World Social Work Day is celebrated all round the world each March. The theme this year is Ubuntu: I am Because We are – Strengthening Social Solidarity and Global Connectedness.
‘Ubuntu is a powerful message on the need for solidarity at all levels: within communities, societies and globally. It is a message that all people are interconnected and that our future is dependent on recognising all peoples’ involvement in co-building a sustainable, fair and socially just future.’
International Federation of Social Work
Over the last year we have been part of exceptional collaborative relationships to develop and support social workers at all stages of their career and wanted to share some highlights.
Supporting social work practice learning: responding to COVID-19
To mark World Social Work Day we will co-host two webinars with the Social Work Education Partnership (SWEP). The webinars will share responses to social work practice learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s been a year since the start of the pandemic changed our day-to-day lives. In this challenging time the need for creativity, innovation and collaboration has come to the fore and we want to take the opportunity to share some of what has been taking place to support practice learning. Book your free webinar place here:
Revised Standards in Social Work Education
We launched a new website for all students and educators for the Revised Standards in Social Work Education along with a new resource on Developing your leadership as a social work student.
Newly qualified social workers (NQSWs)
We’ve published the Year 4 report from the longitudinal study into NQSW experiences in Scotland. The research team are four years into our five-year study and have gathered a wealth of data on early career social workers experiences of professional practice. The findings illuminate the highs and lows of being a social worker in Scotland today and helps our understanding of what matters in supporting and protecting their professional development and contribution. You can read the Year 4 NQSW study report here and watch out for news of the final stages of this important research.
MyLearning app
Our recently launched MyLearning app can help all social workers record their continuous professional learning. We will link the MyLearning app to our national project to develop the approach to a supported year for NQSWs. We’ll publish more information about the NQSW supported year project and new web-based resources for NQSWs and their employers later this year.
What about a career in social work?
Social work is an amazing career. Find out about careers in social work here and listen to inspiring stories like these ones from Ali, Stephen and Sybil.
World Social Work Day events
There are various events being held across the UK and in Scotland there is a week of activity highlighting social work run through the Scottish Association of Social Workers (SASW).
Find out more about World Social Work Day here. Follow World Social Work Day on social media using the hashtag #WSWD2021