SWU to speak up for social work and social care at Conservative Party Conference
The Social Workers Union (SWU) will be representing social workers at the Conservative Party Conference next week, as part of an event organised by The Future Social Care Coalition (FSCC).
The purpose of the event is to follow on from the Government announcement on social care and in advance of the Social Care White Paper - to make the case that to get the job done fully, the Government’s reforms need to include social care workforce reform.
Speakers at the fringe meeting will give their views and thoughts on why it is time to give care and support workers a fair deal; better respect, reward and regulation. The key question to discuss is: “Why is workforce reform critical to getting social care done?”
The FSCC want to deepen and widen support within the Conservative Party for immediate action on social care workforce reform, including pay, as 600,000 care workers are only paid the national living wage (£8.91 an hour).
Successive governments have failed to address the social care crisis and the pandemic shone a light on the inequalities which prevail in the social care system. The Future Social Care Coalition believes there has never been a more urgent time for Government to back a fair deal for under-valued social care workers – the forgotten frontline.
About the Future Social Care Coalition
The Future Social Care Coalition is a cross-party and cross-sector group that includes senior politicians, employer groups and civil society organisations.
The coalition - whose members include Citizens UK, Mencap, UNISON, Better Pay for Social Care, the Living Wage Foundation, and many more - is advocating for more support, better working conditions and an overall 'fair deal' for under-valued social care workers.
SWU’s status as a member of the FSCC enables the collective voice of its members to be heard at a key moment, and possibly a pivotal time in the history of social care.
The Future Social Care Coalition was established in 2020 to highlight three urgent “asks” of Government:
• Parity of esteem for the social care sector with the NHS: if social care is to improve and increase health and wellbeing outcomes, social care must no longer be treated as the ‘forgotten frontline'
• A comprehensive social care workforce strategy designed to generate skills training, professionalism and improve pay and conditions for social care workers
• A substantial and immediate funding boost for social care and, in the longer term, a social care funding solution that is both equitable and sustainable 2 The Future Social Care Coalition is a cross-party and cross-sector group that includes senior politicians, employer groups and unions.