Social Work Action Network

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Social Work Action Network

SWAN Conference 2010

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 09:05 administrator
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The 5th Social Work Action Network (SWAN) national UK conference is being held in Glasgow Caledonian University on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th September 2010.  In the context of massive impending cuts in public sector spending, the conference will be an important opportunity to build the networks of resistance necessary to defend social work and welfare spending more generally.  

With a line-up of excellent speakers, the conference promises to be an exciting event.  Please book up early - unlike most other conferences, SWAN is organising this event on a break-even basis to ensure front-line workers, activists and students can afford to attend - with no subsidies, we need to ensure we are fully subscribed.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 11:43 Read more...
 

Who Are the Social Work Action Network?

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SWAN is a loose network of social work practitioners, academics, students and social welfare service users united in their concern that social work activity is being undermined by managerialism and marketisation, by the stigmatisation of service users and by welfare cuts and restrictions.

We believe that good social work is a worthwhile activity that can help people address the problems and difficulties in their lives. Many of these difficulties are rooted in the inequalities and oppressions of the modern world and good social work necessarily involves confronting such structural and public causes of so many private ills.

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TAsk Force offers little for Frontline workers (Malcolm Jones)

Saturday, 23 January 2010 00:20 administrator
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The Social Work Task Force final report published last week acknowledges the difficulties social workers face, it will therefore be welcomed by some. However in practice it offers nothing to front line social workers.

Changes and recommendations the Task Force want are based on the current status quo in welfare. This includes targeting of limited resources, blaming individuals for their own distress and poverty, the creation of a deserving and undeserving poor with the use of eligibility criteria for access to services.

The Government’s current push for personalisation in social care is seen by many as a way of cost cutting and privatising services.

Last Updated on Saturday, 23 January 2010 00:21 Read more...
 

The Task Force’s Final Report: Where’s the History? (Chris Jones)

Saturday, 23 January 2010 00:34 administrator
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“In short, social work has arrived at a watershed moment. This gives us an opportunity to come together to build a safe, confident future, which all of us must seize.”

Moira Gibb (Dec 2009)

These are the concluding comments of Moira Gibb’s foreword to the Final Report of the Social Work Task Force.

That there are to be new additional resources to be made available to act upon the 15 recommendations of the Task Force immediately indicates the priority accorded by government to social work. It almost certainly means that much of what is recommended is unlikely to come to pass.

Last Updated on Saturday, 23 January 2010 00:36 Read more...
 

SWAN in Hong Kong

Thursday, 06 May 2010 14:06 administrator
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SWAN will participate to the 2010 World Conference of the International Federation of Social Workers. Organising three fringe workshops on the themes mentioned above. Academics from different countries are invited to contribute to these sessions. Delegates who will be attending the conference are encouraged to participate.(Free admission)

Last Updated on Thursday, 06 May 2010 14:11 Read more...
 

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