I have recently been chcking the proofs of my forthcoming book, Theorizing Social Work Practice (to be published by Palgrave Macmillan next February), which completes the trilogy that began with Understanding Social Work: Preparing for Practice and also includes Practising Social Work: Meeting the Professional Challenge. I have often thought that it is important how books end, so I paid particular attention, in checking the proofs, to the final sentence of the book:

Whatever it is that formed (and, it is to be hoped, still informs) the basis of your inspiration and motivation, do not lose touch with that crucial source of renewal to keep you going in what is, as well as being a rewarding career, also a very demanding one.

The recognition that social work is a demanding career is, for me, a vitally important one. It means that we need to go into it with our eyes open, ready to make the commitment to rising to the many challnges involved. It also means that we have to value what we do, support each other in doing it, recognise that we will get it wrong sometimes, but still be proud of the efforts we make and the successes and breakthroughs we achieve. In this way it can be rewarding because it is demanding. I very much hope that Social Work Focus can play an important supporting role in all this.

The publication of the Task Force on social work in England offers some potentially very positive steps forward, a challenge to the managerialism and unrealistic expectations (in terms of workload) that have characterised British social work in recent years. However, there are still many questions that remain: Will the Government provide adequate financial support to translate the potential into reality? Will next year's general election change the political landscape in relation to social work? Will Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland develop similar approaches? Will we, as a profession, be able to capitalise on the opportunities now available to us? Or will we, as a result of the problems the Task Force report highlights, be at such a low ebb that we do not rise fully to the challenge?

The Task Force report is at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/swtf/