It will be the first in-person joint social work conference since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The conference’s theme will be For The Love of Social Work: Celebrating Professional Identity and Contemporary Practice, and will include a range of keynote speeches and workshops, with the aim of sharing best practice and further improving services for Wolverhampton’s children, young people, families and adults with care and support needs.
Leading social work professionals and authors of the book Out Of The Shadows: The Role of Social Workers in Disasters, Angie Bartoli, Maris Stratulis and Rebekah Pierre, will be delivering a key note speech which will help social workers reflect on the valuable role they play at times of crisis and tragedy.
Out Of The Shadows focuses on the poignant and important personal stories of people involved in events such as the Grenfell Tower disaster, the Manchester bombing and the Covid-19 pandemic, amongst others.
Lori Goossen, Principal Social Worker for Medway Council, will be sharing her expertise on secondary trauma and compassion fatigue within social work and the importance of self-care and professional support.
The afternoon will feature workshops. Women's charity IKWRO will deliver a session on virginity testing, honour-based abuse and female genital mutilation, while Social Work Without Borders will be leading a workshop on social work with refugees and those affected by any type of border.
Councillor Linda Leach, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services, and Councillor Beverley Momenabadi, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, will also be in attendance.
Councillor Momenabadi said: "The conference is a fantastic opportunity to bring together social workers from across children's and adults services to share best practice – and to celebrate the brilliant work they do for our city's most vulnerable individuals and families.”
Councillor Leach added: "This year’s theme is so important and the various speakers will give frontline professionals additional insight and knowledge that will help support them in their role, as well as plenty of opportunities for reflection and learning.
“The conference will also give Councillor Momenabadi and I the chance to say a massive thank you to the hundreds of professionals who work tirelessly for our city’s children and young people, families and adults with care and support needs.”
