The College of Social Work needs well argued policies to make an impact on government. Here, College policymakers set out their ideas
Richard Barker, chair, Policy Development Group Emeritus professor of child welfare, Northumbria University
T
he College of Social Work represents a massive opportunity to improve the nature of social work for the benefi t of the profession, service users, and wider society. That is why I applied to be
chair of its Policy Development Group (PDG). The social and political context infl uences
the profession, and vice versa, so it is important for The College to develop policy positions which are innovative, robustly argued and based on the principles of social justice that underpin social work. Our aim is to use the strengths of the
PDG’s diverse membership to develop and recommend policies for adoption by The College, starting with some of the most
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urgent challenges confronting social work. It will give us a platform from which to infl uence government, nationally and locally, and the whole future of the profession. Initially, we are looking at four key
areas: social work with adults – including the forthcoming care and support White Paper; social work with children – including the implementation of the Munro reforms; defi nitions of social work and reserved tasks for social workers; and social work in a time of austerity. It is very early days in the life of the PDG,
and we have a great deal to do. Here, some of the PDG members give their personal priorities for social work.