"[Our] values and ethics place people’s rights to autonomy and self-determination at the heart of social work practice." [Image created by freepik.com] Voting rights are human rights Barring exceptional and unexpected events, there will be a parliamentary election in the UK this year. In the BASW Annual Survey of Social Workers and Social Work, 68% of social workers felt they had a role to play in promoting voting, but only 19% had supported someone to do so. To support our colleagues to promote people’s right to register and vote in elections, BASW, Learning Disability England, the National ..read more

Jason Brandon, Office of the Chief Social Worker for Adults: It’s National Social Work Week, one of the most important events in the social work calendar. We are also pleased to celebrate World Social Work Day, which brings people together to learn, connect, and raise awareness of the breadth, value and benefits of modern, progressive social work. This year's theme focuses on social workers' capacity to adopt innovative and community-led approaches. To mark the day, I’m delighted to present this blog from Jak Savage MBE, social care consultant and individual employer of personal assistants (P ..read more

"Moving Social Work focuses on increasing physical activity [opportunities for disabled people] and the benefits this generates for mind and body..." [Image created by freepik.com] Equality of opportunity Modern social work is many things, but one of its central tenets involves the belief that everyone should have access to the same opportunities to live full, active, healthy lives, regardless of circumstance and background. In this spirit, the Moving Social Work (MSW) programme aims to harness the skills and values of social workers to support the health, wellbeing and human rights of peopl ..read more

Lyn, enjoying the stunning vistas of her home country, Australia, on an earlier trip. ...for all the amazing adult social work This is my farewell post before I step down as Chief Social Worker for Adults. It was a privilege and an honour to take on this role over 10 years ago, the first of its kind in England. I am so very grateful for all the support I have received from so many people in the sector, especially those who draw on care and support and those who care for them. And of course, I must thank and praise the many wonderful social workers, social care and NHS colleagues who, day in ..read more

Lyn Romeo: I am delighted to have as guest blogger this week, Simon Duffy, who has made a significant contribution to work on self-directed support, personal budgets and really putting people in control at the heart of social care. Citizenship and inclusion are the cornerstones of social work. However, making sure we are working with people with learning disabilities to achieve these outcomes is imperative. Thanks to Simon and his friend and colleague with learning disabilities, Wendy, for the rich resource they have created to support social workers. Their work helps us to focus relentlessly ..read more

It's been an eventful year for adult social work. Lyn Romeo takes you through the highlights [Image created by freepik.com] Unified in helping others As the year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the journey we have undertaken together over the last year. We have continued to relentlessly seek improvement in the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, friends and carers. We have done this in collaboration with our colleagues in the social care workforce who, together with us, work alongside people and communities to enable them to lead the best possible lives. We have bene ..read more

Lyn Romeo: Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care and I recently visited Salford to hear about the way social care colleagues work with the council, the NHS, providers and voluntary and community sector partners. As part of that day, we heard about their approach to recruitment and retention and building the capacity and capability of their workforce across all sectors. I was delighted to hear from one of the social workers, Donna Sharkey, about her career journey into social work and she has kindly provided her reflections in this great blog. Donna's social work career path may ..read more

Lyn Romeo: October is an important month as it marks World Mental Health Day and Black History Month. These two important themes were explored at a brilliant webinar on anti -racist perspectives and the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) role: ‘taking professional responsibility to address racism in practice’, chaired by Jason Brandon, Mental Health Social Work lead in the Chief Social Worker for Adults' office, in partnership with the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) England. Shantel Thomas and Neil Sanyal, share their reflections on allyship and what it means for all of ..read more

Lyn Romeo: Social work, as part of a multi-disciplinary approach to integrating responses around the person and their family and carers, makes a genuine difference to improving outcomes for people. Timed with World Mental Health Day, I am delighted to host this blog from Dr Gillian Robertson, a social worker who has worked in mental health services for many years. She demonstrates how well integrated responses can make a difference to people and other health and care professionals. [Image created by freepik.com] Collegiate and effective Dr Gillian Robertson: Barnet was internationally reno ..read more

Lyn Romeo: On a recent visit to Harrow council, I was delighted to meet their cohort of apprentices and to hear about their amazing journeys towards qualifying as social workers or occupational therapists. Many of them had lived experience of social care in their own lives and have also worked as support workers, social work assistants and in other related social care employment. This route into becoming a regulated professional in adult social care is laying the foundation for a strong and committed cohort of social care practitioners who will ensure that, as social care reform progresses, p ..read more