BASW CEO Ruth Allen asks John McDonnell for a meeting on state of social services, following alarming Labour Party report

In a letter sent today to the Labour Party’s John McDonnell, BASW CEO Ruth Allen is asking to meet the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss the current state of social services.

The request follows yesterday's release of a new report from Labour on the “crisis in children’s services”, available to read here.

Allen said: “The Labour Party’s report on the funding crisis facing children’s services in England makes for very difficult reading, unfortunately none of it surprising.”

Indeed, for the past few years, BASW has been asking the Government to plug the gap in funding or face a deepening loss of services across the country, with very dangerous consequences for children and their families.

“In June 2017 we produced a General Election Manifesto for social work, in which the very first ask was for an end to austerity policies that cause harm to children and families with care and support needs,” said Allen.

She added: “Cuts to benefits, delays to Universal Credit and pressures on schools and the NHS are all pushing up demand on social workers who are overworked, overstretched and unsupported. This situation is untenable.”