Between 17 and 21 March we'll be hosting events and sharing inspiring messages to celebrate Social Work Week.
What's happening during Social Work Week?
During the week, we'll be hosting a series of online events. These are free to attend and they’re open to anyone with an interest in social work.
The programme will be focused around three main themes:
- strengthening our professional relationships
- maintaining our social work identity
- supporting our well-being at work.
And on Tuesday 18 March we’ll be celebrating World Social Work Day.
Attending the events will count towards your continuing professional development (CPD) hours, if you're registered with us.
Who is Social Work Week for?
Social Work Week is for everyone with an interest in social work in Wales. This includes:
- social workers, including those practising and those looking to return to the profession
- social work students and educators
- people with lived experience of social work
- employers of social workers
- the wider social care workforce
- government and policy officials
- Social Care Wales employees and partner organisations.
Our events
17 March 2025, 10am to 11.30am
Consistent values and changing roles - social work identity over time
Online
Join us for a discussion with social workers who are at different stages of their careers to:
- explore what social work identity means to us and what shapes this
- consider whether social work identity changes over time and in different contexts
- discuss why social work identity matters.
Speakers
- Nia Edy, Social Care Wales
- Cerian Twinberrow, Social Care Wales
- Marian Parry Hughes, Cyngor Gwynedd
- Esther Chapman, Carmarthenshire County Council
- Samantha Stroud, Cardiff Council
- Heather Fitzpatrick, Neath Port Talbot Council
17 March 2025, 1pm to 2.30pm
“Do you get me?”
Online
Join Gwenan Prysor, Director of the MA Social Work programme at Bangor University and Esyllt Crozier, Social Care Wales’s improvement and development manager for social work as they lead a session about the Welsh language in social care. They’ll discuss how complicated language can be.
They’ll look at how we use language differently, depending on our situation, the setting and who we’re talking to. They’ll also examine how bilingualism and language choice can add another dimension to communication.
Speakers
- Esyllt Crozier, Social Care Wales
- Gwenan Prysor, Bangor University
18 March 2025, 10am to 12pm
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and social work - balancing innovation and integrity
Online
This session will look at AI in social work.
- the integration of AI in social work: how AI technologies can be used within social work and their potential advantages
- ethical considerations: the ethical challenges associated with AI in social work, including issues of privacy, consent, and bias
- the impact on relationships: how AI influences the dynamics between social workers and clients, and strategies to maintain trust and empathy
- best practices: best practices for the ethical integration of AI in social work, making sure technology enhances the profession
- the latest guidance: the latest guidelines and recommendations for using AI in social work, to make sure you’re complying with current standards and practices.
Speakers
- Aimee Twinberrow, Social Care Wales
- Professor Donald Forrester, Cardiff University
- Stuart Allen, Cardiff University
- Glenda George, Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) Cymru
- Nicki Harrison, Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) Cymru
18 March 2025, 1.30pm to 4pm
Relationships and professional boundaries
Online
Join this session to:
- consider alternative approaches to professional boundaries: we’ll talk about boundaries and relationships, reflecting on how new approaches to practice can enhance empathy and collaboration.
- explore relationship-based practices: how can we develop genuine and safe professional relationships?
- reflect on systemic change: we’ll discuss ways to promote relationship-based practice as a core principle in our organisations.
Speakers
- Jay Goulding, Social Care Wales
- Danica Darley, University of Sheffield
- Peter Blundell, Liverpool John Moores University
- Nick Andrews, Swansea University
20 March 2025, 9.30am to 12.30pm
Moral injury in social work: the what, the how, and why it matters
Online
Join Siobhan Maclean and Thomas Kitchen to discuss moral injury in social work.
In this session, we’ll:
- define moral injury and relate this to a social work context
- explore how our identity and values relate to our beliefs and behaviours
- discuss the importance of professional kindness and compassion in the workplace.
Speakers
- Siobhan Maclean, independent social worker and practice educator
- Dr Thomas Kitchen, consultant anaesthetist and senior clinical lecturer
20 March 2025, 1pm to 2pm
“How do we use data to contribute to the social work profession and how it is regulated?”
This session is hosted by Social Work England.
Join the leaders of the United Kingdom's four social work regulators as they discuss their common experiences of social work regulation. The session looks at the role regulation plays in gathering, analysing and sharing data to create positive change for the social work profession.
Presenters:
- Colum Conway, Chief Executive, Social Work England
- Declan McAllister, Interim Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Social Care Council
- Maree Allison, Chief Executive, Scottish Social Services Council
- Sarah McCarty, Chief Executive, Social Care Wales
21 March 2025, 10am to 12pm
Neurodivergent identity in social work
Online
Using their own lived experience as neurodivergent social workers, Florence and Fiona will explore neurodivergent identity and the neurodivergent movement.
Join this session to:
- explore different neurotypes – and importantly, how they may overlap
- consider some of the strengths and challenges that might be encountered and what this means for social workers’ identity inside and outside of social work
- think about neurodivergence, intersectionality and double discrimination
- find out how executive functioning can have an impact on social work practice
- consider why people ‘mask’ and how this affects well-being, support and self-advocacy
- learn about a supervision model co-produced with neurodivergent social work students, to help facilitate conversations around needs and support.
Speakers
- Florence Smith, social worker and practice educator, and director of Neuro Inclusive Solutions LTD
- Fiona McDonald, independent workplace well-being consultant and practice educator
The views and opinions expressed at these workshops are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organisations they represent, or the views and opinions of Social Care Wales.
First published: 4 February 2025
Last updated: 10 February 2025
This file might not be fully accessible