Continuity and progress: introducing Dr Andrew McCulloch, chair of the board

As a member of Social Work England’s board for the past 6 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to watch the organisation develop and grow from the very beginning. After 18 months as interim chair, I’m pleased to step into the position of permanent chair for the next 3 years.

My experience

I’ve always been aware of social work, through elderly relatives and friends living with disabilities. I became more aware studying psychology at university: an MA at Cambridge University, followed by a PhD at the University of Southampton. As part of my PhD, I carried out research into the psychological wellbeing of people living in sheltered accommodation. My supervisor taught partly in the social work department, and many of the people I met during my research had social workers in their lives.

After my studies, I spent 16 years at the Department of Health and Social Security. During this time I worked extensively with social workers, often with a focus on mental health. Following this, I worked at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health for 6 years, then at the Mental Health Foundation for 11 years. I worked with social workers in our learning disability team, and led a major project in Turkey using a multi-disciplinary international team. Finally, I worked as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Picker Institute, an organisation committed to driving patient and service user centred care. In this role, I extended their work into social care for the first time. We also introduced a major co-production initiative into the NHS.

Through these experiences, I’ve been impressed by the unique perspective that social work offers. The approach can be an antidote to the “medical model”. The psychosocial model, or systemic model, is often more relevant to the realities of people’s lives and what they need.

Alongside my day jobs, I have sat on boards and chaired a range of voluntary organisations. I’ve worked across health, social care, education and nature conservation. With over 40 years’ experience in boards and committees, I’ve seen that chairing requires a subtle sort of leadership. For example, steering conversations and making sure we hear people’s voices. A commitment to co-production is essential.

The role of the board

The board oversees Social Work England’s performance and provides strategic direction. We ensure the organisation is fulfilling its purpose, which is to protect the public. We do this by providing challenge to the executive leadership team, managing risks and setting goals. We also review finances and ensure Social Work England is effectively using public funds.

As chair, I’m responsible for leading the board. This includes:

• creating the board’s strategy
• chairing board meetings
• ensuring we consider guidance from the Secretary of State and the Department for Education (our sponsor department)

Colum [Conway, our chief executive] and I meet regularly with the deputy directors, and occasionally with ministers and senior officials of our sponsor department, the Department for Education. We have an excellent working relationship with them, which I look forward to developing further.

Tackling challenges, driving change

As we know, the social work profession faces significant challenges. These include increasing demand on services, stretched finances, and at times uncertain public trust. As the regulator we recognise and must help address these issues, alongside other leads in the sector.

However, sometimes there are external pressures which are out of our control. That’s why strategic direction is so important. It’s about working out where we can have impact, and making a targeted contribution. For example, the campaign we launched which seeks to tackle negative public perception of the profession - ‘change the script’.

Social work is an ever-shifting profession, so it’s essential to stay informed. I do this by keeping up with my networks, attending relevant events and reading social care news. Plus, I have access to first-hand perspectives from my life partner and several friends who work in social work. I also draw on the expertise of Social Work England’s staff. Their knowledge and experience is essential in informing the board’s decision making.

As chair, I look forward to providing continuity and stability, as well as empowering the organisation to do its best. Working together, I’m confident that we can deliver lasting positive change for the profession.

Further information

You can:

• Read more about our board and board members.
• Find out about upcoming board meetings.
• Read about current opportunities to join our board.