Event to celebrate children's social work

Yorkshire Photography

---

News: Latest - distributed around Yorkshire June 29, 2016 11:02:41 AM


Representatives from Barnsley Council will be attending a conference in Sheffield celebrating children's social work in Yorkshire and the Humber this week.


The Festival of Social Work is being hosted by the region's 15 local authorities to highlight innovation and allow social workers to share good practice and learn from each other.


The councils – working together as Children's Social Work Matters – hope the event will inspire and educate professionals through a series of speeches, workshops, video testimonies and a question and answer session with social services directors and senior managers.


The day will include a keynote speech by an entrepreneur who grew up in care, a senior family judge and an expert in adolescent behaviour. Around 200 delegates including frontline children's social workers are expected.


The workshops will see a number of the region's award-winning projects showcased, including work with clinical psychologists to tackle child sexual exploitation in South Yorkshire and a programme where family court judges work intensively with West Yorkshire families affected by drugs and alcohol abuse.


Rachel Dickinson, Executive Director for People at Barnsley Council and the regional lead for Children's Social Work Matters will be opening the conference. She said: "This region aims to build a reputation – among both professionals and members of the general public – for using innovation to tackle the many problems facing vulnerable children in our society.


"Our local authorities are taking bold steps to do things differently and are currently involved in many ground-breaking programmes and pilots to protect children and families.


"We set up Children's Social Work Matters in 2011 to help raise the bar across Yorkshire and the Humber and to champion the vital role of children's social work.


"This conference gives us the perfect opportunity to do that. It's the right time to share and celebrate our successes."


[catlist name=Latest News]