Curriculum Vitae - Ian Johnston Date of birth: 24th June 1950
Home address: Fernlea Email
24 Duchess Street
Stanley
Perth
Scotland
PH1 4NG Tel: +44 1738828276
+44 777 5903505
Social Work Qualification
Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW) - Aberdeen - 1975
Registered Social Worker – Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
Employment History
1999-09 British Association of Social Workers – Chief Executive
1997-98 British Association of Social Workers – Scottish Secretary
1991-96 Fife Regional Council -.Regional Manager-Community Care Services
1988-91 Fife Regional Council - Principal Officer (Health and Handicap)
1987-88 Fife Regional Council - Assistant Principal Officer- (Learning Disability)
1977-87 Tayside Regional Council - Senior Social Worker
1976-77 Tayside Regional Council - Qualified Social Worker
1975-76 Strathclyde Regional Council - Qualified Social Worker
1971-73 Glasgow Corporation Social Work Department - Trainee Social Worker
Skills and experience
The first twenty years of my career was spent working as a frontline social worker and first line manager in my home town of Glasgow and the Tayside Region of Scotland, providing statutory services to all client groups.
I then moved to the Kingdom of Fife where I held a number of management posts. As Regional Manager for Community Care Services I was responsible for the management of 720 staff providing services to adults with physical, sensory or learning disabilities and those with requirements related to mental health, HIV/AIDS or drug or alcohol use.
My responsibilities included the development of effective responses to challenging behaviour, the replacement of long stay hospitals with supported living arrangements in the community and the promotion of self-directed care. I secured ESF funding for a vocational skills training project for disabled people and contributed to drug prevention programmes with colleagues from the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
I was employed as the chief officer of the British Association of Social Workers for more than a decade until my retirement on 8th June 2009. This was a challenging and high profile job requiring me to respond to a steady stream of media requests as well as organise and manage the Association’s activities across the UK.
This position entailed speaking out about a wide range of social issues and representing the UK at international social work events and I participated in capacity building projects with the Ukraine League of Social Workers and the Russian Union of Social Workers and Social Pedagogues.
Since retiring from BASW I have continued to contribute to social work service delivery and professional development in a voluntary capacity and have been as busy as ever. I am a Registered Social Worker (RSW) and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA) .
In 2011 I was appointed Chair of the Management Board of a long established charitable body delivering social work services to the deaf community in my local area. This organisation was no longer financially viable in the current climate and I negotiated a merger with a larger organisation serving the whole of Scotland.
Over the past year I have been supporting local groups in my village and have secured funding to launch a Time Banking initiative that will encourage people to support one another and promote the principles of reciprocity.
Other Relevant Positions
IFSW representative on the European Anti-Poverty Network - Since 2012
Member of the European Social Platform FRAND Working Group - Since 2011
IFSW representative on the EU Fundamental Rights Platform - 2010 - 2012
Non-Executive Director – Deaf Action – Since 2012
Chair - Tayside Deaf Association - 2010 - 2012
Non-Executive Director – Stanley Development Trust - 2010 - 2013
Member of IFSW (Europe) Executive Committee – Elected 2009 & 2011
Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA) – Elected 2008
Member of Howard League for Penal Reform
Member of the Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW) 1992 - 96
Member of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) - Since1975
IHJ 21st March 2013