Social Work must be 'robust, respected and effective'
Friday 22 March 2019
SOCIAL workers can make a significant difference when they get it right but have a devastating impact when they get it wrong.
This was just one of the messages from a summit on standards held at the University of Salford this week.
Staged by Social Work England, the regulatory body for Britain’s 30,000 social workers, the event united practitioners, managers and academics to discuss the integration of health and social care services in Salford and Greater Manchester.
Dr Steve Myers, Director of Society at the University of Salford and a co-host, said: “With around 100 delegates and many key people present, it was a fruitful and fascinating day.
Open and transparent
“Questions were raised about the proposed regulatory framework and how best to create a robust, respected and effective profession. This led to a great deal of constructive discussion about the nature of social work and how we wanted the profession to be regulated in an open and transparent way.”
Co-host Salford Royal Care Organisation (SRCO) was represented by James Sumner, its Chief Officer who talked about the benefits of having social workers employed directly by the NHS, and its Divisional Director Adult Social Care, Mark Albiston.
Steve Myers gave a well-received presentation about the proud history of the profession and how the University of Salford leads in “meeting the needs of service users, practitioners and employers through co-producing educational programmes, research and enterprise that are relevant, helpful and meet the needs of the sector.”
Other speakers included Cath Gormally, Director of Social Care Salford Integrated Care Organisation; Charlotte Ramsden, Salford City Council's Strategic Director for Children's Services and Adult Social Care; and Mark Trewin, Service Manager for Mental Health Bradford Council.
The University of Salford is rated 11th in the UK for Social Work by The Guardian.
Find out more
Gareth Hollyman, Senior Press & PR Officer (Science)
0161 295 6895 g.b.hollyman@salford.ac.uk
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