BASW makes fresh plea for PPE as social worker dies from Covid-19

The British Association of School Workers (BASW) has called for social workers to be provided with items such as masks, overalls and hand sanitiser after it emerged people had been forced to make their own.

The fresh call comes after Southwark Council announced the death of two council employees, including a social worker, who had contracted the virus, also known as Covid-19.

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Council leader Peter John wrote on Twitter: “So sad to learn that we have now lost two London Borough of Southwark employees to Covid-19 – one of our dedicated street cleaning team and a social worker. My thoughts are with them and their loved ones at this awful time.”

Dozens of people across the sector have paid tribute to the pair, including Ofsted’s director of social work Yvette Stanley who tweeted: “So sorry for your loss. Condolences to their families and London Borough of Southwark colleagues.”

So sad to learn that we have now lost two @lb_southwark employees to #Covid19 - one of our dedicated street cleaning team and a social worker. My thoughts are with them and their loved ones at this awful time. This is an indiscriminate disease so please #StayHomeSaveLives

— Peter John (@peterjohn6) March 31, 2020

It is not clear if the social worker had come into contact with coronavirus while working. 

A statement from BASW said: “Currently, we are not fully aware of all the details including whether the employee was likely to have contracted Covid-19 due to their job role, but will be following developments closely. 

This is so sad. I am so sorry to hear about these two deaths of workers in Southwark 😥

— Anna Gupta (@AnnaGupta2) March 31, 2020

“We would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the families of the two people who have lost their lives in these awful circumstances. 

“We will also continue our efforts to lobby for all social workers on the frontline delivering support to communities across the country to get the vital personal protective equipment they need, so they can be better protected and in-turn, protect the vulnerable people they serve.”

BASW has also written an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for the government to provide PPE for social workers, publish specific advice for practitioners and include them as a "priority group" for testing.

Oh so sorry to hear this John. I’m thinking about everyone touched by this sad news not least our fantastic #socialwork community who are often forgotten. #BeSafe colleagues

— Nimal Jude (@NimalJude) March 31, 2020

The news comes as children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield called for an “army” of volunteers to step up to support social workers during the pandemic.

Longfield urged retired social workers or those who had left the profession alongside charity workers, Scout and Guide leaders to return to support vulnerable children.

She said: “It is time to mobilise and redeploy an army of people who can help – the thousands of people who already have the necessary checks and vetting required to work with children – from furloughed nursery staff to charity workers, dinner ladies, sports coaches, teaching assistants, Scouts and Guide leaders.

“We need an army of these volunteers for our vulnerable kids – people who are able to help social services and schools to reach to children and families, check in on what is going on, support struggling families and make these invisible children visible again.”