, activists, trade unionists, advocacy workers and care workers, in order to fight for a just society that values people and solidarity at it’s core. Read More
Fight continues against attacks on Hungary’s homeless population
Campaigns

Fight continues against attacks on Hungary’s homeless population

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
Social Work Action Network Ireland 1st Annual Conference

Social Work Action Network Ireland 1st Annual Conference

"Building Alliance, Defending Services" - the Social Work Action Network Ireland 1st Annual Conference. The theme of the conference will be building alliances in the struggle to defend services and challenge austerity measures. The Social Work Action Network Ireland (SWAN Ireland) is a growing grassroots network of people who are concerned about the increase in structural inequalities in Irish society, the attacks on basic services and supports that the welfare state has traditionally provided people and the increasing privatisation of our once public services. Read More
Practice notes: social security, benefits and the role of social workers

Practice notes: social security, benefits and the role of social workers

SWAN London, with assistance from a number of supporters including WinVisible, Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group and the Zacchaeus 2000 Trust have produced this latest edition to the SWAN practice notes series. The topic on this occasion is a radical response to welfare reforms and benefits. Please download and distribute this workplace tool! Read More
International call out against new proposal to criminalise homelessness in Hungary
Events

International call out against new proposal to criminalise homelessness in Hungary

On Thursday, 19th of September 2013, the Hungarian "City is for All" (A varos mindenkié) initiative issued a call for solidarity with homeless people in Hungary. It is based on the planned new changes to the Hungarian Penal Code, which would once again treat homelesness as an infraction punishable by fine, community service or jail (for "repeat offenders"). This is the latest of a series of oppressive measures that the Hungarian government implemented against the homeless people in this country over the past three years. SWAN London will be holding a demonstration outside Hyde Park Corner Underground station on Saturday 28th September from 12pm in order to gather signatures and support against this proposal. A petition will then be delivered to the Hungarian Embassy. Read More
Social care workers show solidarity to Hovis Zero Hours Strikers

Social care workers show solidarity to Hovis Zero Hours Strikers

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
SWAN backs the Glasgow Homeless Casework Team unofficial strike

SWAN backs the Glasgow Homeless Casework Team unofficial strike

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
DPAC: Reclaiming our futures week of action
Events

DPAC: Reclaiming our futures week of action

SWAN has this week been informed of the Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) week of coordinated action at the end of August, 'Reclaiming our futures'. SWAN London plan to support the week and stand in solidarity as social workers and service users with our disabled colleagues and comrades who are under a sustained, viscious attack by the Coalition Government and in the media, as the calendar spins back decades in terms of services and rights. DPAC and other Disabled People's groups have been working on a draft manifesto of the same name as the week of action, to address these developments and fight for an alternative. SWAN will support this, of course, and embed it in our own plans for a social work charter to address concurrent attacks on social work - more on this to follow in coming weeks. Below is the call out DPAC have issued. Please share this widely and get involved!: Our rights are being stripped away day by day by the neo-liberal policies being imposed on us all by the Condems leaving us without any hope for our futures or our children’s futures. DPAC say this is not fair, not acceptable and we must fight back against the continuing attacks. We will be having a week of actions nationally and virtually from August 29th and culminating on September 4th with mass events and actions in London. Read More
Your Choice Barnet offered a way out of its financial crisis by Professor Dexter Whitfield

Your Choice Barnet offered a way out of its financial crisis by Professor Dexter Whitfield

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
SWAN Conference 2014: Social Work in a Cold Climate

SWAN Conference 2014: Social Work in a Cold Climate

The Social Work Action Network (SWAN) is pleased to announce that the 9th National SWAN conference will be hosted at Durham University on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th April 2014.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 catastrophic politics of austerity. This conference will mark the 10th anniversary since the publication of the “Manifesto for a new engaged practice”, the founding document of the Social Work Action Network. Read More

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We want to develop a network of service users, practicitioners, academics and students to support radical and progressive social work. We need a social work that is ready to challenge oppressive practice, that means working collectively across the country and internationally to advance Social Work.