BASW Projects Social Work’s Voice at Westminster

Through our ongoing dialogue with parliamentarians, we’re continuing to affect changes to proposed legislation that stand to impact on the social work profession and drive forward key campaign asks from our manifesto for social work.

If you would like to discuss BASW’s parliamentary work, please contact our Political and Public Affairs Lead on jonny.adamson@basw.co.uk 

Immigration & Asylum

Thank you to all members who used our resources to contact their MP, asking them to support an amendment to the government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill we lobbied for that would have abolished the National Age Assessment Board and scientific methods of age assessment.

Unfortunately, the amendment was not moved in the final Commons stages, which meant that MPs didn’t vote on it. However, its presence in the debate shows that we are beginning to move the dial on this campaign.

Achieving change can’t come soon enough. Recent reports published by Garden Court Chambers and Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit demonstrate the glaring inadequacies with the NAAB. We will be using this as evidence in our subsequent engagements with Peers now that the Bill is entering the Lords.

We were also grateful to Shockat Adam MP who raised our concerns about biological methods of age assessment in the House of Commons, calling on the government to scrap these methods in favour of Merton compliant, social work led age assessments.

Assisted Dying

Following weeks of intense committee scrutiny, Kim Leadbeater’s Private Member’s Bill to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live the option to end their life, returned to the floor of the House of Commons.

BASW does not have an ‘in principle’ position on assisted dying, but we are engaging with MPs on the Bill given that social work is included in the proposals. We briefed all MPs ahead of this debate, outlining four asks:

• Support the multidisciplinary panel approach 
• Vote for an amendment that includes social workers and other non-healthcare professionals in the conscience clause
• Amend the Bill to ensure support and advice is made available to patients and families earlier in the process
• Table and/or support an amendment that establishes a robust external inspection of assisted dying services delivered by an appropriate agency

We were pleased that MPs agreed an amendment to include social workers, and all social care professionals, in the ‘conscience clause’, ensuring that no professional is under any obligation to provide assistance under the legislation. This achieves important legal parity with healthcare professionals.

The remainder of the amendments to the Bill will be debated and voted on Friday, 13 June. A vote on the Bill as a whole will also take place that day, determining whether it moves to the Lords for further checks.

Meanwhile, a similar Bill to legalise assisted dying in Scotland overcame its first hurdle in the Scottish Parliament, as MSPs voted by 70-56 to progress it. SASW’s calls for a mandated role of social work in the process, particularly around identifying coercion, was raised by Bob Doris MSP in the chamber. We’ll continue to engage with MSPs on the Bill during stage two, where the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee will propose and decide on changes. 

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

The House of Lords has begun pouring over the details of this Bill, with a number of lengthy committee sessions scheduled into June.

BASW England has been working to inform Peers about our positions on the Bill, making the case that the proposed reforms will only be effective if the role of social work is fully recognised and supported throughout.

Our influence has already been evident in the Peers’ deliberations, with notable mentions in the House, including from Baroness Stedman-Scott who outlined why we have supported her amendment to extend family group conferencing to include the voices of 16- and 17-year-olds. We were also pleased to hear Baroness Barran expressing our concerns that the mandating of multi-agency safeguarding teams risks disrupting existing safeguarding principles and undermining the distinct role of social workers.

Mental Health Bill

The government’s plans to reform the Mental Health Act for England and Wales are now on the desks of MPs to consider. The Bill sailed through Second Reading following a thoughtful debate where MPs shared personal experiences of mental health and the mental health system. It will now begin its committee stage passage from 9th June.

We’ve already secured some notable wins on the Bill during its journey through the Lords, including:

• Creating a clearer process for nominated persons for under-18s was proposed and passed.
• Removing the requirement for the nominated person’s signature to be witnessed.
• An assurance of a forthcoming amendment that ensures providers of after-care have direct legal duties to uphold people’s human rights.

We’re now preparing to work with MPs to further strengthen the Bill in its final stages. This includes urging the government to withdraw an opposition amendment that extends S135/136 powers to AMHPs, which we are actively campaigning on alongside stakeholders such as the BMA, RCPsych and the Royal College of Nurses.

Renters Reform Bill

As it approaches its last remaining stages in the House of Lords, we’re pleased that the Renters Reform Bill will soon be receiving its Royal Ascent to become law.

The legislation will abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, one of our asks of the incoming government on housing policy. There is still much to be done to address the housing crisis, including on building more social and specialist housing, but the strengthening of renter’s rights is welcome progress.

What’s around the corner?

The government will be eager to get as much legislation over the line before parliament rises for summer recess on 22 July.

Before then, there’s the important matter of the Spending Review, due to conclude by 11 June. Ministers are under pressure to row back on proposed cuts to welfare spending and also to the Winter Fuel Allowance. We’re also eagerly awaiting the publication of the Child Poverty Strategy, which is now reportedly delayed until the autumn. BASW is adamant that the strategy must include scrapping the two-child limit and benefit cap if it is to truly tackle child poverty levels across the UK. 

Whatever is or isn’t announced in the coming weeks, this feels like a pivotal moment for the government, only one year since coming into power.