BASW England Annual Members Meeting and Conference 2024

Scott has worked in adult social care for roughly ten years, working his way from administrative roles, through to completing his social work degree. Scott has worked in various roles including reablement services, mental health, community, and hospital social work teams 

Scott is a finalist in the social worker of the year awards in the student category for his efforts and activism for equality, diversity, and inclusion. Scott has lobbied at Westminster meeting with MPs and chairs of all party parliamentary groups to advocate for the social work profession through the lens of EDI, looking at the impacts and barriers of student experiences in social work education. Scott holds a post as a student ambassador at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) where he is leading on a co-produced EDI student experience survey to help improve the experiences of social work students. Scott is a committee member on the BASW EDI advisory group where he acts as a critical friend for BASW. Scott sits on the committee for the BASW neurodivergent social workers special interest group where he was involved in co-producing the SWU neurodivergent social workers employee pledge which was created to help create inclusive, educational, and work environments for neurodivergent students. Scott has also developed and provided workshops on neurodiversity in social work at universities, and at practice educator conferences. 

Scott is extremely driven in advocating for social justice, human rights, and trade unionism. He actively challenges discrimination, oppression, and exclusion through empowerment and education of others, whether this is the people and families he works alongside, or other colleagues. 

Scott will be chairing this session as a BASW member. 

Cat Smith MP will join us as a representative from the Labour Party. 

Cat was born in Barrow-in-Furness where she attended state schools. She moved to Lancaster as a teenager and graduated from Lancaster University in 2006. She is proud to call the city her home. Before being elected as an MP she worked for a national social work organisation and was a trustee for a local charity supporting victims of domestic violence. 

She was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Lancaster and Fleetwood in May 2015, winning the seat from the Conservative Party. Cat was re-elected to represent Lancaster & Fleetwood in 2017 and 2019. Following boundary changes for the 2024 General Election, Cat contested and won the new Lancaster & Wyre seat. Cat is a hard-working, local constituency MP and has been an instrumental figure in a wide-range of campaigns such as the fight to get justice for the victims of the Sodium Valproate scandal to securing a fracking-free Lancashire.

Dr Sarah Pollock is a social work academic, currently working at Manchester Metropolitan University as a Senior Lecturer. Sarah’s practice career centred on social work with adults, both in community and hospital settings.  As a researcher, Sarah is committed to achieving equality for those facing linguistic barriers.  Her research explores social work via interpreters, and the potential role for bilingual social work practitioners, she has been extensively involved in training social workers to better understand the role of interpretation.  

Sarah’s recent work includes a five-year Department for Education funded study of recruitment and retention challenges for child and family practice, which concluded with recommendations for government action.  Alongside research commitments, Sarah is the Greater Manchester BASW Branch Chair. 

With over 14 years of experience as a qualified social worker, predominantly within children’s services, Janet Ayoola has dedicated her career to supporting families and empowering social workers. Her passion for social work career journeys led her to launch The Social Work Pivot, a podcast specifically tailored for experienced child and family social workers looking to transition into new roles. Through this platform, Janet encourages social workers to leverage their skills in innovative ways both within and beyond statutory services, with a particular focus on opportunities in the Third Sector. 

In addition to her employment, Janet works as an independent social worker, offering safeguarding training and consultancy services to charities and voluntary organisations. Her commitment to safeguarding extends to her voluntary role as the Independent Member for Safeguarding on the Audit and Risk Committee with Guide Dogs UK. She is also actively involved with the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), serving on both the Child and Family Thematic Group and the Children with Disabilities sub-group. 

Naomi Jackson is the Managing Director of Social Workers Without Borders (SWWB). She is a social worker by professional background, having worked in statutory children and families social work and the third sector. Naomi is also a post-graduate researcher at the University of Liverpool where her research is focused on children's rights in immigration decision-making.  

SWWB formed as a network of volunteer social workers and social work students in 2016, carrying out urgent best interest assessments with separated children applying to be reunited with family members in the UK. This led to a recognition of the huge need for independent social work evidence to assist immigration and asylum decision making, and in 2017 SWWB registered as a charity. We provide expert evidence and work collaboratively across the social work and immigration sectors to promote best practice with children, families and adults impacted by immigration policy and border controls.  SWWB’s work is organised into three strands: 1) Direct work - carrying out independent social work reports for immigration matters 2) Campaigns at the intersection of social work practice and immigration policy 3) Education for students, social workers and other professionals. 

Principle Social Worker - BCP Council

Mark Nicholas is a Clinical Director and Chief Social Worker in the Transformation Directorate at NHS England, and currently has clinical responsibility for the NHS App and Child Protection Information Sharing. He is the NHS England social care lead and national Head of Profession for Social Care Informatics. Mark has a long career working in local government and the NHS, spanning safeguarding, mental health and preventative services. He was a Sure Start Programme Director, opening the first fully operational Children’s Centre in the country and negotiating information sharing protocols between local stakeholder organisations. He set up the national Digital Social Care Advisory Group with the Local Government Association to steer investment in technology for the social care sector, commissioned research into digital capability for social care professionals and helped to facilitate an inclusive approach to digital leadership across the NHS and social care systems.

Tommy is the lead social worker at the Digitising Social Care programme. He has worked across social care for over 15 years both for local authorities and the not-for-profit care provider sector. He now works for the Digitising Social Care programme across NHS England and DHSC supporting adult social care with digital transformation.  Having worked both locally and nationally, Tommy is focused on ensuring that those drawing on care and support as well as those who work in social care have the skills they need to engage with technology. In addition, he is a trustee of youth engagement charity, Grow UK, in Sheffield and loves anything related to sport, music or food

Amanda Taylor-Beswick has an extensive background in mental health social work and working with D/deaf children and adults in Ireland. Her passion for social work education led her to pursue an academic career in England, where she has dedicated herself to developing innovative teaching methodologies. Professor Taylor-Beswick is widely recognized for her contributions in several areas, including 'Social Media in Social Work Education,' 'Digitalisation and Social Work,' 'Digital Professionalism,' 'Digital Transformation,' 'Digital Pedagogy' and 'Phenomenography.' After spending three years advancing her research on digital intersections and digital teaching and learning methodologies at Queens University Belfast, Professor Taylor-Beswick transitioned to a new role in June 2022, as founding Director of the Centre for Digital Transformation at the University of Cumbria. In 2024 moving into the Institute of Health, to focus on digital and social science research and the contemporisation of pedagogy and practice for professional groupings.

Caroline Bald is registered social worker with a twenty year background in criminal justice social work in both adult and children's services in case manager and leadership roles. Her practice experience is primarily in workforce development, risk assessment and management, serious further offence reviews and practice improvement. She has been an academic since 2016, joining the University of Essex in February 2020. She teaches across BA & MA programmes encompassing ethics, human rights and critical issues in contemporary practice. Caroline successfully defended her doctorate in July 2024 which critically examines social work education admissions decision-making in England. Until June 2024, she was research fellow on a two-year NIHR grant funded project to develop a national brain injury social work education platform. She is the co-chair of the BASW England Criminal Justice group. 

I am a person with lived experience of social work, I am a daughter, sister auntie and great auntie living with a long-term disability since birth, since 1998 to date, I have been employing my own staff since 1998 initially through the Local Authority Direct Payments Scheme and now Continuing Health Care Direct Payments.  I have experienced services all my life and have shared every aspect from childhood into adult hood in training Professional social workers. I am the Expert by Experience Lead at Birmingham City University. I joined BASW in 2017 years ago and I am a member of the BASW Adult Thematic Group,  BASW Health Group, BASW Decolonisation Group and one of the co-opted members on the England Committee and now (2023) the Co-Chair of BASW UK Expert by Experience Forum and sit on BASW Council. In addition to representing Experts by Experience on the England Standing Committee. Having been an early pioneer of Direct Payments and campaigner for equal rights, I am passionate about the future of Health, Education, Social Work and Social Care and look forward to leading Experts by Experience to be walking side by side with BASW and influencing the work of BASW.  

Areas of Personal Lived Experience: 

I have a condition called Arthrogryposis (born with it); it affects all my joints and muscles and was diagnosed with Diabetes in 2012, blood pressure and cholesterol in 2022. I have used services all my life and can share every aspect from childhood into adult hood. I have been in and out of hospitals and experienced most health care services, both good and bad! I have experienced social workers for care needs; mental health services for depression; bereavement counselling. Growing up as a disabled person I have lots of different experiences and now looked after my mum and dad for all their health and emotional needs.  I have also worked as an advocate for both learning disabilities and mental health services. I am currently expert by experience lead at Birmingham City University

Mark Lynes is an Expert by Experience and member of the BASW England Committee and Student and NQSW Thematic Group

Diana Onyango is a BASW member and a member of BASW England's Black Professionals Symposium will co-chair this session including a panel discussion.  

Shannon is a second year social work student at Derby University.  She is currently taking a Social Work Masters Degree and will share her her lived experience of the challenges of studying as a parent and the impact of poverty. Shannon will also highlight the challenges faced by students in her cohort.

Vishal is an international student styudying in the UK, and will discuss his lived experience and that of his fellow students, and what support students is availabe to student to help mitigate the impact of poverty. Vishal will be participating as a panel member. 

Dominic is a social worker and food poverty campaigner.  He is the founder of Food is Care, a community interest company and also an author collating the pandemic observations of social workers, Social Distance in Social Work: COVID Capsule One. Dominic has appeared on television programmes such as BBC Newsnight and Sky News, as well as giving evidence to the House of Lords Food & Drink Select Committee. Dominic will be participating as a panel member. 

Bridget is a social work lecturer at the University of Chester. She will discuss the challenges she has observed as an educator, that students are experiencing in relation to poverty, alongside gaps in support including lack of financial, practical, emotional support and unjust policies, and to consider what needs to be developed to support students in relation to a course tuition and placement perspective .

Sarah is a social work lecturer at the Open University and an Independent Practice Educator, and she will focus on practice education and the impact of poverty on students. 

Vava Tampa is a qualified social worker specialising in mental health and in health inequalities. He works in a CMHT in London.

Originally from Congo, Vava is also an activist and a freelance writer with over ten years of frontline experience on peace building in Congo and in Africa’s great lakes region. His activism was dramatized in Adam Brace’s play “They Drink it in the Congo.” He featured in Paloma Faith’s “Warrior” video. Vava has also been blocked on Twitter by the Rwandan president Paul Kagame for his activism on impunity and accountability for Mapping Report crimes committed in Congo.

His essays, opinions and exposé which attempts to advocate for human dignity - with a particular interest in culture, decolonisation and Black Lives Matter[ing] - have appeared in TRT World, The Guardian, The Africa Report and in several other outlets including Al Jazeera, CNN International, Forbes Magazine and International Business Times.

Previously Vava worked in a Safe House, caring for victims and survivors of modern-day slavery. Before this, he worked in Anti-Human Trafficking. Vava has also worked as a Saturday school teacher as well as a professional essay writer for children of foreign politicians.

A book hoarder and an aspiring Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), Vava studied at Queen Mary, University of London, and at Canterbury Christ Church University where he wrote his MA dissertation on mental health in the black communities in the UK.

A leading British-Congolese voice, Vava makes frequent appearances in British and international media. He is fluent in four languages, including English, French, Lingala and some Swahili. He is a firm believer that Kivu Coffee is the world’s best-tasting coffee. He lives in Hackney. He loves fumbwa, lasagna, social working and history. When he is not working or campaigning, Vava is reading, listening to rumba or enjoying comedy.

Twitter/LinkedIn: @VavaTampa

I am a qualified and registered social worker working currently in frontline social work as a Team Manager of an Adults Complex Team.

I qualified in 2008 having already worked in social care for 10 years initially as an administrator and then as a Community Care Worker (2002).

Becoming a Social Worker was a very precious moment, it is a profession which I had found rather than aspired too.  I also never imagined I would gain a degree.  Since qualifying I have worked with a number of groups of people, initially working with people over 65, going on to work with people between 18-65 across the spectrum including Learning Disability, Autism, Mental Health, Substance Mis-use, Homeless, Physical Disabilities.

As a practitioner I have always aspired to be the best Social Worker I can be, actively seeking extra learning and knowledge.  Throughout my career I have attended many BASW events and other organised events to network, seek knowledge about the profession.  Being a long standing member I consider BASW to by my club as a Social Worker.  In April 2017 I joined the Boot out Austerity Walk from Birmingham to Wolverhampton to make a stand against current austerity measures.

In my role as a Social Worker I have been asked to present to students to talk about BASW, represent BASW, and share my experiences and career pathway.  In 2017 I presented to a conference in relation to “Named Social Worker” conference.

I have facilitated classes for students in the subject of MCA & Best Interests.  I have taken my thirst for knowledge in the profession and drive to continue to learn and develop into my new role as a Team Manager presenting key concepts, theories and approaches as CPD sessions within supervision.

Prior to this role I had gained Senior Practitioner status having completed both Practice Educator Course (2011) and also Best Interest Assessor Accreditation (2016) I have had students successfully complete their placement one of which successfully gained a post within the council I work. 

I am passionate about Social Work as a profession ensuring that the profession gains the respect that it deserves.  I have always strongly encouraged development of professional identify and have worked in a Multi-Disciplinary Team working at the interface between health and social care.

I am in my new role continuing to learn I am seeking to attain a qualification in Leadership and Management in the next 12 months and continue to learn through literature and experience.  As a Team Manager I want to be the best that I can be in order that I can support my team members to be the best they can be.

I have been actively involved in this working group over several years, and most recently as the co-chair. This has provided excellent opportunities to collaborate with others to quality assurance and develop social work guidance and frameworks for social work education and practice. 

In addition to my role at BASW I am a practice educator, practice educator assessor, external assessor and tutor and assessor and am fortunate to work across several social work universities to carry out these roles. The connecting link across the work I am involved in is my interest in working with a diverse range of people, learning from them and passing on my skills, knowledge and experience to others.

My main interests outside social work are spending time with family, gardening, yoga, cooking and being at our home in Greece.

Maris has worked in adults and children’s services for over 30 years and has held a variety of operational and strategic leadership roles both in the UK and overseas. Maris is passionate about human rights and the role of social workers in promoting and safeguarding rights, within diverse contexts including emergencies and disasters. Maris has worked for Save the Children in Bosnia Herzegovina as a Child Protection Advisor, British Refugee Council, Director for The British Red Cross, Nottinghamshire and managed integrated services across children and adult services including disability services, residential and respite services, children in need, safeguarding and children in care services. 

Embedding equality, diversity, inclusivity and ‘right’s-based approach in social work policy and practice reform is a key priority for Maris in her role as BASW England National Director. She has also led on the development of resources for social workers to support and develop their skills, and to prepare them for emergency and disaster response.  She is also co-editor of ‘Out of the Shadows’ the first book to be published focusing on the poignant and personal stories of people with lived experience and social workers directly affected by disasters, sharing their reflections, and learning for the future. 

Maris is a registered social worker and has a Master of Laws in Human Rights awarded by the University of Nottingham.

Dr Ruth Allen has been Chief Executive of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) since April 2016.  In April 2024 she was also elected as President of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) – Europe Region.   She represents IFSW and has a leadership role within the Council of Europe’s International NGO section (CINGO). 

Previously, Ruth was Director of Social Work at South West London & St Georges' Mental Health NHS Trust, a researcher with St George’s University of London, and Director of Social Care at Hertfordshire Mental Health NHS Trust. She started her social work career in east London in 1994 as a practitioner and latterly a manager in integrated health, social care and homelessness services and has held a range of practice, development, leadership and policy roles. Throughout her career Dr Allen has promoted co-production with people using services, family members and carers (Experts by Experience); improving working conditions, wellbeing and development opportunities for social workers, equity and social justice. 

Dr Allen holds a BA Hons in Geography from Oxford, a CQSW and Master’s degree in Social Work and a Professional Doctorate in Professional Education all from the University of Sussex, and post-graduate diploma in applied systemic practice. She is currently undertaking training in leadership coaching.

Qualifying as a social worker in 1978, Janet has worked in higher education for many years and is currently Professor of International Social Work with Lincoln University. Janet is vastly experienced in the areas of project management and leadership, research, and writing on global and international social work she has a strong profile in relation to supporting developments in other countries, especially Africa, including Malawi and Democratic Republic of Congo. She is also active with the International Federation of Social Work (IFSW) Europe Region, the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW); is a Director of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and Chair of BASW’s International Committee, and Co-Chair of Joint University Social Work Association (JUSWA) International Committee.

Stacy Procter and is an ASYE social worker, working as a children and families social worker in a duty and assessment team within a local authority. 

She qualified via the apprenticeship route from Manchester Metropolitan University in March 2024. 

During her time as a student social worker, Stacy became a BASW ambassador and then joined the Greater Manchester Branch, becoming vice-chair of the branch in August 2023. I really enjoy my role; especially in regards to networking and helping other students and newly qualified social workers.