BASW comment on delegating children's social care functions

BASW will be gathering members' views and responding to the Department for Education consultation Delegating children's social care functions.

The consultation closes 30 May, if you have any comments you would like to put forward, please contact BASW professional officer Nushra Mansuri n.mansuri@basw.co.uk

Speaking to The MJ (Municipal Journal) on 28 April, Maris Stratulis, England Manager at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) said:

“There are times when commissioning out services may be the best option.

“But in a time when local authorities are currently constrained by the mantra of ‘more for less’, the best commissioning should not mean the cheapest option.

“Outsourcing and external commissioning do not necessarily equate to improved outcomes or a quality service for children, young people and families.

“The privatisation agenda of the current Government cannot be ignored; Michael Gove has been very vocal on his support for developing the “market”.

“Increasingly, consultation documents and reports seem to come to a pre-ordained conclusion, that social workers and local authorities are ‘failing’.

“We have to consider if such consultations are genuine attempts at engagement with the sector or merely a grace period before announcing decisions that have already been taken.”