The College of Social Work's announcement today that it will go ahead and launch without the British Association of Social Workers comes as no huge surprise.

The two organisations have been wrangling over how a single college should be set up and run since the beginning of this year. Negotiations all but broke down over the summer and, as we reported, they entered into mediation. Yet it still seemed unlikely that either side would budge over the crucial sticking points, namely the College's tie-up with Unison and the governance and leadership of a single college.

At the same time, ministers must have been piling on the pressure. After all the College, which everyone agrees is needed urgently, is being started up with government funding

The question is, what happens next? The College says it is open to merging with BASW at a later date. In the meantime, will BASW re-launch as a rival college?

Read the complete post at http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-work-blog/2011/09/shock-horror-college-goes-ahea.html