Social Workers, Service Users and Austerity – A Common Cause

In January 2016, the International
Federation of Social Workers hosted a
Solidarity Symposium on social work and
austerity, which BASW members attended
along with a number of European colleagues.
A statement was agreed, which said:
“Austerity is a flawed economic theory that
increases debt burden, unemployment,
homelessness, inequality and causes misery
upon the lives of citizens.”
Social workers know how short-sighted
cuts to preventive services are, as they can
put intolerable pressure on people who then
end up needing far more expensive provision.
Reclaiming advocacy as an essential social work role is needed for our service user and carer voices to be heard
inside as well as outside our agencies. As well
as giving a voice to service users and carers
we work with individually, we can form
alliances on an organisational level to combat the effects of austerity on the most vulnerable in our society.