BASW UK conference online live programme

12.00-1.00pm

Connecting Generations: Intergenerational Social Work, community and realising a good life for all. 

Jude Currie & Alison Clyde

Alison Clyde is Chief Executive Officer of Generations Working Together. For the past 13 years, Alison has led the strategic and day to day development and management of Generations Working Together (GWT), the nationally recognised centre of excellence supporting the development and integration of intergenerational work across Scotland.  GWT’s mission is to develop, expand and improve intergenerational practice across the country.   

Jude Currie is a Social Worker and Team Leader supporting separated children seeking asylum, and families with no recourse to public funds in Edinburgh. Jude is passionate about community social work and the potential of intergenerational relationships. She is Co-Vice Chair and Trustee with Generations Working Together (GWT). 

 1.00-1.30pm

Decolonisation and Cultural Competence – Learning from racially minoritized families using family group conferencing 

Omar Mohamed 

Omar Mohamed, is a new social worker in children’s social care as well as holding roles and expertise in being a lecturer, researcher, author, activist, leader, and expert by experience. Omar’s passion and activism lies in the decolonisation and indigenisation of social work globally. Omar is the Co-Chair of the BASW Experts By Experience Group, Non-Executive Director on BASW Council, member of the BASW International Committee, and Co-Vice-Chair of the BASW Diaspora Special Interest Group.

12.00-1.00pm

Simulation as a Tool for Teaching & Learning in Social Work Practice. A co-produced teaching session exploring the social and medical model of disability in anti-discriminatory practice.

Michael Greenhouse & Reshma Patel

Michael Greenhouse is Lecturer in Social Work. Prior to working in education, he has worked as a supervising social worker, fostering assessment social worker, and in child protection teams. He has expertise in direct work with children, relationship based practice and social work skills, and holds academic qualifications in psychology and social  work. Michael's interests include research in virtual reality and simulation in social work education.  

Reshma Patel is an Expert by Experience (EBE) Lead at Birmingham City University. Over the past 6 years Reshma has initiated and trialled many models of effective working practices to ensure meaningful involvement of EBE’s and systems to ensure reliance is not on one passionate individual but is owned by the everyone to ensure sustainability. 

1.00-1.30pm

Community social work and/or action with Ukrainian refugees (on the example of Georgia)

Kateryna Ihnatenko 

Kateryna Ihnatenko, associate professor, PhD, Department of Social Work, Ilia State University, Georgia. Education: Ph.D. in Social Pedagogical from Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University. Master's in Social Pedagogic, and MSW. Bachelor's in History and Social Pedagogy.  Kateryna is Associate Professor, Lecturer at Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University. Her research focus is in Child Protection in Conflict, Refugees, People with Disabilities. A Fellow, MSCA4Ukraine program, hosted by Ilia State University, Georgia

12.00-12.45pm

Restorative Youthwork and Climate Change

Deborah Mitchell & Seb Ramdin

Seb Ramdin see www.rjworking.co.uk, is central to our Stop Ecocide film which he presented at Cornwall’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Summit.  Becoming aware of climate breakdown as a student, Seb took action for “End Fossil” within a closely-bonded group.  This engaged two Universities in climate dialogue, resulting in an Ecological Citizenship course.     

Deborah Mitchell see www.rjworking.co.uk is one of the multidisciplinary team’s social workers, alongside youthworkers and former teachers, finding creative ways to use Restorative Practice to enable dialogue about climate-related harms.  Restorative Practice also supports young people to exercise teamwork and leadership, tackling climate breakdown through community development.

12.45-1.30pm

Safer and Effective Staffing in Social Work: Workforce Planning, Staffing and Service Demand Analysis

Professors Paula McFadden & Mary McColgan

Paula McFadden, Professor in Social Work Ulster University.  Professor McFadden’s expertise is on social work workforce wellbeing, burnout, retention and turnover. Her research has expanded to include health disciplines, but currently her focus is back on social work, commissioned by the Department of Health, to examine ‘safe staffing’ in older people and children’s services in Northern Ireland (2023-4).        

Mary McColgan Emerita Professor of Social Work Ulster University.  Mary Mc Colgan has been involved in social work education for many years; Professor of Social Work and Head of School of Sociology and Applied Social Studies at Ulster. Recent projects involved working with NISCC on a child development resource and the Safer Staffing research with Professor McFadden.

2.30-3.30pm

Eco-Wisdom for Social Workers

Josien Hofs & Professor Richard de Brabander

Richard de Brabander is professor (lector) Ecosocial Work. He writes about justice issues, politicization of social work and ethics. The central question of his research group is how to create a sustainable society that is socially and ecologically just and what role social work has to play.   

Josien Hofs is a former social worker / social work teacher, now at IFSW Europe leader of the project Eco-wisdom for social workers. Holding interactive webinars and workshops, involved in the conference on eco-social work in Rotterdam June 2024.  

2.30-3.30pm

Improving Outcomes for Children Affected by Imprisonment

Karen Armstrong & Jodie Gorman

Karen qualified as a social worker 30 years ago. Prior to working with Families Outside, Karen worked in statutory social work with children and families, fostering and adoption, and adult services.  Karen is also a tutor with the social work team at Edinburgh Napier University.  

I’m Jodie, and I am a family member impacted by imprisonment. I have been involved with Families Outside for eight years now, which has enabled me to both share my story, and use my lived experience to aid others and influence better protection of children rights and views.

2.30 - 3.30pm

Llais: Inclusion brings the voice (llais) of the lived experience of disability

Mandy-Jayne Lace & Kristian Burton

Mandy-Jayne is a trainee social worker entering her final undergraduate year.  A facilitator with lived experience M-J coined lifespan planning in the noughties and has been using voice ever since. It is appropriate that she is a facilitator for the Llais inclusion panel talking about the sustainability of inclusion.   

Kristian Burton is a director of inclUSion, he is working alongside M-J through inclUSion’s work he has engaged in the world of work for the first time in his life at mid-life.  Come here how Kris has change his experience through the art of inclusion and how the sustainability of his life has transformed through the power of LLAIS.

3.45-4.45pm

Community Social Work and Climate Change – Practical steps to address poverty and injustice

Colin Turbett & Jane Pye

Jane Pye is a lecturer in Social Work at Lancaster University, a former practitioner at social worker and manager levels. She has research interests in rural social work and social work education. She co-edited with Colin Turbett, the newly published Rural Social Work in the UK: Themes and Challenges for the Future.  

Colin Turbett is a retired career social worker and front line manager in Scotland. He writes and consults on community social work and radical social work themes, and his book A Practical Guide to Community Social Work Practice in the UK (with a chapter by Jane Pye) is to be published in September 2024. 

4.45-5.30pm

Empower, Connect, Transform: Coaching for Change in Social Work

Kate Cuthbertson & Keith Dyer

Keith is a Quality Assurance and Compliance Manager with City of Edinburgh Council.  Keith has been a qualified social worker for the past 23 years, working entirely in local authority social work in that time. In Keith’s current position as Quality Assurance and Compliance Manager, which he always caveats with ‘I’m a social worker to trade’, he has a key role in the quality, governance, and regulation for all areas of social work, children, adults, and community justice, as well as managing the public protection lead officers for the local authority. Keith became a qualified coach in 2007.  

Kate Cuthbertson, Coach Supervisor (BASW).  Kate has worked in the Social Care sector since 1999. She qualified as a Social Worker in 2009 from Bournemouth University. Kate has worked in Childrens and Adult Social Work settings, in roles up to Deputy Service Manager level both in the UK and Internationally. Working for Local Authorities, NGOs and the charitable sector. Kate is a qualified BIA and Practice Educator as well as a Certified Coach and has a GradCert in Family Therapy. Kate is currently undertaking her Coaching and Mentoring MA with Oxford Brookes University.

3.45-4.30pm

Improving Support for Internally Displaced People with Living with Disabilities when Fleeing War: Lessons from Ukraine

Kateryna Buchko, Lena Dominelli, Irena Connon

Kateryna Buchko, PhD. Lecturer in Social Work and Pedagogy, researcher from Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv, Ukraine), currently working on a project 'Exploring Ukrainian Narratives of Displacement' at the Department of Social Work  (University of Stirling).  

Irena Connon is a Social Anthropologist and Lecturer at the University of Stirling. As Chair of the IUAES Commission on Risk and Disaster, Irena’s research focuses upon understanding lived experiences of disasters, particularly for people living with a disability, and in enhancing inclusion in Disaster Risk Reduction policy and practice.  

4.30-5.00pm

Stress, Job Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance: How do social workers perceive work related issues?

Dr Selwyn Stanley & Dr Ciarán Murphy

Selwyn Stanley based at Edge Hill University, has been an Academic for four decades and has taught in India and in several UK-based universities. He is a quantitative researcher with interests in the professional experience of social work practitioners and students, focusing on issues relating to stress, resilience, coping and work-life balance.   Ciarán Murphy is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Edge Hill.  

Ciarán is Board member, Trustee and Research Lead for the Association of Child Protection Professionals; Associate Editor of Child Abuse Review; and is on the Editorial Board for both Child Protection & Practice and Child Abuse & Neglect.

3.45-4.30pm

Wholehearted Social Work - finding flow, attuning & using our 'whole (hearted) self' in our work

Catherine Moore

Completing BSW Monash Uni, Australia in 1992, Catherine's first 9 years various positions in Rural Victoria, Melbourne, East Sussex; before settling in Kent, working in fostering since 2001 predominantly London and SE, more recently nationally across England. Self-Care is essential for our health & continued quality service in our field.

4.30-5.15pm

Indigenous Women and Climate Change, an approach to the processes of indigenous women’s organisations in the Argentine Gran Chaco region

Melissa Adriana Rojas & Vedrana Lacmanovic

Vedrana Lacmanovic is an independent researcher and expert in the field of prevention of gender-based violence. She is a licensed social worker with more than a decade of experience working with policies, laws, and practices in the field of women's human rights.      

Melissa is a feminist international social worker with 15 years of experience. She has dedicated herself to accompanying indigenous and peasant communities in the Gran Chaco Region of Latin America. Throughout her academic and professional journey, she has emphasized community development, managing projects, and promoting collaborative networks.

11.30-12.30pm

Transitional Safeguarding: Building a sustainable future for young people

Professor Christine Cocker & Dr Adi Cooper OBE

Dr Christine Cocker is Professor in Social Work and Head of School of Social Work at the University of East Anglia. She is a qualified social worker with over 30 years experience working with children and families. Christine’s research interests include Transitional Safeguarding, mental health and care-experienced young people, and LGBTQ+ issues in social work. She is the independent chair of the London Borough of Haringey Children’s Academy.   

Dr Adi Cooper is a qualified social worker and was awarded the OBE in 2015 for services to adult social care and adult safeguarding. Adi is an ex-Director of Adult Social Services. She has worked to improve safeguarding practice and outcomes; influenced national policy and guidance and led on the development of Making Safeguarding Personal. She is the independent chair of two Adult Safeguarding Boards. 

12.30-1.00pm

Space and Place in Supporting Relationships - learning from a process evaluation of Siblings Reunited (STAR) in Fife, Scotland

Mark Hardy

Mark is a researcher at  the Association for Fostering, Kinship and Adoption (AFKA) Scotland, and a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests include siblings, kinship care, the digital world, poverty and report writing. Mark spent 16 years in local authority social work and residential childcare.

11.30am-12.30pm

Transnational Social Work: Listening to the voices of young Hongkongers on violence and abuse 

Sui Ting Kong and Janelle Rabe

Sui-Ting Kong is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology at Durham University. Her passion is to develop useful knowledge and tools for conducting community-engaged and participatory research with social workers, women who experience violence and abuse and diaspora communities. Her current projects include the study of Hongkonger diaspora, Transnational Social Work and Participatory Research Innovation and Learning Labs.   

Janelle Rabe is a doctoral researcher at Durham University. Her participatory research project with young people (13-18 years old) from Northeast England sought to understand their perspectives on sexual violence and its responses through a series of workshops. She's also the project researcher of the Transnational Social Work project, focused on engaging with young Hong Kongers. 

12.30-1.00pm

Proximity in Practice Education: Considering two different models of social work practice education

Vanessa Goldsmith and Emma Rimmer

Vanessa Goldsmith. Senior Lecturer and Practice Lead at the University of Chester.  Vanessa’s passion lies in practice learning and continues to support students in her role as off site practice educator and also leads and teaches on the PEPS programme within the Cheshire and Merseyside social Work Teaching Partnership.   

Emma Rimmer. Senior Lecturer in Social Work & Integrated Practice at Edge Hill University. Emma is practice lead and continues to practice as an AMHP on an emergency duty team. Emma is passionate about practice learning and strives to promote positive placement experiences for both students and practice educators alike. 

11.30am-12.15pm

Breaking Barriers: Integrating Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion into Social Work Practice

Vivian Okeze-Tirado

Vivian Okeze – Tirado award winning social work leader, trainer, and author is enthusiastic about social work, social justice and promoting diversity & anti – racist practice. She is the Head of VOT Training and Consultancy Services based in West Sussex and provides services across the UK. The service aims to empower professionals with rich knowledge and information in the field of social work, social care, foster care, equality, diversity, and inclusion and anti-racism. Vivian is the author of D.I.V.E.R.S.I.T.Y.: A Guide to Working with Diversity and Developing Cultural Sensitivity.  In November 2021, Vivian was  awarded the Overall Social Worker of the Year and Social Justice Advocate in England by the National Social Worker of the Year Awards in recognition of her dedication and exemplary work as a children’s social work practitioner, an educator, and a social change author. 

12.15-1.00pm

Keep Caring To 18: Championing the rights of 16 and 17 year-olds in care

Carolyne Willow and Annie Gibbs

Carolyne Willow is the Founder Director of Article 39 charity, which fights for the rights of children living in institutions in England. After qualifying as a social worker in 1988, she started her career in child protection and also lectured in social policy and social work. Amid widespread revelations of abuse in residential care, Carolyne moved into specialist posts promoting and protecting the rights of children in care and care leavers. She ran the Children’s Rights Alliance for England between 2000 and 2012, leading the charity’s public policy advocacy and litigation around challenging the abuse of children in custody. Carolyne has worked closely with UN and Council of Europe human rights bodies. Her latest book – ‘Children behind bars. Why the abuse of child imprisonment must end’ – was published by Policy Press. Carolyne won the Social Worker of the Year (Championing Social Work Values) Gold Award in 2017. 

Annie Gibbs graduated with a Combined Honours LLB Law with Psychology degree, from London Southbank University and has 14 years’ experience working with both the corporate and charitable sector, executing successful events, workshops and communications. She is a Member of Article 39 Steering Group, Co-Author of Free Loaves on Fridays, a Pioneer at Safe Lives and recognised as a positive role model finalist at the 2021 National Diversity awards in the category of gender and King Charles III Coronation Champion Award in 2023.

Amour Destiné was formed after Annie’s passion was ignited from losing her mother at the age of 8 years old, and the experience of learning to push past her own challenges in life, growing up in the UK care system. 

2.00-3.00pm

BJSW Kay McDougall Prize 2023

Best Editor’s Choice Paper in the Volume

Recognition of Family Life by Children Living in Kinship Care Arrangements in England

Dr Paul Shuttleworth

Paul was a social work practitioner for over 20 years. Since completing his PhD, he has worked for BASW, was awarded an ESRC Post-Doc, wrote for publications on kinship care and child participation, and has been an academic at Sussex and Kingston Universities. He is the UK Jewish Social Work Group chair and co-hosts the Do Do Social Work podcast. 

The abstract for Paul's paper in the BJSW is:  

Kinship care is the long-term caring arrangement within the family constellation for children who cannot remain with their birth parents. Despite being the most prevalent alternative care arrangement for children worldwide, there are significant gaps in the knowledge about kinship care and few children’s perspectives in kinship care research. This presentation focuses on how children’s views, understood through theories of recognition, can assist understanding their lived experiences in kinship care. The recognition of kinship care has implications on how it is supported, regulated and financed. Insights were drawn from nineteen children in England using dialogical participation and critical realism methodologies, and methods such as child-led tours, photo-elicitation and visual methods. Analysis of the children’s insights unsettles simplistic dichotomous recognition of kinship care, family, participation and childhood seen in most current UK social work policy and practice. The research also demonstrates that children’s views are worthy of further inclusion in social work policy, practice and research, especially for kinship care. 

3.00-4.00pm

Social Work’s Role in Disasters, Preparation, Action and Recovery

Enya Richards & Kateryna Buchko

Enya Richards, Children and Families social worker based in Edinburgh. Studied and worked in Plymouth, Devon, practicing through the Covid-19 Pandemic and Plymouth Shooting. An advocate for the role of Social Work within disasters and the need for the topic to be embedded in Social Work education.  

Kateryna Buchko, PhD. Lecturer, researcher from Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv, Ukraine), currently working on a project 'Exploring Ukrainian Narratives of Displacement' at the Department of Social Work  (University of Stirling) under supervision of Professor Lena Dominelli. 

2.00-2.45pm

Breaking the punitive cycle: can social workers help reduce the risk of school exclusion?

Rick Hood

Professor Rick Hood - Academic profiles - Kingston University London

2.45-3.15pm

Safeguarding Our Sentinels: Nurturing wellness for social service professionals

Dr Lucé Pretorius & Professor Hanelle Malan

Dr Lucé Pretorius, a registered lecturer at Psychosocial Health, North-West University, focuses on innovative social work education, policy, client violence, and digitalisation. She writes international conferences, blogs, articles, and contributes to books. Lucé also has a private practice and is part of the South African Association for Social Workers in Private Practice.    

Prof Hanelie Malan is an Associate Professor in the school of Psychosocial Health at North-West University in South Africa. Her research interests include social work with children, child and youth care, therapeutic interventions, and adoption. She coordinates a postgraduate program, has published numerous articles and presented at both international and national conferences. 

3.15-3.45pm

Approach to Decolonisation of Social Work Education and Professional Practice

Kelly Saavedra

Social Worker and Social Scientist from Peru, currently completing a Masters in Advanced Development in Social Work. In recent years I have developed a strong academic interest in decolonisation of Social Work and Transmigration. Presently I am a Mentoring Coordinator at BECARIUS, a +1M network, where we seek to improve the representation of Latin American students in global higher education.

2.00-2.45pm

No time for lunch. So how do we nourish ourselves?

(Please bring pen and paper to this session)

Sally Norris

Sally is currently the Social Work Practice Education lead for South Gloucestershire council. She works as the supervisor, coach, mentor and assessor of staff that are working as Practice Educators or as Trainees working to achieve the Practice Education Professional Standards. Sally arranges all of the placements for Students and Apprentices across Adults and Childrens services and is the point of contact for the 3 local Universities. Sally also works as a trained Coach.

2.45-3.15pm

Massage your pressure points: Self-care and mindful stress management

Dr Carmen Yau

Dr Carmen Yau is a Lecturer in Social Work and Lead of the Wellbeing Research Hub at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research in rehabilitation and occupational therapy provides her solid knowledge and expertise in CBT, occupational health and stress, mindfulness and body-mind intervention

3.15-4.00pm

Improving the adult social care response to disabled people subjected to domestic violence and abuse

Sandra Simpson

Sandra Simpson is an Adult Social Worker and a third-year Professional Doctorate candidate in Health and Social Care at the University of Northampton. She holds degrees in Human Rights and Social Work and is an accredited Independent Domestic Violence Advisor. Her research focuses on disabled people subjected to domestic violence and abuse.