On Tuesday 11th July I was thrilled to have been unanimously elected as the Chair for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Social Work. This is something I have been involved with for quite some time now and I am extremely pleased to be able to combine this interest of mine with my work.
The AGM was a great opportunity to re-cap on the group’s past work, particularly the British Association of Social Worker’s report published last year which focused on the mental health services available for adults in England. We will be looking to get a commitment from Government to materialise the key recommendations and this will hopefully start by holding a Westminster debate on mental health. Principally, these recommendations are: tackling the social determinants of mental distress, meeting the needs of marginalised groups, and restructuring the organisational structure of mental health services.
As the APPG is also very interested in the mental health services available for veterans, it was fantastic to have Tony Wright from Forward Assist joining us once again. Under his advice, we will be collaborating to develop an e-learning system for social workers to be better trained in dealing with the specific needs of veterans, and I think this is very much needed.
The APPG will also be looking to hold a discussion forum with representatives from charities and other organisations to hear their views on how child services can be improved. At the moment, social work practices are highly prescriptive, using a one-size-fits-all approach and it will be useful to hear how the experts in the field think this can be changed.
Evidently, there is much work to be done in the field of social work and I am determined to bring about positive developments. It is fundamental that we do everything we can for children and those with mental health difficulties, and I am honoured to have been given the role of Chair for the APPG.