‘I want to create a union in which all social workers feel they belong’

For as long as he can remember, trade unionism has been part of Dave Callow’s life. It runs in the family. 

“My dad was an active trade unionist,” he says. 

“I remember growing up listening to trade union talk, it’s very familiar to me – the idea that there has to be a better way and that sometimes you have to stand up and say that.”

He’s also seen for himself the importance of protecting worker’s rights. 

“I worked in factories through my 20s and I’ve had lots of different jobs. It taught me how people are treated in workplaces, especially in some of those factories where you really were just a number and could be out one day and replaced the next.

“It reinforced all that I had listened to from my dad and I thought, ‘We need a voice’.”

Dave initially planned to go into teaching but a placement in a primary school sowed the seeds of a career in social work.

“I became aware that children were coming in to class and sometimes things weren’t great at home. I heard bits and pieces, meetings happening, and I thought ‘What’s going on there? What are people facing?’”

And so, he trained as a social worker and after qualifying joined children’s services in Lincolnshire.

“I worked in different child protection teams within Lincolnshire and saw a lot of poverty, a lot of people that just struggle.

“There are people’s faces I will never forget, and families whose situations were desperately sad.”

Dave knew as soon as he qualified that he wanted to be part of a union. Through membership of BASW he found the Social Workers Union (SWU) and quickly became an active member. In 2022 he was elected as chair.

Last month, after an election process fraught with much-publicised controversy, he was elected as SWU’s general secretary. He will step down from his current job as a senior lecturer in social work at the University of Lincoln to replace John McGowan who has been in the post a decade.

Asked about his key priority in the role, Dave says he wants to create a sense of “belonging” for all social workers.

“It’s about pulling people in who have not typically been your union-rep-kind-of-person, or traditionally think of themselves as even a union person.

“Unions can feel a bit exclusive. Historically, they have this macho image with language like ‘solidarity’ and ‘comrades’.

“That’s the language I grew up with, but for some people belonging means more than solidarity.”

For some, being a SWU member can simply mean having a person on the end of a line to call for advice and guidance when the going gets tough, says Dave.

“Again, it’s that sense of belonging, ‘I’m not on my own here’. 

“We know how quickly things can change in social work teams. There can be management changes, or many members of staff off sick and then you find yourself, through no fault of your own, in a situation where you are being asked too much and not able to manage.”

The importance of such support is consistently highlighted by surveys on the working conditions of social workers, including by SWU and BASW. Concerns repeatedly expressed by practitioners include juggling too many cases, excessive bureaucracy, lack of resources and high levels of stress and burnout. 

Dave believes the goodwill of social workers is too often exploited.

“People go into social work usually because they want to make a difference. They go that extra mile to support individuals and families.

“They are not a group of people who are just going to clock off at a certain time. Sometimes that can be taken for granted and props up the system.”

Campaigning for improved conditions is a key focus of SWU’s work, in collaboration with BASW. Dave also highlights the need for better support for overseas workers in the wake of recently highlighted concerns.

“There have been instances where they have been exploited – complex cases given to people who have just arrived. They are being asked to pick things up very quickly. 

“We have to be human about it and a bit kinder and let people settle into a new role.”

Key to the future of SWU is making it more visible within workplaces, says Dave. He acknowledges the challenge of competing for members with other unions that have a bigger presence, particularly in local authorities, and are able to ballot for industrial action.

But he maintains SWU’s specialist knowledge of social work is a vital strength. “It’s got that authentic relationship with people who are qualified social workers.

“That is something you can’t underestimate in a profession as complex as social work and which can get lost in more generic unions.”

It also means SWU’s campaign work is specifically geared to social work, such as calling for more flexible working arrangements for social workers.

“SWU has pushed for part-time work, especially considering the majority of the workforce is female,” says Dave.

“That is not necessarily saying everyone will have caring commitments but there’s a good chance they do, so we have to make social work fit around the workforce.”

Being an activist and campaigning for social justice is, for some people, a vital part of being a union member and Dave is passionate about this aspect of his new role.

“SWU sits in that position where it supports its members and yet its members are supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

“We have a cost of living crisis. Austerity never really left us and has decimated many services.

“Social workers should be in a position to confidently campaign on issues that matter to the people in the geographical areas where they work.

“Poverty is the root of many of the issues in society. We know it consumes people and families, creates tension and impacts on not only the living conditions of children but also their wellbeing growing up.

“Every social worker knows you can’t separate the socioeconomic conditions from what’s happening to people.”

Inevitably, politics comes into the work SWU does. Dave highlights the importance of a recently-established cross-party social work group hosted by SWU and BASW at Westminster. 

As a former Labour member who once stood as a councillor for the party, he says he is “disappointed” with the current government.

“With a massive majority you expect much more from a Labour party.

“We are in a situation now where everyone needs a vision, they need a story and a narrative. And I don’t think we got that [from Labour].

“In those moments where people are frustrated and feel the system doesn’t work for them, it doesn’t take long for ideologies to creep in.

“And that is when you see the rise of parties such as Reform. It comes from anger and a deep sense of unfairness.”

So what about SWU’s relationship with BASW? Despite a long-standing memorandum of understanding between the two organisations, last year a motion was passed at SWU’s annual general meeting to look at options for separating from BASW. 

It is not something Dave envisages will happen any time soon. “Generally, we’re stronger together,” he says. “I think that’s how things will continue working.

“We cannot predict the future and you have to consider all the options. But the AGM motion was quite specific, to just consider what the future may look like. It wasn’t to create anxiety.”

As he prepares to take over the reins at SWU, Dave pays tribute to his predecessor as general secretary.

“I’ve learned a lot from John. His social work and union values are very much instilled in him as a person. John has that skill whereby he might disagree with someone but they can still work together. I have watched that closely.”

He also praises the enabling leadership of his former line manager, Dr Dave Johnson,  previously deputy head of the school of health and social care at the University of Lincoln.

“He gave me the confidence to develop in my role as a lecturer to a place where I could talk in front of 40 people about values and how social workers work within a society where many people are left behind.”

Dave plans to lead in a similar fashion as general secretary of SWU while also employing the skills he learned working with families: “If you act with a bit of humility it helps. Set a foundation of trust as soon as you can. It can take time, but then it’s usually a very good foundation to work from.”