SWAN is a network of social work practitioners, academics, students and social welfare service users united in their concern that social work activity is being undermined by managerialism and marketisation, by the stigmatisation of service users and by welfare cuts and restrictions.

SWAN promotes a model of social work and social care practice which is rooted in the value of social justice. This model seeks to advocate alongside, and on behalf of, service users and carers. It values both individual relationship-based practice and collective approaches.

It works towards these objectives through regular conferences and campaigning activities, and to strengthen the radical voice within social work practice, education and wider social policy debates.

SWAN works alongside existing social care, service user and carer organisations, including UNISON and Unite, to promote strong collective organisation and, wherever possible, to campaign jointly.

SWAN is a membership organisation - please join us by following the instructions here.

Los Angeles County Social Workers on strike for lower caseloads

Simon Cardy (Twitter @simoncardy) of SWAN West Midlands, reports on the developing, mass strike action by social workers taking place in Los Angeles County, California:

A very determined, and at times militant, strike of around 1600 social workers organised by the Service Employees International Union SEIU has been taking place in Los Angeles County over the last week or so. The SEIU is one of the largest public sector unions in America. A six day strike began on Tuesday 2nd December by social workers working in the Department of Children and Family Services Social Workers (DCFS) [1]. Thousands of support staff joined the strike after three days in a massive act of solidarity. They are fed up with a four year pay freeze, long hours and excessive caseloads – sounds familiar?

Booking open for SWAN Conference 2014

Social Work in a ‘cold climate’: fighting for good practice in times of austerity

Durham University and the Social Work Action Network (SWAN) are pleased to announce that the 9th National SWAN conference will be hosted at Durham University on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th April 2014. Booking is now open.

In the context of savage cuts in public sector funding, ever increasing social work managerialism and stigmatization of service users, this conference will provide an important opportunity to debate ways of developing networks of resistance necessary to defend social justice-based social work and oppose the politics of austerity. This conference will mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of the “Manifesto for a new engaged practice”, the founding document of the Social Work Action Network.

A response to Michael Gove: wrong on social work education

There has been much coverage of Education Secretary Michael Gove's speech discussing child protection to the NSPCC, delivered on Tuesday this week. This included his position on social work and social work education and his feeling that such training involves 'idealistic students being told that the individuals with whom they will work have been disempowered by society' which 'robs individuals of the power of agency and breaks the link between an individual’s actions and the consequences'.

Change the course of social work

The next SWAN national conference is the eighth. It takes place at Durham University on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th April 2014. We will regularly update the SWAN website with information about speakers and booking. You can find these pages in the Conference 2014 section. Please email SWAN North East at ioakimides [at] googlemail.com if you have questions about the conference.

The title of the 2014 SWAN Conference is yet to be confirmed. This is the first time that a national SWAN conference has been held in the North East of England and we hope it will be the biggest ever SWAN event. It will link up social workers (in practice, education, research and training), service users and carers, trade unions, user-led groups, anti-cuts organisations, pressure groups, the disabled people and women's movements to unite to defeat the Coalition Government's social policy direction. Just as importantly we will debate, promote and celebrate alternative models and visions of social care.