BASW

What BASW does

BASW (British Association of Social Workers) is the independent professional membership organisation for social work across the United Kingdom, structured as a company limited by guarantee (company number 00982041) and headquartered at Wellesley House, 37 Waterloo Street, Birmingham. Founded circa 1970 and employing 51–100 staff, BASW operates four nation-specific teams — BASW Cymru (Wales), BASW England, BASW Northern Ireland and the Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) — delivering regional advocacy, representation, training and member services. Its primary customer segments are individual qualified social workers, social work students, newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) and independent practitioners, segmented horizontally across the UK.

The core product is annual BASW Membership, which bundles advice and representation, training and CPD, insurance certificates, and access to a community of practice. The product surface is built on a digital membership management platform (MyPortal) for application and direct-debit renewals, supported by online event booking and an LMS for CPD delivery. Adjacent offerings include the Professional Social Work (PSW) magazine, the Let's Talk Social Work podcast, the annual Social Work Live conference (Birmingham, 27 October 2026), nation-specific conferences, a UK Student Conference, the Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS) peer-to-peer coaching (used by 2,000+ social workers since July 2020), a BASW England e-mentoring service, a Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF), a refreshed Code of Ethics (2021), the BASW Independents directory, a jobs board, and special interest groups. BASW also provides discounted access to the Social Workers Union (SWU), the only UK trade union for social workers run by social workers.

BASW's commercial model is subscription-recurring: annual membership fees across multiple tiers (student, working qualified, independent, NQSW, retired, unemployed/unpaid), processed predominantly via direct debit through MyPortal. Go-to-market is sales-led through the website, events and university partnerships, with multi-channel engagement via content marketing, podcast, magazine, social media, and parliamentary-facing campaigns (e.g., This Week in Westminster). The organisation operates as a member-run non-profit with no external shareholders; it influences policy directly and through coalitions with UNISON, ADASS, SSSC, Social Work England, Skills Development Scotland, and the International Federation of Social Work. Current revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

BASW

Legal name

British Association of Social Workers

Website

https://basw.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BASW is the independent UK professional membership organisation for social workers, operating across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, delivering membership subscriptions, CPD training, advocacy, an affiliated trade union (SWU) and member services to individual qualified social workers and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: BASW generates revenue through annual membership fees from qualified social workers, students, newly qualified social workers, independent social workers, and retired members. Membership includes categories for working qualified less than 5 years, working qualified more than 5 years, independent, newly qualified, retired, and unemployed/unpaid members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BASW (British Association of Social Workers) is the independent professional membership organisation for social work across the UK, providing qualified social workers, students, and newly qualified social workers with advice and representation, training and CPD courses, insurance certificates, professional standards, coaching and mentoring services, conferences, publications, and trade union access via the Social Workers Union (SWU). It operates dedicated nation-specific teams for England, Wales, Scotland (SASW), and Northern Ireland.

Product overview

BASW (British Association of Social Workers) operates as a professional membership organization offering a unified platform of services for social workers across the UK. The core product is BASW Membership, which provides access to advice and representation, training and CPD courses, insurance certificates, and professional community. Key product modules include: Training & CPD courses (General Taught Skills, Newly Qualified Social Worker, Practice Educator, Social Work in Disasters), the Let's Talk Social Work Podcast, Professional Social Work Magazine (PSW), annual conferences (Social Work Live, SASW Annual Conference, UK Student Conference), BASW Coaching Service (peer-to-peer coaching launched July 2020), BASW England Mentoring Service, Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF), BASW Independents Directory, Social Workers Union (SWU) partnership, Jobs Board, Special Interest Groups and Networks, and Code of Ethics resources. The organization also provides nation-specific services through BASW Cymru, BASW England, BASW Northern Ireland, and SASW (Scotland).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Social Workers Union (SWU): The only UK trade union for social workers run by social workers, offered as a discounted membership benefit to BASW members.
• Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS)
• Professional Social Work (PSW) Magazine

Products and services

• BASW Membership Annual professional membership offering qualified social workers and students access to advice and representation, training and CPD, insurance certificates, coaching, mentoring, professional publications, and a community of practice across the four UK nations.
• Training & CPD Courses Continuing professional development offerings including General Taught Skills Programme, Newly Qualified Social Worker Programme, Practice Educator & Assessor Programme, Social Work in Disasters Online Training (4 modules), and Overseas Qualified Social Worker Programme.
• Professional Social Work (PSW) Magazine Professional publication covering features, insight and viewpoints from across social work, delivered in print and digital editions to BASW members and subscribers.
• Let's Talk Social Work Podcast Podcast series providing professional development content and discussions on social work topics for BASW members and the wider profession.
• Social Work Live Conference Annual UK Social Work conference focusing on practice and careers, held in Birmingham with discounted early-bird bookings available to BASW members.
• SASW Annual Conference Annual conference for Scottish social workers organized by SASW, exploring topics such as activism and the future of the profession.
• BASW UK Student Conference Annual conference specifically designed for social work students across the UK, with the 2026 edition announced.
• Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS) / BASW Coaching Service Peer-to-peer coaching service launched in July 2020 providing free, confidential coaching to social workers across the UK, covering stress management, workplace challenges, supervision gaps, and career transitions.
• BASW England Mentoring Service E-mentoring service for BASW members in England including access to workshops and 1-1 mentoring sessions.
• BASW Independents Directory Free online directory that enables searches for professional independent social work practitioners and consultants.
• Jobs Board Online job board listing social work positions across the UK for BASW members and recruiters.
• Social Workers Union (SWU) Trade union for social workers run by social workers, available at a discounted membership rate to BASW members, representing them in workplace matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 social workers have accessed the peer-to-peer coaching service since July 2020

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Healthy Air ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Coalition of groups and organisations with a shared goal of reducing air pollution and poor quality air and the impact it has on individuals and communities. SASW joined in 2024.
• Social Work ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional leadership body for social work and social care professions in Scotland. Collaborates with SASW on policy and practice development through the Social Work Policy Panel organized in collaboration with Social Work Scotland and the Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser.
• One Parent Families ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPFS provides expert advice, practical support and campaigns with parents to make their voices heard on systems, policies and attitudes that disadvantage single parent families.
• Families OutsideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks exclusively on behalf of families affected by imprisonment including providing tools, resources, and training to individuals and groups who come into contact with families affected by imprisonment.
• The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational third sector intermediary for health and social care, bringing together diverse people and organisations who share a vision for a Scotland where everyone has a strong voice and enjoys their right to live well with dignity and respect.
• The Poverty AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSASW is a member. The Poverty Alliance works to influence policy and practice, support communities to challenge poverty, build the anti poverty movement, change attitudes, and provide evidence through research.
• Scotland's Mental Health PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMade up of 17 professional bodies and mental health third sector organisations. Members represent those with lived experience, providers, clinical professionals, carers, community support networks and the wider third sector.
• Social Workers Union (SWU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe only UK trade union for social workers run by social workers. BASW members can access discounted SWU membership. Joint campaigns including wellbeing toolkit for improving working conditions.
• Social Work EnglandcoreOthersRegulatory body for social workers in England. BASW engages with Social Work England on registration, fitness to practise, and professional standards issues. Joint statements issued with SWU and UNISON regarding registration fee increases.
• Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulator for the social services workforce in Scotland. SASW engages with SSSC on registration, practice learning, bursaries, and workforce development including the Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work.
• International Federation of Social Work (IFSW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal organization for social work. BASW CEO Dr Ruth Allen served as President of IFSW European Region. BASW participates in IFSW Global Meetings and Conferences.
• Skills Development ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment skills agency. SASW is part of the Apprenticeship Development Group actively contributing to the development of the Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work at SCQF Level 10.
• Social Work Education Partnership (SWEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on social work education. In 2021, SWEP agreed that SSSC should explore the feasibility of creating a Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work.
• ADASScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Directors of Adult Social Services. Joint campaigns including Liberty Protection Safeguards advocacy and responses to adult social care reform.
• UNISONminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic service union. Joint statements issued with BASW and SWU regarding Social Work England registration fee increases.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• British Medical Association: The UK trade union and professional body for doctors. Comparable to BASW as a long-established UK professional association that combines membership subscriptions, professional standards, lobbying, and trade union representation for a regulated health profession.
• Royal College of Nursing: The UK's largest professional union for nursing staff, providing professional representation, training, and collective bargaining. Closely comparable to BASW as another UK-wide professional membership body for a regulated health/social care profession, with a similar subscription model and lobbying function.
• UNISON: The UK's largest public services union, representing many social workers through collective bargaining. Comparable to BASW/SWU as a competing/overlapping union voice for the same social work workforce, and a partner in BASW's joint statements on registration fees.

Direct peers

• British Psychological Society: The representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK. A direct functional peer to BASW as a chartered professional membership organisation providing CPD, ethics, publications, and member services — albeit in an adjacent (rather than identical) regulated profession.
• Social Workers Union: The UK's trade union specifically for social workers, operated as an affiliate of BASW. A direct functional peer/partner within BASW's own ecosystem, offering collective bargaining and representation to a subset of social workers who choose to take SWU membership.
• Chartered Society of Physiotherapy: The professional body and trade union for physiotherapy staff in the UK. A direct functional peer to BASW combining a professional membership organisation with a certified trade union for an allied health/social care workforce.
• Royal College of Occupational Therapists: The UK professional body for occupational therapists, providing membership, CPD, publications and policy influence. Closely comparable in business model and member profile to BASW, serving an allied health/social care profession with similar regulatory and representation challenges.

Others

• Social Work England: The statutory regulator for social workers in England. Not a commercial peer but a closely adjacent organisation that BASW engages with on registration, fitness to practise, and standards — and a party in BASW's joint statement opposing registration fee increases.
• International Federation of Social Workers: The global federation of national social work associations. Adjacent peer/partner to BASW, with which it collaborates on global meetings and conferences; BASW's former CEO served as President of the IFSW European Region.
• Scottish Social Services Council: The regulatory body for the social services workforce in Scotland. Adjacent to BASW as the body that registers Scottish social workers, with which SASW (BASW's Scottish branch) maintains a core working partnership on registration, practice learning, and apprenticeship development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BASWUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/basw-uk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/basw
• Xx.com/BASW_UK

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BASW