BASW AGM: Motion 3
From Policy, Ethics and Human Rights Committee and seconded by the Coventry & Warwickshire branch.
BASW members can provide comments on motions ahead of the AGM on Tuesday 15 September.
Please view the short film presenting this motion, read the motion text and scroll to the bottom of the page to leave your comments by 6.00pm, Monday 14th September 2020.
Full details of the motion are:
This Annual General Meeting affirms that social work is a human rights profession committed to social justice and reasserts the core values of social work, which include respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people and proactive challenge to all forms of discrimination.
This Annual General Meeting recognises the worldwide evidence of continued structural racism and discrimination affecting minority communities, including the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 and lockdown penalties on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities), the murder of George Floyd in May in the United States of America, the growth in hate crime in the United Kingdom and globally including anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim prejudice, the negative impact of racism and discrimination on the development and self-worth of children and young people, and the disproportionate number of young men from Black communities in prison establishments, the impact of the Grenfell fire and many other examples.
We deplore nationalist and populist rhetoric deployed by some politicians and call on leaders to use language which respects all peoples.
We call on all organisations involved in social work in the UK, including governments, employers, regulators and higher education institutions to:
- Ensure that there are formal, consultative arrangements which give voice to staff and students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities and other minority groups
- Ensure that there are opportunities to learn about the different perspectives on the history of the welfare state in qualifying and post-qualifying studies
- Ensure that there are opportunities for training and continuous professional development, which integrate the realities of racial and cultural discrimination
- Ensure that staff and students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities have access to mentors, training and support, including support to challenge racism and discrimination when it is alleged
- Ensure that there is equality of protection for staff from all backgrounds when required to work with people who may have Covid-19.
We acknowledge that structural racism and other discriminations also affect our association and call on Council to continue to develop structures and arrangements which confront racism and demonstrate in practical terms our commitment to the core values of social work.
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- Comments will be moderated and published between the hours of 10am-4pm each day from Friday 11th September until 11.00am on Tuesday 15th September 2020.
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