Students show of solidarity for social work academics facing redundancy
Students at the University of Derby have sent a letter to senior management about proposed cuts to social work teaching staff.
In October, the university announced proposals which could lead to 265 full-time equivalent job losses – 166 in professional services, 17 leadership roles and 82 academic posts – including in the social work department.
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) voted 82 per cent in favour of striking in December, and possibly into January.
Students wrote to management after the latest round of redundancies was announced, fearing the quality of their learning will be compromised.
They praised the high standards and depth of knowledge of teaching staff, whose expertise, they say, “models the very ethical principles and values that we, as students, are expected to work in accordance with as future social workers”.
The letter states: “As first-year and MA social work students, we are writing to express our deep sadness, disappointment and concern with regards to the redundancies that have been proposed that will affect members of our social work academic staff.
“The understanding we had when we applied for the social work course is that it is a professional programme that is accredited by Social Work England; with that accreditation comes the expectation that the teaching provided would reflect the highest ethical and professional standards of the accrediting body.
“Even though we have only just begun our journey at university, we feel the members of staff currently facing redundancy have already made a significant contribution to our learning and development.”
The students also raised concerns about “a potential shift from in-person teaching to lectures being delivered online” as a result of redundancies.
The letter continues: “We feel that if we were to lose face-to-face engagement in lectures, not only would the sense of community that in-person teaching encourages be impacted, the quality of our learning experience would also significantly reduce.”
The students maintain the cuts “send a discouraging message about the value placed on social work education at a time when the demand for skilled, ethical social workers has never been greater”.
More than 60 students signed the letter, ranging from first year undergraduates to MA students.
The bigger picture
The cuts are part of a UK-wide pattern of social work course closures or scale backs as higher education management targets social sciences degrees as neither profitable nor useful:
- The University of Nottingham has suspended recruitment onto its master’s in social work
- Liverpool Hope announced 39 redundancies earlier this year, of which 23 were in education or social sciences.
- Bangor University is cutting 78 staff, including those in social sciences.
- Birmingham City University currently has a university-wide ‘mutually agreed resignation scheme’, encompassing staff on its social work degrees
- Brighton University’s latest redundancies are targeting the humanities and social sciences departments
- At Keele University, up to 24 jobs are at risk in humanities and social sciences with possible further redundancies on the way
- Health and social care degrees are being phased out altogether at the University of Kent, where a voluntary severance scheme is in operation
- Heriot-Watt University has targeted senior posts in the school of social sciences
The higher education sector faces a £1.4 billion hit in 2025-26 as a result of recent government policy decisions.
Nearly half (49 per cent) of UK universities surveyed in a 2025 report by Universities UK (UUK) have closed courses due to financial difficulties.
In social work education, there has been a significant shift from traditional university-run social work degrees to fast-track training schemes like the former Frontline and Step Up to Social Work. The government has also made cuts to planned funding for adult social care training and apprenticeships. Think Ahead, the fast-track graduate training progamme for mental health social work, will no longer be funded for new entrants from next year.
The British Academy, a body representing social sciences and arts in the UK, recently published a map showing how whole regions are becoming ‘cold spots’ for humanities, social sciences and arts (SHAPE) degrees.
‘Cold spots: Mapping inequality in SHAPE provision in UK higher education’ reveals thousands of students don’t have access to courses following savage cuts.
Their report states: “SHAPE graduates underpin the UK’s public services. In 2023, 77.7 per cent of education professionals, 64 per cent of those in public administration, and 40.8 per cent in health and social work had studied SHAPE subjects. Sustaining SHAPE provision is therefore critical to workforce planning in essential sectors.”
Reaction
Social work academics at the University of Derby and beyond have expressed support for the students and have stressed the profession depends on training pople with the right skills and knowledge to meet professional and regulatory expectations.
They maintain staffing reductions inevitably place these expectations at risk and could impact on the quality a of students’ learning experiences.
Janet Foulds, an experienced social worker in Derby, said: "Any steps taken to undermine the teaching of social work will ultimately undermine the quality of social work services to some of the most vulnerable people in society.
“The University of Derby risks undermining services to those most in need which is not good for retaining their teaching excellence status."
Dr Francesco Belcastro, chair of the UCU Derby branch said the proposed cuts "would be incredibly damaging ".
He added: "We've tried to engage with the university in other ways but so far it's been absolutely impossible, so we've been forced to take strike action."
Prof Keith McLay, deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Derby, said the university is facing rising operational costs, frozen fee levels and a "very challenging" student recruitment environment.
A spokesperson for the University of Derby added: "We respect the right of staff to take industrial action but are disappointed that UCU has confirmed its members will be striking in December, as we have taken particular care to ensure that our students are not impacted by the proposed changes.
"We have fully engaged with the unions and other representatives throughout this process, and we remain committed to continuing open and constructive dialogue.
"We will do all we can to minimise any disruption to our students."