BASW England seeks views on Advancing our health green paper

BASW England welcomes the publication of the government green paper titled ‘Advancing our health: Prevention in the 2020’s’ released yesterday.

The paper includes ambitious proposals including a focus upon neighbourhood and communities.

We believe it is difficult to fully assess the impact upon social work without reading in conjunction with the long awaited-yet to be released green paper on adult social care.

We urge the government to release this key paper as a matter of priority.

The final statement in this consultation paper states: “Only by working together can we achieve our vision of healthier, happier lives for everyone”.

As the professional association for social workers we wholeheartedly support this statement however we are concerned that there is only a single mention of social work within the paper.

Social work is pivotal to many areas covered and it is crucial that health and social care services work together. 

In order to achieve the ambitions outlined, it is essential that adequate resources across social care are provided alongside investment into the fundamental role of social work in promoting true wellbeing of individuals, families and communities.

BASW England will be compiling a response to the consultation paper and we urge all social workers to become involved in the consultation to ensure that the importance of the social work role is recognised and resourced appropriately.

How to get involved

Please take part in the BASW survey to share your thoughts and views and be part of our collective response. The survey is available here.

Please restrict your answers to 250 words. The survey is anonymous and closes on 26 September 2019.  We will then share the consultation response with all members.

To find more information you can read the consultation documents shared by the Department of Health and Social Care here