What happened at the Association of Child Welfare Service Directors conference in 2015. Do we have a right to know?
“We, the International Federation of Social Workers (IFWS), the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW), feel compelled to advocate for a New World Order.” – Commitment to Action on the World Agenda for Social Welfare and Social Development, March 2012.
According to the website: The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services in England (ADASS)
“Social care workers are connected globally through IFSW, a UN recognised NGO which works with IASSW and ICSW to advance the World Plan for Social Welfare and Social Development, a 10-year plan that reports to the UN and WHO. In 2015 there will be a major European event in the UK organised by BASW which will involve the whole social care sector contributing to this effort under the second theme of promoting the dignity and worth of people.”
The Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) held its annual conference at the Midland Hotel in Manchester from 8 to 10 July 2015. The association's website states:
“A Chatham House general meeting for all ADCS members will be held on Thursday 9th July from 11am.”
The Chatham House Rules were a system for holding debates and forums on controversial issues, named after the headquarters of the Royal Institute of International Affairs. In their present form, the rules state:
“If the conference, or any part of it, is held under Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use any information they receive, but the identities or affiliations of speakers, or the identities or affiliations of other participants, will not be revealed.”
In our view, the Chatham House Rule is a barrier to openness and transparency. For example, the Chatham House Rule prevents the public from knowing whether the World Agenda on Social Welfare was being discussed at the General Assembly. What other controversial issues were being discussed that necessitated a closed-door approach?
I understand that the Nottingham CSE Research Group organised a rally outside the Midland Hotel to coincide with the ACDS July conference, and the following video records their attendance, highlighting many of their concerns: There appears to have been a “designated Twitter user” at the conference, and the programme makers have included a selection of “tweets” that are chilling in their views.
