SASW Children and Families Forum

We currently have a SASW Criminal Justice Forum, an MHO Forum and an Independents Forum, and for a while we have been talking about setting up a Children and Families Social Work Forum. We would like the Forum to be an information gathering and sharing hub. This means that we can pass on information to you, but crucially we would also invite you to comment on issues around this area of practice: so we can reflect this in government and other working groups which aim to shape policy and guidance, and so we can speak up on your behalf.

Much will be by electronic means, but we also hope to organise some regional seminars and/or events, based on practice.

Subjects such as reflection, analysis and decision making, interagency working, professional identity as a child care social worker, GIRFEC, putting the child in the centre, enabling and empowering, but also protecting, building relationships, good supervision, how to deal with conflict, equalities, court settings, inquiries – and you can add to the list.

Please let us know if you are interested in being a part of the Forum. We are conscious that with the impact of the cuts, public services’ training is being hit hard. The recent excellent BASPCAN conference contained a vast number of thought provoking seminars and presentations on many areas of children and families’ practice, much of it of relevance to children and families’ social workers. Sadly attendance information suggested many practitioners were unable to attend and we believe it to be unlikely that this is because workers choose not to. We have some expressions of interest from colleagues in the academic world who are members and would want to join a forum, so it may be mutually beneficial.

We look forward to receiving your note of interest: click here if you would like to join.