Sustainability and social work: Perspectives from the 2023 BASW Annual Survey
The 2023 BASW Annual Survey asked a number of questions relating to the impact of the climate crisis and environmental degradation on their work.
We also asked questions about the personal and professional use of green spaces and green initiatives and the policies of employers. The survey also gave space for respondents to expand upon what the idea of ‘sustainability in social work’ meant to them in a broader sense.
This supplementary report to our main Annual Survey report 2023 considers both the quantitative and qualitative responses received.
At a glance – headlines from the survey
- Over 80% of respondents agreed social workers have a responsibility to understand the impact of environmental and climate change on people we work with
- 74% agreed BASW should take a stance and actions on this
- 65% agreed people using services are negatively affected by environmental and climate change, although over a quarter disagreed with this
- 84% agreed insulation and energy efficiency initiatives would benefit people we work with
- Only a quarter agreed people they work with have access to local green initiatives and less than one third used green initiatives within their own social work practices
- However, nearly two thirds of respondents engage in green initiatives themselves
- 65% agreed they encourage people to access green space and over three quarters said green spaces have a positive impact.
- Over 88% of social workers said access to green spaces was important to them personally
- Less than a third believed their employer encouraged environmentally sustainable ways of working although 46% of respondents thought their employers had environmental policies
- Of the environmental and climate risks listed, only one (fire) was chosen by less than 30% of respondents. The top three were Access or affordability of nutritious food; extreme cold; flooding
- Just over half of social workers were interested in environment related CPD.
Ruth Allen CEO BASWThere is a conceptual and practical connection between sustainability as it applies to how we protect and promote the natural world, how social workers support sustainable, thriving lives for communities, families and individuals, and how we look after and value social workers for the long term – as staff, as professionals and as people.
