To join or not to join? The College of Social Work, BASW and Unison…

12th January 2012

Social Workers in England are currently facing the dilemma of whether or not to join the new College of Social Work, with several options currently on the table and the economic downturn squeezing people’s resources.

Here’s a summary of the current situation…

• The College of Social Work launched last week, and is recruiting members
• Social work registration fees are set to double in 2012, with registration transferring from the GSCC to the HPC this year
• Many social workers are already paid members of a trade union
• Many social workers are also paid members of a professional association, BASW (The British Association of Social Workers)
• BASW has recently launched its own trade union, the Social Workers Union

All of these factors make for a difficult decision, with social work practitioners wondering whether or not to join the College.  However, Community Care has produced a really useful comparison table, which sets out the different costs of joining the College of Social Work, BASW, and Unison, and contrasts exactly what they offer.

If you’re struggling to decide yourself, take a look at the table online by clicking here.