Talk show series for social workers
A mini-series of “talk show” style webinars focusing on areas of importance to social work has been launched.
The Synergy Sessions feature presentations by experts followed by exploratory conversations between diverse social workers to get people thinking about a selection of social work topics in a more analytical way.
The three sessions bring together members of BASW England’s Black and Ethnic Minority Professionals Symposium (BPS) and the Professional Capabilities and Development group in wide-ranging discussions.
Each episode has a different topic: episode one covers critical thinking; episode two is on how anti-racism is taught on a social work course at the University of Suffolk and episode three focuses on Black leadership and includes Beverley Tarka, who this year stepped down from her term as president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.
BASW England professional officer Wayne Reid, who created and chairs the sessions, said: “The format is more like a talk show than a podcast. I’ve called them the Synergy Sessions because they epitomise reciprocal collaboration through an exchange of personal and professional experiences that participants have gained and share in illuminating ways.
“I would like people to see the sessions as a resource that they can revisit at different points of their career, that will hopefully inform their professional practice and worldview.”
Reid said the critical thinking episode was a good reminder of how essential the approach is to social work and “everyday life”.
“It’s all about looking at things from different perspectives, deconstructing and reconstructing, piecing together different strands and themes, and considering things that reinforce and confirm - but also that oppose and contradict.
“For me critical thinking is essential, especially at a time where arguably over the last few decades there have been many attempts to depoliticise social work and let our core values and ethics slide off the agenda - values and ethics like anti-discrimination, anti-oppression and anti-racism.”
Session two looks at pioneering anti-racism teaching and research on social work courses at the University of Suffolk and session three explores definitions and experiences of Black leadership.
Watch the Synergy Sessions
