This campaign was not against engagement with media or any specific person it was about social workers coming together and respecting themselves as professionals. We believe that social work will never be treated appropriately and with respect if social workers in the first place do not come together and respect and protect social work as a profession.

Protecting social work as a profession means unmasking the bad/poor practice of social work and the reasons and people behind it, as well as standing up for the profession to protect it from unscrupulous and generalised attacks and/or accusations by media or otherwise.

We believe that social workers should take responsibility for their profession and their future and therefore, are disgusted by the appointment of journalists such as Deidre Sanders to Social Work Taskforce and by GSCC’s invitation of Deidre Sanders to their annual conference.

Social work and anyone connected with and/or representing social work/social workers must maintain and uphold the highest standards of transparency, integrity and professional ethics. Toadying to the lowest journalistic sensationalisms and manipulations only aggravates the current difficulties and confounds an already complex situation.

We look forward to the formation of the college of social work to represent and regulate social work in the same manner the Royal College of Physicians represents and regulates medical doctors. The inefficiencies and short sighted politicisation of GSCC has led to a generalised culture of blame and fear in social work.

We await the unveiling of Social Work Taskforce’s final report and hope that there would be more than just a few cosmetic hints and the usual procedural and bureaucratic revisions/additions and some easy blame on the poor training of Newly Qualified Social Workers. We believe that the problems of this profession are much more serious and much more deeply rooted, and for as long as social work is not run by social workers there would be neither the courage nor the resolve to truly address the underlying causes of current problems.

We stand for a better understanding and greater equity through an open, sincere and transparent partnership, commitment and dialogue between the government, social workers and service users.

We wish to take this opportunity to thank all those who joined our petition and who share our concerns and hopes for a better social work and greater social justice.

Also we are enormously grateful to all those who through word of mouth, phone calls, or otherwise helped us disseminate this worthy message.

Please join the petition to send a strong message to GSCC.

Social workers are ready to engage and discuss the problems of their profession and more than determined to contribute in every positive way to improve status quo. But, we do expect a minimum of professional ethics and integrity on the part of those involved.

We hope GSCC stops its arrogant disregard of our views/opinions and does not undermine our profession any further.

Click on the link below to join the petition and please inform/invite your colleagues to join as well.

Click here to join the Petition.

The objective is to carry the thread:

“Do you think GSCC is doing the right thing inviting aunt agony to its conference?”

from community care forward on this website.

We all can remember the recent cases where the identity of blog holders and users were revealed. This has created some apprehension on the part of many social workers to participate in discussions or express their views.

Therefore, In order to protect everyone’s identity this website has been registered in United States and its servers are located and operated in United States. Therefore, United Kingdom or European Union legislation do not apply to this website.

Hence, GSCC can not request us to identity any of the users of this website.

So, feel free and express your true feelings about GSCC conference and their invitation of Deidre Saundre’s as a speaker.

An petition will be set up within today (Sept. 7, 2009) on this space, calling on GSCC to withdraw/cancel Deidre Saundre’s invitation to GSCC conference.

A separate petition will be set up in this space (by tomorrow (Sept. 8, 2009) calling on Hilton Dawson to boycott GSCC conference for as long as Deidre Saundre remains their speaker.

The petitions are electronic petitions and you will have the option of displaying your name or appearing anonymously.

If you have any questions please email action@standupforsocialwork.org .

Please advise your collegues to join this petition.

Do not worry about anonymity. The main reason this website was set up was to preserve the anonymity of those who do not wish to reveal their identity publicly.

It is essential that we show unity and a strong stance. Alternatively, social work will continue to be victimised by GSCC and the tabloid media alike.

All the best,

Roberts