Tickets now available for stellar line-up at Social Work Week 2022

People with lived experience of social work, inspiring social work leaders and social workers from across the country will be telling their stories at Social Work Week 2022 next month. Free tickets to a motivating line-up of events from Monday 14 to Friday 18 March can now be booked online by anyone with an interest in social work.

Social Work England has curated the main programme, which will be complemented by around 30 independent events presented by local authorities, charities, universities and other organisations. Anybody wanting to attend should book tickets on the Social Work England website as soon as possible.

Social Work England launched Social Work Week last year, using its oversight as the specialist regulator to bring all elements of the sector together for this major new experience. People filled over 10,500 virtual seats to enjoy thought-provoking speakers, workshops, debate, discussion and reflection.

This year the theme is ‘Social Work and Me’, which focuses on the perspectives of people with lived and learned experience of social work. The week has been co-produced with the National Advisory Forum, a group of people who advise Social Work England on how to engage with people who have an interest in social work. Most of the core sessions include contributors who reflect on their very personal real-life experiences of having social workers in their lives.

Other themes include looking back at the highs and lows of social work during 2021 and celebrating World Social Work Day on Tuesday 15 March. Most of the events are virtual and all can be booked individually, allowing people to personalise their experience based on their interests and diaries. All sessions can be used for personal reflection for continuing professional development (CPD), which social workers can then upload to their Social Work England online accounts.

Highlights

Book tickets now to hear the stories of:

• A ground-breaking partnership between artists and social workers in the London Borough of Dagenham.
• The challenges and barriers faced by a group of social workers who are neurodiverse, and what this really means when working as a social worker.
• The work of Social Workers Without Borders and the place that social work plays in ensuring that no one is left behind. 
• The personal experiences of activism and challenge to racism within their roles from the authors of ‘The Anti Racist Social Worker’.  

Speakers include the chief social workers, the chair, board members and directors of Social Work England, the chief executives of the regulators in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ACDS), plus representatives from the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), Research in Practice, What Works for Children’s Social Care and many more.

Sarah Blackmore, executive director of strategy, policy and engagement at Social Work England, said:

“One of our roles as the regulator is to comprehend, research and shine a light on the social work sector. Engagement and co-production have been our preferred approach from day one. Social Work Week is a great example of this as it brings together such a wide variety of people whose lives are impacted by social work. The more people who attend Social Work Week 2022, the more we will all learn about the challenges and opportunities in our fascinating sector.”

All tickets for the main programme must be booked through Eventbrite via the Social Work England website. Information on how to book on to independent programmes is also detailed on the website.

If anybody needs accessibility support or advice to do this, please email Social Work England at socialworkweek@socialworkengland.org.uk