The Social Workers Union (SWU) began in 2011 and we are one of the fastest growing Trade Unions. SWU is dedicated to social work professionals and we are able to offer you representation from a qualified Social Worker – someone who understands the competing demands placed upon you by your employer and the Code of Conduct, and what it’s like to be a practicing Social Worker attempting to navigate the challenges of supporting service-users in an environment deflated by imposed austerity cuts. The SWU team are all qualified and registered social workers, and we know how difficult it can be working under tremendous pressure to deliver the services your clients deserve, often subjected to wholly unreasonable criticism in the media and elsewhere. We are able to use our specialist knowledge to advocate and negotiate on behalf of social workers, both individually and collectively.
Not only do we represent and support social workers in times of worry and distress, but we also encourage positive union activism and engagement, and we offer opportunities for members to become involved in SWU via our popular Union Contact Scheme and through our training links with GFTU. We are keen to promote the positives of union membership and encourage members to assist us in promoting and strengthening your Union. Please take a moment to navigate this site and see how you can become more involved.
We encourage BASW members to opt-in to join SWU in order to benefit from the support of both a professional association and a specialist trade union. If you’d like to join SWU and learn more about our association with BASW, please go to our Join SWU page.