Prime Minister acknowledges ‘powerful case’ made by social workers
The UK Government’s recently proposed migration reforms drew concern from the social work profession, sparking a cascade of campaign activity from BASW to urge an immediate rethink.
The model proposed by the Labour government, and is currently under consultation, would see the baseline qualifying period for settlement rise from 5 years to a minimum of 10. While frontline, public-serving skilled workers will be exempt, there has been no clarity that this includes social workers.
If overseas qualified social workers are not retained on the five-year route, it would risk further worsening the already serious recruitment and retention crisis impacting upon the profession.
Following concerns escalated by members in various parts of the UK, BASW has been swift to act, engaging the Home Office and the Home Secretary through various representations. The professional association also launched a petition to demonstrate to Ministers the strength of feeling among the sector on this matter, and they worked with Neil Duncan-Jordan MP to table multiple questions in parliament to keep applying pressure on the government to reconsider.
The breadth of campaigning has so far borne fruit, with the Prime Minister now acknowledging the ‘powerful case’ being made by social workers and indicating, through correspondence to BASW from the Home Office, that social work will now be included in the frontline professions exempt from the extension to ten years.
If this does indeed come to fruition, it represents a major campaign victory for overseas qualified social workers, BASW members, the wider profession and all those that social work supports. Overseas qualified social workers are integral to the workforce, and it would take many years to train and recruit social workers in the UK to plug the gap caused by the ten year route. In the meantime, services would collapse under the pressure and social workers who remain would struggle with further increasing workloads and burnout.
BASW would like to thank those members who brought this issue to our attention and everyone who backed and shared the petition to make the profession’s voice loud and clear to Ministers. Your efforts have been recognised at the very top of government.
We will ensure that members are now kept updated on any further developments.
