Supporting Social Workers in Wales
Posted on Friday, November 27, 2009 at 2:41pm
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This week in the Senedd, I helped to launch the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) new ambassadors and patrons scheme. The new ambassadors are Penny Lloyd, Robin Moulster, Ian Woolrich and Nick Lovell. They are former chairs of the BASW, and I look forward to working with them on raising awareness of the work of social workers, especially given that the BASW has appointed me as a patron. I was honoured that they asked me to be a patron, and I now want to assure them that I will do what I can to raise awareness of the work that they do, and help with their campaign and lobby work here in Wales.
The event in the Senedd was used to demonstrate the good work that social workers are achieving, providing BASW members with extra support and advice, where experienced social workers can champion others and help them achieve their goals. In recent years, the national media has reported on a number of high profile cases that involve children at risk, often highlighting negative aspects of social work. These cases are often shocking. Nonetheless, the BASW were motivated to implement this new programme after they became concerned that such negative reporting could be having an impact on the morale of social workers and the industry as a whole.
There are many reasons why we should celebrate the work that social workers do. The Welsh Government has recently set up a social work task force group and I hope that this group will discuss issues around staff retention, a national pay framework, and raise the profile of social workers in Wales. If you want to find out more about the scheme, email wales@basw.co.uk
