Hilton Dawson has been named as the new chief executive of the
British Association of Social Workers.
The former MP and qualified social worker will start work at the
professional body’s headquarters in Birmingham in April.
Dawson, who works as a consultant in children's services, takes
over leadership of the 11,500-member organisation from
Ian Johnston, who is retiring after 10 years in the post.
Politics and social care
Dawson’s social care career began in 1982 at Lancashire
Council’s children’s department, where he worked for 15 years
before entering politics.
He served Lancashire's Lancaster and Wyre constituency as a
Labour MP from 1997 to 2005, when he stood down. In an
interview with Community Care in 2007 he said he "needed to
leave [parliament] to try to do things as well as talk about
them".
Dawson "delighted"
A well-known figure in the public and voluntary sectors, Dawson
has been
chair of
the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners since its
launch in 2007. He is also an honorary fellow at Unicef, a
professional adviser to A National Voice, and was chief executive
of the charity Shaftesbury Young People from 2005 to 2008.
Dawson said he was "delighted" to be appointed chief executive
at such a crucial time for the profession. He promised to work hard
to ensure the achievements of members were recognised and
understood.
Dawson will be formally presented to BASW members at the
association’s annual meeting at Birmingham Council House on 30
April. Tim Chittleburgh, a social work consultant from Brighton,
will take over as BASW chair from Ronnie Barnes after an
election.
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External information
British Association of Social
Workers homepage