One of the key recommendations of the Social Work Task Force was the establishment of a College of Social Work. The primary reason for the recommendation was the need to develop a single organisation which could speak up for social work; a voice with authority and owned by the profession. Since the publication of the Task Force report a lot has changed, for one thing we have a new Government, but the consensus about the need for a college is still strong.

The team commissioned by Government to set up The College is close to the point where The College can become a legal entity and begin recruiting in earnest. The College development is being hosted by The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). The start-up funding comes to an end at the end of April 2012, so by then The College must have signed-up enough members to make it a viable organisation. There are already close to 7,000 people signed-up as prospective members but many more than that will need to have signed-up for membership by April next year. Expect to see a massive recruitment campaign launched in the autumn.

Already a number of tasks have been suggested for The College to take on. The Reform Board has suggested that the Professional Capabilities Framework which they are developing should become the property of The College in due course and the Health Professions Council (HPC) is keen to work with The College on CPD issues when registration is transferred from the GSCC.

Throughout the process the development team has been working with social workers to define what The College should do and what services it should offer. Social workers who are already prospective members are also actively involved in services development and pilots. When The College is legally constituted and democratically controlled by its members, it will be social workers themselves who will decide what functions and services they will fund it to run. We urge all registered social workers to think seriously about joining The College so that it can become the voice and heart of social work.

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Good morning As i work in an 'intergrated' team with the NHS i have been witness to both the advantages and disadvantages of this set-up - I have also had to challenge on a regular basis the perception of the NHS as to my role and responsibilities, and, more importantly the differences between our services, some of which i have been successful with - some less so. My concerns are multifold and whether or not there is a specialist college or not will our voices will be heard?

chris brooke
15 Sep 2011

How do you sign up to be a prospective member or to have any influence in the development of the college? I do worry that I hear little talk of these changes on the ground which is worrying as I have significant concerns for the state of social work today and the overstressed state of all fieldworkers I bump into these days.

Jan
09 Sep 2011