A strong year despite many challenges

BASW would like to wish all members a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. The last year has been a hugely challenging one for the profession once again, and we hope for better things for all social workers and the people who rely on your services in 2013.

Despite the many difficulties, we have seen amazing examples of the work you do which continue to make a difference.

We saw just a handful of such instances at the Social Work Awards for England in Westminster last month [ http://www.basw.co.uk/news/article/?id=274 ], with a number of social workers honoured including Peterborough practitioner Estelle Thain.

BASW has continued to reflect on the outstanding work social workers undertake across the UK every single day and has had a remarkable year in getting the social work view across in the media.

Our spokespeople have made hundreds of comments and appearances in various UK media, from being on the sofa on Breakfast TV or on the airwaves of Radio 4’s Today programme, to offering a view in your local newspaper.

Find out more about how BASW has been The Voice of Social Work in 2012 [ http://www.basw.co.uk/the-voice-of-social-work/ ], something we will carry on with next year too. Never let anyone tell you there is no-one speaking out for social work.

Despite the depth of the recession and the huge cuts facing local authorities - and the launch of a new, still publicly-funded, social work membership organisation in 2012 - BASW continues to grow. We now have 14,500 members, up nearly 40% on 2008.

So as the year draws to a close, we would like to thank you for supporting your professional association in 2012, and we look forward to supporting you in 2013.

Best wishes from the BASW Team