BASW Secures Questions to UK Government Ministers on Manifesto Asks

The manifesto puts forward 40 ambitious, but necessary, requests of policy-makers to improve the social work profession, working conditions, the lives of people social workers support and wider society. 

• Read the full manifesto and accompanying blogs in our General Election hub.
• Listen to Let’s talk Social Work exploring the manifesto in depth.

Whilst the manifesto intends to act as a blueprint for the next UK Government’s legislative agenda and to secure commitments from the political parties ahead of an impending General Election, BASW is also using it to influence the current government’s activity and priorities. 

A series of parliamentary questions have been tabled by Mr Cunningham on the back of BASW’s manifesto. They span from pressing for more immediate action to tackle poverty, to seeking clarity on when a revised Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice will be published, and highlighting the need for a social work workforce strategy that prioritises recruitment, retention and career pathways.

The full list of questions that have so far been tabled, along with a link to the responses, are below.

BASW will seek to keep members informed of further questions tabled and subsequent responses from the UK Government over the coming weeks. 

Members are also invited to share BASW’s manifesto with their MP, encourage them to support our asks and make representations to Ministers too. If you would like more information, please contact our Parliamentary Affairs Lead on kerri.prince@basw.co.uk

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• To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing time limits on asylum cases for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

• To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of specialist (a) training and (b) accreditation on (i) alcohol and (ii) other drugs for social workers.

• To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of No Recourse to Public Funds on people who are (a) destitute and (b) facing destitution.

• To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of developing a social worker workforce strategy that prioritises (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) professional pathways.

• To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will end the use on children of (a) the inverted wrist hold and (b) other pain-inducing restraints.

• To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish the revised Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice before the end of this parliament.

• To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of changes in the level of social security benefits on people living in unsuitable housing.

• To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it remains his Department's policy for benefits to continue to be increased in line with inflation.

• To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Breathing Space (Debt Respite Scheme) to 180 days.