Final preparations are going ahead for the launch of The College of Social Work. The establishment of The College was one of the key recommendations of the Social Work Task Force, chaired by Moira Gibb. Government decided that the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) should be asked to co-ordinate the work needed to set it up. SCIE appointed an interim board of social workers from a range of backgrounds and from a range of work settings to oversee the process and the college team, under the guidance of this interim board, has been preparing for the launch of the new body. A wide range of consultative events have been held, thousands of social workers have signed up as prospective members, and important care sector partners have already begun to make plans for the involvement of The College in future activities aimed at improving social work delivery. The College will begin recruiting full members at the beginning of January but won’t be collecting fees until April 2012.

The College aims to become the authentic voice of the social work profession in England. It will fill the gap identified by the Task Force report and will explain and promote social work to the general public and to the media. It will also help social workers to reach the highest possible standards of practice and to raise the quality of services for people who need social work support and for their carers. To achieve this The College will provide a range of services to its members - including a helpline to answer queries about good professional practice and support for the continuing professional development that social workers will need to undertake to meet the requirements of the new regulator, the Health Professions Council. Members of The College will also be offered membership of UNISON which will provide employment advice and protection.

There are over 85,000 registered social workers in England and The College will aim to recruit a majority of them over time. That will be a difficult job especially in the current climate but if the profession is to rebuild its morale and its reputation then membership is something every registrant will need to think about. For further information, visit The College’s website at www.collegeofsocialwork.org. 

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As a social worker who has just retired but continue to support students as a practice educator i support the set up of the College but am concerned when impression being given is that we go back to days of closed shops if we are only offering membership of one union when there are many who support the profession and social workers like me who felt let down by Unison and found their voice in other ways. The College should be offering membership to more than one union.

Mervyn Cowdell
07 Dec 2011