Social Workers Union

SWU mourns the passing of Benjamin Zephaniah, a campaigner for justice and equality and champion of anti-racism who grew up in care. May his poetry and words of power continue to inspire others.

Benjamin Zephaniah reads 'Money' Benjamin Zephaniah reads his poem 'Money' on the hoof in Newcastle city centre, back in 1991. Now even more topical, this poem is from his 1992 Bloodaxe coll...

Get ready for changes to our Register

Following our consultation in 2022 we’re preparing for changes to our Register. The proposals will affect registrants, employers and anyone who needs to apply for registration.

Here's what you need to know ➡️ https://ow.ly/cCR950QfRpn

Everyone at BASW & the Social Workers Union would like to wish the social work community a happy and peaceful Hanukkah (Chanukah)- the eight day Jewish religious and historical celebration which starts today. 🕎

Chag Sameach to all who are celebrating. Wishing you love, light and happiness. 💛

SWU wishes a very 🕎 to all who are celebrating this evening and lighting the first candle of the Menorah. We hope this season brings peace, love, and light to our social work community and their families.

📢 Our December 2023 issue of SSSC News is out now!

Find out how we're preparing for changes to the Register, discover how to get your winter vaccine, register for the next workforce planning webinar and much more.

You'll discover all our latest news as well as information about upcoming events.

Take a look ➡️ https://ow.ly/RFUP50QfE4p

Social work students win partial funding reform Postgraduate social work students will be able to benefit from reform to the bursaries system in Scotland after a Government announcement.

Thrilled that The Social Worker and the Mentor podcast episode with SWU General Secretary John McGowan and BASW CEO Ruth Allen is out. Thanks to our fantastic hosts Nana and Rob for inviting us to speak on their show!

Watch the full "BASW and SWU - The working conditions of Social Workers: To Strike or not to Strike" podcast on YouTube here 🎙️🔽
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1RXu-XTrv0

You can also listen to the episode on Spotify here 🎙️🔽
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6z646xUicR7P2Wt3t11yIP?si=h-UomCQtQjeUU2z0tg2IPQ&nd=1&dlsi=b75041c204ac4963

The British Association of Social Workers General Federation of Trade Unions Community Care Social Work Today

As social workers we see how widespread food poverty is in the UK. SWU is proud to support this important campaign by No Child Left Behind, along with the General Federation of Trade Unions and +250 other civil society groups and leaders.

Sign the petition ✍️ https://freeschoolmealsforall.org.uk/take-action

📈 The costs of food, fuel and other essentials are STILL sky-high.

would give every child a stronger foundation to learn, and ease the pressure for every family living through the

Today we mark the beginning of National Grief Awareness Week. Writer, educator, adviser, and SWU Ambassador Dr Neil Thompson has written on the importance of recognising grief - especially 'hidden grief' - and being 'grief aware' in our professional and personal lives: https://swu-union.org.uk/2023/12/national-grief-awareness-week-2023-hidden-grief

The Good Grief Trust The British Association of Social Workers Scottish Association of Social Work BASW Northern Ireland BASW Cymru

Postgraduate social work students will benefit from reform to the bursaries system in Scotland which will come in from the 2024-25 academic year. This will help to alleviate concerns students expressed to MSPs about the postgraduate funding system: https://swu-union.org.uk/2023/12/social-work-students-scotland-win-post-graduate-funding-reform

Campaign Collective Scottish Association of Social Work The British Association of Social Workers Scottish Social Services Council GCU Social Work Society Glasgow Caledonian University

Join us for our online Community of Practice with the Social Workers Union at lunchtime on Wednesday 13 December for a Public Inquiries Information and Briefing session with Sara Templar, Service Manager Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and Lindsey Huxtable-Dowd, Service Manager Advice and Representation Team BASW/SWU.

This session is open to members who may be invited or wish to come forward to give evidence at the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry.

To secure your place, register at https://rb.gy/3herwx

Today is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and we continue our joint call with The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) for an immediate and sustained : https://new.basw.co.uk/articles/basw-swu-statement-situation-israel-and-palestinegaza

As a union affiliate, SWU fully supports the General Federation of Trade Unions statement on Palestine: https://gftu.org.uk/gftu-statement-on-palestine

🇵🇸

It was disheartening & concerning that the UK Government failed to include plans in the recent King’s Speech to legally ban conversion therapy practices in the UK.

Read our full response with Social Workers Union on the link ⬇️

https://new.basw.co.uk/articles/basw-swu-respond-uk-government-dropping-plans-ban-conversion-therapy

Last chance to register for tomorrow - book your place by 10am and you can attend SWU and Bath Spa University's workshop "Guiding Light: Harnessing Reflective Supervision for Effective Social Work Practice" at this year's online Scottish Association of Social Work conference.

📢 is tomorrow! Last chance to register for the conference is today by 10 AM.

Don't miss out on our fantastic lineup of speakers and workshops exploring what it means to reclaim the 'social' in .

We hope to see you there! 👉 https://buff.ly/46IU844

Professional Association BASW and specialist Trade Union SWU together - what else could you ask for as a social worker.

Over 3000 duty calls last year - don't leave it too late as you never know when you might need us.

Protect yourself with employment and regulatory advice, and discounted membership of the Social Workers Union (SWU) – our partner specialist union for social workers.

Discover more at
new.basw.co.uk/support

Find out more about SWU
swu-union.org.uk

🎙️ PODCAST | Let’s Talk Social Work | Social Work with Older People

This episode explores the crucial role social workers play in supporting older people, carers and families to transform situations.

Listen on the links ⬇️

Apple 👉 https://apple.co/3g7YcE0
Spotify 👉 https://spoti.fi/2QjefE6

Last week, BASW hosted a webinar with the Refugee Council on the implications of the Illegal Migration Act and Nationality & Borders Act on social work UK-wide.

📺 Watch again on our YouTube channel ⬇️

https://youtu.be/t1tZYYYVoGI

🌟 The search for next year’s Social Work Journalism Award winners has begun! 🌟

And we need you to nominate!

🏆 BASW’s awards is the only UK award scheme recognising high quality reporting of social work in the media.

✅ The initiative is part of BASW and The Social Workers Union's wider work to improve public perception, understanding and media representation of the profession.

Have you seen an example of good reporting of social work that deserves recognition? Then please make a nomination and help to promote more responsible, fair & positive reporting of social work. ⬇️

https://new.basw.co.uk/about-basw/awards/basw-social-work-journalism-awards

A reminder from Social Work England:

"As we enter the final days of the registration renewal period, please take some time to ensure you have completed all actions on your online account.

All social workers must apply to renew and record CPD in their online account by 11.59pm on 30 November: https://socialworkengland.org.uk"

Home - Social Work England Information for students and graduates, including what you should know about our standards and when to apply for registration.

BASW & SWU shared our statement calling for a ceasefire with the UK Government and the UK Labour Party. We received a response on 17 November 2023 from the Foreign Office to our correspondence which is available in the link below.

https://new.basw.co.uk/articles/basw-swu-statement-situation-israel-and-palestinegaza

Responding to the letter, SWU General Secretary, John McGowan said:

"SWU disagrees with the premise this response is built upon – that a ceasefire "would only allow Hamas to entrench itself in Gaza and launch further attacks". Isn’t anything short of calling for a ceasefire condoning the continued bombing of Gaza which includes a “brutal targeting of civilians"? Which our joint letter explicitly said “there is no justification for”.

BASW & SWU statement on situation in Israel and Palestine/Gaza Joint statement by BASW and SWU in relation to the situation in Israel and Palestine/Gaza.

In his Islamophobia Awareness Month blog for SWU, social worker Mustapha Odunsi outlines some of the impacts of Islamophobia, reflects on unity-promoting principles found in Islam, and calls for unity against prejudice: https://swu-union.org.uk/2023/11/islamophobia-awareness-month-2023-unity-in-diversity-a-call-to-end-religious-prejudice

Islamophobia Awareness Month

Today we honour the lives of all the trans and non-binary people who have been killed by anti-transgender violence and discrimination. GFTU Executive Committee member Julia Georgiou shares her thoughts on this day of remembrance: https://swu-union.org.uk/2023/11/trans-day-of-remembrance-20-november-2023

General Federation of Trade Unions The British Association of Social Workers

On International Men's Day, we want to remind men that their mental health and wellbeing matters. 💚

Here are some brilliant support lines and organisations who can help if you need to talk, want to find information, or want to connect with others.

Comment below with organisations you'd recommend for men's mental health. 👇

Terrific day today - SWU and The British Association of Social Workers
recording 2 podcasts with the talented
The Social Worker & The Mentor Podcast.

Hard work never ends and now setting up for Monday for the busy London
Compass Jobs Fair come and say hello at stall 11 with BASW England.

As an active member of the General Federation of Trade Unions we fully support the GFTU Executive's call out for solidarity with Palestine.

SWU represented on Executive by John McGowan SWU General Secretary.

executive says solidarity with Palestine 🇵🇸

Over the past year SWU General Secretary John McGowan has been active with Professor Jermaine Ravalier and Bath Spa University colleagues to explore and implement a good practice guide based on the key findings from our research project into how reflective supervision can be effective in social work practice. We're looking forward to presenting this session at Compass Jobs Fair London on November 20th - hope to see you there!

Sign up for your free ticket ➡️
https://compassjobsfair.com/Events/London/Book-Tickets

Take a look at the seminar programme (we'll be in Seminar Room 2 from 13:20 - 14:00)➡️
https://compassjobsfair.com/Events/London/Seminar-Programme

is an opportunity to celebrate the transgender community and raise awareness of the challenges they face 💙💜

🎙️ Let’s Talk Social Work recently explored the issue of anti-trans discrimination and how we can tackle it.

Listen in full ⬇️

https://shows.acast.com/lets-talk-social-work/episodes/therapy-in-name-only

📢 Calling BASW students & NQSWs!

View upcoming CPD & opportunities to connect with colleagues across the profession, as well as guidance & resources in our Student Hub. 👨‍🎓

Includes the Top Tips Guide for Student Social Workers, produced by the BASW England Student/NQSW group. 📚

Find out more ⬇️

https://new.basw.co.uk/support/student-hub

This Islamophobia Awareness Month, we confront a sobering reality.

The rise of Islamophobia needs to be tackled, with many not reporting attacks or experiences of hate crime it is so vital we encourage better reporting.

Without it, the scale of the problem cannot be seen fully.

This Let's confront bias, report incidents, and actively work towards dismantling the roots of Islamophobia.

Report it: https://www.gov.uk/report-hate-crime

Membership continues to grow at SWU - so thank you.

We offer a lot more than our skilled Advice and Representation Service for Social Workers with The British Association of Social Workers

https://swu-union.org.uk/

Take a look at the fantastic courses General Federation of Trade Unions are running to end 2023 on a high! Find a course for you:

https://gftuet.org.uk/education

SWU Social Workers Union - SWU Social Workers Union SWU AGM Find out more and register for the 2022 AGM SWU Newsletter For all the latest SWU news & updates SWU Events View the SWU Events

SWU is proud to support No Child Left Behind's important campaign along with the General Federation of Trade Unions and +250 other civil society groups and leaders. Join us to urge the Government to extend Free School Meals to every child in primary school: https://swu-union.org.uk/2023/10/swu-signs-free-school-meals-for-all-open-letter-to-the-prime-minister

Thank you to the MPs who voted for a , and deeply disappointed in all MPs who abstained / voted against. The Social Workers Union and The British Association of Social Workers will continue to call for an immediate ceasefire, for the protection and rights of all innocent victims in this escalating conflict, for compliance with international law, and for a political path to peace to be pursued for all Palestinians and Israelis. Read our updated statement here:

BASW & SWU statement on situation in Israel and Palestine/Gaza - SWU Social Workers Union We call on UK and international governments to press for an immediate ceasefire between the Israeli military and Hamas and to seek a political way forward that can promote the equal human and social rights of the Palestinian and Israeli populations.

🚨TODAY - Emergency rally for Palestine 🇵🇸

On Wednesday MPs will likely vote on whether to call for a ceasefire in Palestine!

Join us at 5PM at Parliament on Wednesday 15 November to demand MPs vote for a

Before this, write to your MP: https://palestinecampaign.eaction.online/gazaMPaction

SWU stands in solidarity with the trans and non-binary community during Trans Awareness Week🏳️‍⚧️ and throughout the rest of the year. Read our blog on why being an ally is as important now as it has ever been: https://swu-union.org.uk/2023/11/trans-awareness-week-2023-active-allyship

Join SWU and the Bath Spa University Research team for our seminar on November 20th at the COMPASS Jobs Fair in London. Find out more about what good reflective practice looks like and how it should be conducted.

👀 View our timetable for the Social Work Innovations Conference!

All social work and social care professionals are invited to attend the conference with sessions on the latest trends and topics in social work, and gain a full day of CPD for free.

Access to the conference is free! Register now and don't miss out ➡️ https://buff.ly/3RM49cg

Happy Diwali from the Social Workers Union! Wishing all who are celebrating in our social work community a brilliant festival that brings joy and prosperity to you and your families and friends.