The passing of the College of Social Work gives me no
pleasure.
Sadly I fear that the college was doomed by the bizarre way
in which local authority directors, ex-directors and other senior managers,
dominated its board. For an organisation that was supposed to represent practitioners it looked far from
convincing. And matters were not helped by the generally patronising approach
characterised by claiming to be a membership organisation but not being able to allow its
members to take control. No wonder not enough front-line social workers were
attracted to join. The organisation just didn’t seem to be set-up to meet
their needs.
The other sad thing was the way in which the college seemed
to diversify into a bewildering range of activities and initiatives, producing
all sorts of paperwork and committees but not focusing on the key benefits that
would have ensured its legitimacy. To my way of thinking it was
producer-focused (“let’s do the things that interest us”) rather than
consumer-focused (“let’s deliver the benefits to those whom we are here to
serve”).
David Brindle in The Guardian makes some good points about
how the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) could now take on some of
the functions of the College of Social Work.
I believe that that BASW is not simply a good candidate to
raise the phoenix from the ashes; it is the only candidate. It has its own
membership and organisation and is a true membership organisation. If it could
be persuaded to inherit some, but by no means all, of the functions of the
defunct college it would provide a means of saving something from the wreckage.
The crucial thing would be to define carefully the core
functions for which a college of social work is required. What is its role in
education and training to be? What are the key aspects of professional
development that the college should address? How should it fulfill its policy
function without becoming simply a sounding board for small groups of insiders?
A ‘college-light’ (without expensive and unnecessary activities)
nested within BASW, at least for its fledgling years, could develop and grow by
demonstrating its value to practitioners and winning their trust. Then the
necessary cash for more elaborate activities might begin to flow. At some point
in the future it could become independent, but only once its prospects were
assured.
