NISW MEETS TO DECIDE FUTURE

The National Institute for Social Work will meet at the end of
the month (April) to decide whether the organisation will continue
to be “viable” once many of its functions are transferred to the
incoming Social Care Institute for Excellence.

Scie, which will be up and running by the summer, will be
responsible for developing a knowledge base of what works in social
care and disseminating that knowledge to managers, practitioners
and service users. It will also produce best practice guidelines
for frontline staff.

NISW has been closely involved in the development of Scie
alongside the department of health and the National Assembly for
Wales.

John Ransford, NISW chairperson, told Community Care that NISW
had a “vital decision” to make about its future.

“A lot of functions now carried out by NISW will be carried out
by Scie,” he said. “We have been looking at those matters that NISW
do that aren’t ‘Scieable’, and whether NISW would continue in a
different form to continue those or whether that wouldn’t be
viable.”