Social Workers and a New Mental Health Act

Parliamentarians and social workers are jointly calling on the Government and NHS Trusts to recognise the social factors of mental health distress and promote the social model of health within new mental health legislation.

The call is one of nine key recommendations of an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Work and the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), who co-developed a new inquiry – Social Workers and a New Mental Health Act, in response to the Independent Review of the Mental health Act 1983.

The inquiry looks at the integration of health and social care, and how social workers’ role can be enhanced in new legislation, in order to uphold the human rights of children and adults suffering ill mental health.