Social work needs strong body to fight its corner

The announced closure of The College of Social Work (TCSW) has prompted another round of introspection over the future of the social work profession.

It is not particularly new for social work to undergo an identity crisis: it seems to come around periodically, often prompted by a high-profile child protection scandal, changes to qualifications and standards of practice, or moves to introduce market forces in how care is organised and delivered.

A consistent feature of many of these periods of soul-searching is demands by government for reform. The closure of TCSW - when it happens at the end of September - comes against the backdrop of plans for fundamental changes to social work roles and entry qualifications, not to mention who delivers children's social care services. This follows two years of criticism from ministers over the standards of both frontline practitioners and local authorities.