BASW makes fresh bid for college role

The British Association of Social Workers has appealed to professionals and the government to support its continuing involvement in efforts to develop a college of social work.

BASW chair Fran Fuller has asked social workers to write to care services minister Paul Burstow and children’s minister Tim Loughton urging them to encourage the College of Social Work to rethink its decision to launch without BASW in January.

The interim board of the College announced on 21 September that it was calling a halt to negotiations towards merging with BASW.

A question and answer section on the College’s website stated: “Too many unresolved issues remain for us to achieve merger with BASW and bring the college into being by 3 January.”

These issues included BASW’s belief that the college should have its own trade union arm, rather than partnering with Unison, as well as the business model and governance of the merged organisation, the College said.

But, in an open letter published on BASW’s website today, Fuller said the only outstanding matter to resolve was the trade union issue.

“We still do not have full information about the interim board’s relationship with Unison because it has been unable, or unwilling, to provide us with it,” she wrote.

Fuller also vowed that, if the College went ahead and formally launched without BASW, the association would not “simply shut up shop and go away”.

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