Academics form new committee

More than 70 dissident social work lecturers and academics
agreed at a conference last week to form the new Committee for
Social Work Education and Policy.

Chris Jones, professor of social work at the University of
Liverpool and co-ordinator of the new organisation, said the
feeling of the conference was ‘at last we’re getting something
together’.

Among the subjects discussed was social work training council
CCETSW’s drive towards ‘narrow’ definitions of social work
competences, and a perceived lack of social science content in the
Diploma in Social Work.

One common source of tension, claimed Jones, was that
universities were having to contribute towards the cost of practice
work placements, and were running up deficits.

CCETSW director Tony Hall said: ‘We very much welcome social
work academics thinking about the future of social work education
and are happy to engage in any informed discussions.’

A CCETSW spokesperson added that the council was already
actively engaged in boosting funding for practice placements.