World Social Work month 2024 events

Thursday 29 February 2024

Places to attend for Northern Ireland Social Workers are fully funded and will be allocated via employers. 

The first conference of its kind for social work, Responding to Domestic Violence and Abuse in Ireland, North and South, is a unique opportunity to explore and understand the complexities of domestic abuse from an all-island viewpoint.

By connecting policy, practice, and experience, the conference will examine how abuse affects lives and profile insights and learning for all areas of social work.

Social work has a unique line of sight, often pressing to address matters others overlook. The agenda will explore issues which frequently go undiscussed, highlighting the many ways domestic abuse manifests in family relationships. Focus will be given to considering the impacts of intimate partner violence, child to parent violence and working with families, with consideration given to the appropriate social work responses. 

Keynote presentations will be delivered by Professor Stephanie Holt, Head of School & Course Director, PG Dip in Child Protection & Welfare at Trinity College Dublin, Marcella Leonard, Director of Leonard Consultancy and expert in the areas of psychosexual therapy, child and public protection, and Frank Mullane, MBE, from the organisation Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse. Confirmed speakers also include Helen McEntee TD, Minister for Justice, and Naomi Log MLA, former Minister for Justice.

The conference is generously sponsored by the Departments of Health and Justice in Northern Ireland and the Department of Justice in Ireland and will underline the various ways social workers collaborate with other professionals, championing approaches which deliver for the individuals we support and identifying where improvements can be made. 

There will be opportunities to learn from one another concerning what works in each jurisdiction, what can be shared and what should be replicated. Attention will also be given to exploring how best to ensure a unified approach between health and justice legislation, policy and practice in tackling domestic abuse. 

What is not understood cannot be addressed. Responding to Domestic Violence and Abuse in Ireland, North and South will equip attendees with essential knowledge to deliver meaningful improvements in practice and policy, with important learning both for colleagues at the frontline and those working at the strategic level.  

Places to attend for Northern Ireland Social Workers are fully funded and will be allocated via employers. 

Tuesday, 5 March 2024 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Free event for BASW members and non members

Online event

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We're tremendously excited to shortly be launching a brand new CPD programme, created for social workers who have trained overseas and have now moved / are planning to move to work in the UK.

2 packages will be available:

• OQSW Self-directed learning - Practice Handbook & Workbook
• OQSW Peer Supported Development Programme

Co-produced with Durham University, The Hong Kong Social Work Action Network & BASW’s Diaspora Special Interest Group, we are delighted to soon offer learning materials and a programme of support, underpinned by an ethical framework, for colleagues coming into UK social work posts. 

Access more details on the learning packages here

We'd love you to join us at this launch event, where you can find out more about:

The need for this training programme - Janet Walker, Visiting Professor of International Social Work at the University of Lincoln, Chair of BASW International Committee, will give a brief overview of the drivers for this programme

The value of overseas social workers - Duc Tran, Chair of BASW Diaspora Special Interest Group

Current challenges - Dr Sui-Ting Kong, Associate Professor in Social Work, Durham University, will on map out knowledge, policy and professional training gaps to support overseas qualified social workers using Hong Kong social workers as a case. Hei Chow, Senior Community Organiser, UK Welcomes Refugees, Lead of Hong Kong Social Workers Action Network focus on the lived experiences of Hong Kong qualified social workers.

Introducing BASW's Overseas Qualified Social Worker Programme - Jane Shears, Head of Professional Development, BASW

With time for questions with a panel rich in experts by experience. To include our speakers joined by Ioana Plesa, Social Work Mentor Coach, Caerphilly County Borough Council.

Time Saturday, 16 March 2024 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm

Cost Free for BASW members, £4 + VAT (£4.80) for non members

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Navigating Cultural Complexity in Social Work

Join us for this exciting event developed by students for students, enabling conversations and knowledge exchange focusing on cultural complexity in social work.

We are looking forward to a vibrant mixture of on topic keynote presentations and interactive workshops, plus a panel discussion featuring subject matter experts, experts by experience and BASW Student Ambassadors. 

The event will be chaired by Omar Mohamed, who is a new social worker in children’s social care as well as holding roles and expertise in being a lecturer, researcher, author, activist, leader, and expert by experience. Omar is the Co-Chair of the BASW Experts By Experience Group, Non-Executive Director on BASW Council, member of the BASW International Committee, and Co-Vice-Chair of the BASW Diaspora Special Interest Group.

Keynotes

In search of Cultural Competency:  A framework to support critical thinking about cultural complexity

Professor Janet Walker, Visiting Professor of International Social Work at the University of Lincoln, Chair of BASW International Committee

Cultural Competence in social work practice is a vital skill. However, it can be hard to navigate with a number of different qualities, which have to be translated in a greater diversity of social interventions at multiple levels – individual, family, organisation, community and society. In this presentation we will examine the conceptualisation, construction and application in navigating cultural competency in social work practice. A framework to navigate critical thinking about cultural complexity will be offered. An example from another country will be used to identify how social work dialogue, responses and relationships in cultural complexity has been negotiated to support meaningful practice. Culturally sensitive and competent social work practice involves recognising the multifaceted nature of cultural competence.

Workshop Choices

Cultural complexity & considerations across continents

Dr Sui Ting Kong, Associate Professor in Social Work, Durham University & Hei Chow, Senior Community Organiser, UK Welcomes Refugees, Lead of Hong Kong Social Workers Action Network

Since 2021, there has been more than 200,000 Hong Kong people having migrated to the UK. Most of these migrants are families with children who were exposed to different degrees of political violence and felt compelled to leave Hong Kong. Among these migrants, there are also qualified social workers from Hong Kong seeking ways to settle in the professional workplace in the UK. Based on Sui-Ting and Hei’s research with the Hongkonger communities in the UK, they will use Hongkonger migrants as an example to illustrate how the sociological idea of ‘family practices’ can inform social workers’ understanding of families from diverse cultures, especially on what is ‘family care’ and ‘rights and autonomy’. The presentation will also cover cultural clashes that Hongkonger social workers have experienced as they begin to join the social work workforce in the UK.

Cultural Competency

Morgan Okonkwo - Volunteer @ Hummingbird Project, BASW Student Ambassador, University of Sussex

Workshop details to follow

Delivered online using MS Teams.

Register now to secure your place - more details coming soon!

Day and time: Monday, 18 March 2024 - 9:30am to 4:00pm

Location: In-person event (London) and Online (MS Teams)

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Dedicated to celebrating the contributions of overseas qualified social workers in the United Kingdom, this event aims to recognise and honour the vital role that international social workers play in enriching the social work profession and positively impacting the lives of individuals and communities across the UK. 

This conference will be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the invaluable contributions of overseas qualified social workers in the UK, giving time and space to:

• examine best practice in recruitment and retention
• encourage and support professional development
• enhance cultural awareness and competence
• promote inclusivity and diversity within the social work profession
• advocate for the recognition of overseas qualified social workers
• showcase the diversity of our social work community.

Day and time: Tuesday, 19 March 2024 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Location: Online (MS Teams)

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BASW England are hosting a lunchtime event called 'The Value of Connectedness in Communities' and will touch on the following;

- alternative approaches to services
- promoting wellbeing and connectedness to nature
- impact of restricted access to the outside world

To celebrate World Social Work Day, BASW Cymru is holding a free online event in partnership with Social Care Wales looking at Motivational Interviewing and Strengths Based Practice.

Professor Donald Forrester will talk about Motivational Interviewing and why social work conversations often involve tensions or conflicts. We'll consider how Motivational Interviewing might help to understand and work with these better.

This will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with experts from the field of strengths-based practice

Professor Samantha Baron, BASW Cymru National Director
Rhoda Emlyn-Jones OBE
Laurel Morgan, Interim Team Manager, Denbighshire County Council

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Wednesday, 20 March - 5.00pm to 6.00pm

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Many of you shared your view with us  - now here’s the chance to hear the collective findings and what this might mean for the profession going forward.

As we approach the UK General Election sometime this year, BASW plans to publish a 'Manifesto for Social Work' containing our key asks for political parties to better support our profession and people who use social work services.

Join this event to hear from BASW's policy leads about how your responses will inform this influencing work and take part in a wider discussion about the future of social work in the UK.

Day and time: Wednesday, 20 March 2024 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: Online (MS Teams)

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Social workers have always been agents of change in individual lives, local communities and in wider society. 

Against a backdrop of ever increasing demands, and decreasing resources, it is as important as ever that social work be seen as a profession engaged with societal change and activism.

In marking World Social Work Day we want to celebrate the dedication and commitment of social workers campaigning for constructive change within and for the profession. We also want to inspire and empower all social workers to take part in political conversation and engagement in order to advocate for themselves and the social work profession. 

A live webinar on Wednesday 20th March, 5pm till 6.15pm to examine the key findings from our latest Social Work Survey.

With over 1200 responses, we have amassed a diverse and detailed range of views and experiences from across the UK social work profession. These findings will shape and inform BASW’s forthcoming campaign priorities and representation of social work to policy-makers, and this webinar is the first opportunity for us to set the wheels of action into motion.

Our discussions will also be in keeping with this year’s World Social Work Day theme of ‘Buen Vivir’, considering our collective role in promoting the dual spirits of ‘Buen Vivir’ (good living) and ‘Buen Trabajo’ (good work) in our places of work, culture, relationships and wider communities.

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Speakers:

•    Dr Ruth Allen, BASW CEO.
•    Julia Ross, BASW Chair.
•    Dr Rosanne Palmer, BASW Policy & Research Lead Officer.
•    Omar Mohamed, Co-Chair of the BASW Experts by Experience Forum, and member of BASW’s International Committee and the Diaspora Special Interest Group.
 

A special episode was released on the 'Let's Talk Social Work' podcast webpage 

Focusing on the distinct Welsh context, this podcast will not only look back at Wales’s history but future too. We are proud to have the longest settling Somali population in the UK and celebrate our richness in culture, diversity, and inclusion.

This podcast will also address recent developments, such as the development of rights-based approaches in social policy and legislation, the mandatory inclusion of black history in education and the Welsh Government’s aim to becoming an anti-racist nation by 2050.

We will explore the importance of language and culture in our practice and how we must focus our attention on these to promote inclusion for everyone.

Wales has long been a nation of sanctuary and we will look at its national response to refugees and discuss how racially based differences in overseas conflicts are addressed which will mean exploring where there is public outrage and where there is silence and why.

An episode released on the 'Let's Talk Social Work' podcast webpage 

Across the world social workers practice in situations of armed conflict, or deal with the aftermath of armed conflict. Dr Rea Maglajic, a social worker and researcher has written extensively on the subject and will be joined by Professor Janet Walker (Chair of BASW’s International Committee) and other guests to discuss what we know about social work in zones of armed conflict and dealing with the aftermath. There will be a time of solidarity as part of the event to acknowledge those social workers who practice in zones of armed conflict. 

View a recording of 'An evening with Margaret Humphreys'

Speakers

Margaret Humphreys CBE, AO is the International Director and Founder of the Child Migrants Trust. Born and educated in Nottingham, Margaret Humphreys has been employed as a qualified Social Worker throughout most of her working life. After developing a pioneering approach to post- adoption work, Dr Humphreys established Nottingham’s only international, humanitarian charity in 1987 - the Child Migrants Trust.

Over the past 30 years, Dr Humphreys has made frequent working visits to Australia. Margaret Humphreys’ work on behalf of former Child Migrants who were sent abroad from Britain as young, vulnerable children, often without the knowledge of their parents, has reached an extremely wide audience through her many T.V. and radio appearances in Britain, Europe, the U.S.A. and Australia.

Jim Loach was born in north London in 1969 and studied philosophy at University College, intending to pursue a career in journalism. He joined the BBC, where he worked as a researcher and producer and eventually won a place on the BBC director’s course. Jim got his first break directing in 1996 while working on the British current affairs programme World in Action. He went on to direct episodes of Coronation Street in 2000, and subsequently Bad Girls, Hotel Babylon and Shameless. 

Jim made his feature debut in 2011 with Oranges and Sunshine. Written by Rona Munro, it starred Emily Watson as Margaret Humphreys, the social worker who exposed the scandal of child migration from the United Kingdom. He was nominated for the Golden Marc'Aurelio Award at the 2010 Rome Film Festival and the film scored over twenty nominations, including the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards for Best Film, the AFI Member’s Choice Award and Australian Film Critics Association Award for Best Australian Film. It also picked up a succession of Best Actress awards for Emily Watson and Best Supporting Actor awards for Hugo Weaving and David Wenham. 

BASW want to help raise awareness of the work that continues for former child migrants and raise funds for Margaret’s amazing charity ‘The Child Migrants Trust’.