World Social Work Day celebrated with a one-day conference on the Isle of Man

The conference was the first event of its kind to specifically celebrate World Social Work Day with this year’s theme ‘Respecting Diversity through Joint Social Action’.

Attended by over 100 social workers, social work assistants, senior managers and leads of services gathering to celebrate the profession and achievements, a variety of special guest speakers were invited to discuss trends and topics in social work practice with a panel Q&A session.

Marianne Gadsby, a Social Work Assistant from Manx Care, explored the topic of ‘Inclusivity – co-ordinating the chaos’, while Kirstie Morphet, a Social Worker from Manx Care’s Drug and Alcohol Team, led a session on ‘Inclusivity, Stereotypes and Judgements’ when working with people with mental health and co-morbidity substance and alcohol misuse.

There were also introductions from Manx Care’s CEO, Teresa Cope, the Head of Integrated Mental Health Services, Ross Bailey and Assistant Director of Children and Families, Julie Gibney as well as Manx Care’s Non-Executive Director Tim Bishop.

The event’s organiser, Keith Drury - formerly Chair of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) in Wales, where he developed initiatives to raise the profile of Social Work as a profession - said he was thrilled to be bringing this event to his colleagues across social care in the Isle of Man.

‘This conference is historic for the Island’s Social Care Services. We hope it will become an annual event and that by inviting guest speakers, members of Manx Care’s Executive Leadership Team, Members of the Board and Social Care colleagues, we can really raise the profile of what we want to achieve in Social Care on the Island.’
Keith also served for seven years as board member with BASW UK and has extensive experience of social work in the UK and Wales. He has been recognised for his work with LGBTQIA+ communities and he was instrumental in developing the Social Care Awards during his time working in Wales.

‘I am delighted that our colleagues here on the Island have the support of BASW,’ Keith added.

The event also included an address from Janet Foulds, former Chair of BASW, on the subject of ‘Inclusivity and Childhood Sexual Abuse’ which discussed findings from the report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse 2022.

Commenting on social media after the session, Teresa Cope said she was grateful to have Janet speak at the event for such an “emotive and hugely impactful presentation”.

Teresa also praised the ‘wonderful opportunity for colleagues within our social care services to come together and be given the opportunity to explore areas of interest and show appreciation for the dedication and hard work our colleagues continue to demonstrate.’