BASW to present social work priorities to PM Boris Johnson

Newly appointed ministers for health and social care will also be contacted

Since arriving in office on 24th July 2019, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced new key ministerial roles for health and social care and education.

We will be writing to Mr Johnson to set out the key priorities for social work.  The manifesto for social work details eight priorities in relation to social work, social workers and people using social work services. 

BASW will also write to the new ministers setting out our social work priorities and seek early opportunities to meet.

Manifesto for social work

  1. End austerity policies that cause harm to children, adults and families with care and support needs
  2. Work with BASW and partners across the sector to ensure social workers have manageable workloads, effective organizational models and the right working conditions for excellent practice
  3. Commit to continued adequate funding for university education for qualifying social workers, ensuring the numbers of new entrants meets future workforce demand in all fields of practice
  4. Ensure a realistic and sustainable settlement for adult social care across all countries of the UK
  5. Shift children and families policy towards tackling child poverty and intervening early to support families and communities. Ensure strong, coherent democratic accountability for statutory social work services
  6. Improve the resourcing and recognition of social work within mental health services
  7. Ensure parity between unaccompanied asylum seeking children and other young people in care
  8. Recognise BASW as the professional body for social work and social workers, and work with us to improve the standing of the profession.

Key ministerial roles

Education

Gavin Williamson (New) is Secretary of State: A former Chief Whip and Defence Secretary. Williamson was dismissed from the latter role for leaking information from a National Security Council meeting. Before his election to the safe Conservative seat of South Staffordshire in 2010 Williamson worked in manufacturing and was very involved in grassroots conservative politics. He is only the second Education Secretary to have attended a state comprehensive.

Nick Gibb is Minister of State for School Standards

Jo Johnson is Minister of State

Lord Agnew is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System

Kemi Badenoch (New) is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families: Replacing Nadhim Zahawi as Children’s Minister, Badenoch is the MP for Saffron Walden. She is a former London Assembly Member and systems analyst. Elected in 2017 she is one of the first of that year’s intake to be made a minister. She has been a school governor in the past.

Health & Social Care

Matt Hancock is the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Chris Skidmore is the Minister of State for Health

Caroline Dinenage is the Minister of State for Care

Jo Churchill (New) is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: Elected in 2015, this is Churchill’s first ministerial job. She is a breast cancer survivor and campaigner who has previously chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on personalised medicine. She has frequently spoken on health and health-related issues in the commons. It is unclear at this time whether Churchill will take over Seema Kennedy’s public health brief or Jackie Doyle-Price’s mental health brief.

Nadine Dorries (New) is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: Despite being elected to the Mid-Bedfordshire sear in 2005 this is, former nurse, Dorries’ first Government (or Shadow) job. She has been a member of the Health Select Committee and has three introduced attempts in the Commons to reduce the time limit for abortion in Great Britain. It is unclear at this time whether Dorries will take over Seema Kennedy’s public health brief or Jackie Doyle-Price’s mental health brief.

Baroness Blackwood is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State