MP to become social worker

Former social worker Hilton Dawson MP has announced that he is
to give up politics to return to his previous profession,
writes Natasha Salari.

The MP for Lancaster and Wyre was elected in 1997. Before this,
he worked as a social worker, youth justice worker, residential
care manager, fostering manager, adoption manager and day care
manager.

During his time in parliament, Dawson has served on standing
committees on the adoption and children bill, leaving care bill,
and health and social care bill. He also introduced private members
bills for a children’s rights commissioner for England on
three occasions.

Explaining his decision, Dawson said: “I’m not
standing in the next general election partly because I could not
bear to feel peripheral to the vast changes, which are about to
come to children’s services and children’s lives.

“The big issues of change will be fought out far from
Westminster. The big challenges to institutions, to professions, to
organisations, to all the established ways of doing things, will be
much closer to the ground,” he said.