SASW brings you Next Steps, part of our Skills and Knowledge programme supporting your CPL. Next Steps sessions combine theory, research and policy with practice tools and strategies to enhance and improve your practice. These sessions build on your existing knowledge and are ideal for experienced social workers looking to invigorate and strengthen their practice.
Skills & Knowledge : Next Steps – Adult Self Neglect
Share your experiences of studying or starting your social work career in Scotland as a new graduate - good or bad- with fellow students and NQSWs. Let’s reflect on topics and work on solutions in a supportive informal environment. All welcome!
The next dedicated Community of Practice (CoP) for Mental Health Officers (MHOs) in Scotland will explore research on Adult Support and Protection and provide opportunity for discussion and reflection on your engagement with the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2008 as an MHO/trainee MHO. It will be facilitated by Dr Pearse McCusker, Senior Lecturer in Social work/Director of the MHO Award, University of Edinburgh, and Vicky Soutar, Lecturer in Social Work, Stirling University.
Working in partnership with individuals and families Relationship-based social work is something that we probably all had in mind when going into this profession but how do we actually do it when people have been given no choice other than to have us in their lives or when expectations and wishes differ from ours? What are the barriers to good partnership working and how can we overcome them? We will look at different approaches of partnership working that might help us in achieving relationship-based practice.
The panel is jointly run by the Scottish Association of Social Work, the Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser, and Social Work Scotland. The panel was created to bring together experienced frontline workers, newly qualified workers, students and policy makers in Government to address the issues affecting social work today. It is an opportunity to influence those policy makers and the future of social work with your experience and knowledge.
The next session is titled - An introduction to the GIRFE (Getting it right for everyone) team around the person toolkit.
Career pathways in social work aren’t always straightforward which can lead to social workers at mid-career point feeling stuck and unhappy. Is one of the causes for social workers leaving the profession maybe that they haven’t been able to fulfil their full potential and have failed to find the career pathway that is right for them? There are government initiatives being currently worked on to make the professional framework in social work more streamlined which we will discuss in the session.
Risk aware vs risk averse This session will look into the dilemma between the rights/freedom of a person and our duty to protect. For many people risk is an accepted part of life. However, disabled adults, older people and young people are often discouraged from taking risks. Finding the balance between risk and protection is vital if people are to be empowered to become/stay independent and live fulfilling and rewarding lives.
The Mental Health Officer Conference 2025 - Reigniting our Resilience: Informing, Embracing and Future-Proofing the Mental Health Officer Workforce, will take place in person at The Barracks, Stirling. This conference sponsored by both Scottish Government and Social Work Scotland will offer a fantastic line up of plenary speakers, workshops and networking opportunities. Spaces are limited so book now to secure you place.