Social Work Stands Against Poverty

1. Extend the debt breathing space scheme to 180 days.

As poverty worsens, debt increases. The breathing space scheme is a ‘pause’ on action and contact from creditors that also prevents interest, fees, penalties, or charges being added for a 60-day period. There is also a mental health breathing space that can last as long as the crisis treatment lasts plus 30 days. There were 6,342 Breathing Space registrations in October 2022, which is 31% higher than the number registered in October 2021. 6,230 were Standard breathing space registrations, which is 31% higher than in October 2021, and 112 were Mental Health breathing space registrations, which is 38% higher than the number in October 2021.

2. Freeze evictions during the cost-of-living crisis to prevent further homelessness

Reducing income and increasing demands from landlords will translate into more evictions and more families becoming homeless. This cannot be allowed to happen and would cause untold damage to adults and children, placing many at safeguarding risk and lead to even more demand on social care and other services.

In January 2022, BASW worked with Shelter and other organisations to produce homelessness guidance for social workers. You can access the document here. While it focuses on English law and policy, it contains a summary of research evidence that is of relevance to other countries in the UK. 

3. Scrap the two-child cap on benefits

At present, relevant benefits are only paid for the first two children. This impacts on many families but disproportionally impacts on those ethnic groups who have larger families. It also results in inhumane means testing, for example, the rape clause.

BASW is a member of the End Child Poverty Coalition alongside over 80 partner organisations. The coalition campaigns to end child poverty through giving young people a platform to share their experiences with policy-makers, sharing knowldge and best practice with key stakeholders and holding governments to account on their commitments. Find out more

During the campaign, BASW UK will seek to influence politicians to support our campaign asks, provide members with information and resources and reach out to our profession to amplify social work's voice in challenging poverty.  Find out more

In November 2022, BASW Chief Executive, Ruth Allen and BASW UK Chair, Julia Ross wrote to the Prime Minister ahead of the UK Government's Autumn Statement urging him to protect the most disadvantaged people from worsening poverty.

Alongside calling for a freeze on evictions and removal of the two child cap, we pressed for benefits to be uprated in line with inflation and removing the benefit cap. We also added our support to campaigns from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Children's Society calling for benefits to be increased. 

While it was welcome that the Chancellor listened to our collective calls and announced this policy, far more still needs to be done to protect those at the sharp end of this cost-of-living crisis. Read BASW UK's full response to the Autumn Statement

The UK Government responded to our letter in February. Read the full response

We reiterated our campaign calls ahead of the 2023 Spring Budget with a written submission to the UK Treasury and have continued to lobby UK Ministers to announce more targeted support for those being hardest hit by cost-of-living pressures. 

In Spring 2024, we published our Manifesto for Social Work ahead of a General Election. Anti-poverty measures feature prominently in our asks of the next UK Government.

We'll keep members informed of campaign developments and activity through our weekly email newsletters. Members should receive these updates every Tuesday evening. 

We will also be using social media to raise awareness of our campaign, work with other organisations and influence politicians.

Follow us on Twitter- @BASW_UK - and on Facebook - Facebook.com/BASW.UK - and search for our posts using the hastags #SWAgainstPoverty and #EqualAsOne 

As part of the campaign, we're shedding light on different aspects of social work practice and how poverty impacts on people who use social work services. View our resources below.

• Adult Social Care and Adults with Disabilities 
• Poverty is the wallpaper of practice – “too big to tackle – too familiar to notice” Morris (2021)
• Care Leavers and Care Experienced People
• The link between poverty and mental health
• People with Learning Disabilities
• How can we tackle the energy crisis?
• 'Talking about Poverty' In conversation with Julia Ross (BASW UK Chair) and Dominic Watters (Social Worker and Campaigner)
• Equality for Women
• Why tackling poverty is a priority for BASW- Blog by Julia Ross 
• Housing and Homelessness
• Poverty and Homelessness: Do we really listen? (Blog)
• The safety net is broken: how the cost of living crisis is laying bare the failings of our social security system (Podcast)
• Listen to social workers if you want to tackle poverty | PSW Magazine (Jan 2024)
• Cost of Living Crisis and Me (Blog) Feb 2024
• Poverty is a Political Choice (Podcast)