Working (qualified less than 5 years) Membership

• Protection and support.  

Access advice from BASW Advice and Representation, a team of qualified social workers, for professional and regulatory help.  Our team of qualified social workers understand the issues you face and are able to advise and represent you at regulatory councils, advising over 1,500 members every year. 

BASW also works with the Social Workers Union (SWU) to guarantee members the legal entitlement of representation in employers’ hearings. 

Opt into SWU for just £2.50 a month (£30 a year) – or just 83p a month (£10 a year) for unwaged and student member. 

• Free and confidential one-to-one peer coaching

The Social Work Professional Support Services.  Protect your wellbeing, talk about career progression and map out your plans with an experienced coach. 

• Insurance 

Feel safe in knowing you have £5 million professional indemnity insurance.  

• Training and CPD. 

Develop your knowledge and skills and carve out your career path with free and discounted CPD. 

• Build your skills and carve out your career steps through our professional development courses

Enjoy discounted rates to specialised event programmes, training and events.  

• Learn about the latest social work practice developed by and for social workers. 
• Supporting your re-registration with your regulator, learn about the latest social work practice through online articles and journals.
• Log your CPD from a range of free or discounted training, online resources and events.

We run a number of courses and events including the rolling BASW NQSW CPD programme tailored to support you post qualification, delivered by accredited training partners and specialised events to support direct social work practice and skills development. 

• Download the time-effective resources you need.

Access policies, resources and practice guides for social work. There’s a lot to think about during your early career but BASW can support and signpost you to resources to help in your day-to-day work.  Benefit from the weekly email which highlights key updates in the sector and keeps you feeling informed. 

• Social Work Conferences.  

Discounted rates for BASW social work conferences across the UK, led by the voice of social work, practice leaders, people who use services, policy makers and academics. 

• Code of Ethics

Apply BASW’s Code of Ethics to your work placements and uphold the highest professional standards and practice

• MBASW

Show your commitment to professional practice and use MBASW after your name.

• Professional Social Work Magazine

Enjoy the UK’s only printed social work magazine Professional Social Work Magazine, delivered directly to your door  

• Campaigns and lobbying

Your voice inspires our campaigns. Together we’ll drive positive change and influence what matters in social work today. 

We continue to lobby UK government for a better understanding of social work and social workers. 

We are campaigning for improved professional working conditions, relationship-based practice and for an end to and poverty. 

• Claim tax back on your membership subscription

If you are a UK tax payer and pay for your BASW membership fee yourself, you can claim tax relief on professional association membership subscriptions. You can claim up to four years’ subscription fees.  Find out more on the HM Revenue & Customs website. If you make a claim using SRS Ltd’s service, the company will pay £10 to the Social Workers’ Benevolent Trust.  Please be aware BASW is listed as Social Workers British Association of on the HMRC website. (Terms and conditions apply)Social Workers Union (SWU)

• Save on discounted books in the BASW Bookshop
• Journals

Receive up to 75% off subscriptions to the British Journal of Social Work and Practice: Social Work in Action 

• Network and connect with like-minded colleagues to discuss practice and share knowledge and ideas both online and offline through regional branches, special interest groups, and events.
• Receive BASW updates.  The latest insight, updates and resources for social workers to your inbox.  
• Join our community of social workers online – through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

• Code of Ethics

Apply BASW’s Code of Ethics to your work placements and uphold the highest professional standards and practice

• MBASW

Show your commitment to professional practice and use MBASW after your name.

Discounted membership of the Social Workers Union (SWU) – our partner specialist union for social workers

As a BASW member you can access free advice and telephone support from the BASW Advice and Representation team, a team of qualified social workers who provide specialist professional and regulatory help. 

BASW also works with the Social Workers Union (SWU) to guarantee members the legal entitlement of representation in employers’ hearings. SWU is a trade union with 15k members, dedicated to social work professionals and run by social workers. 

Opting in to SWU means you get all the benefits of the trade union alongside BASW, your professional association – all under one roof. To make it easy, you pay one monthly or annual fee and you are signposted to where you need to go across a network working to support you at any time you need it.