Tuesday 17 March is World Social Work Day and Halton Borough Council’s Adult Social Care will be celebrating the theme of ‘relationships’ by further strengthening links across our communities.
Social workers are taking to the streets and getting involved with community groups, local voluntary organisations, activities arranged by the local faith sector and much more. The aim is to experience community-based services, provision and opportunities with a view to being better informed to signpost and support those who access social care services for assessment of their needs.
A similar programme was run for last year’s World Social World Day and the connections made have been invaluable. This year the hope is to build on the links made by our social workers, and for them to take part in a wide range of activities such as mindfulness classes, men’s health sessions and ‘knit and natter’ groups within Halton.
Feedback from last year’s involvement was positive. Comments from social workers about World Social Work Day last year included:
“My colleagues who remained in work whilst we were at the activity commented on how happy and positive we all were when we returned from our community event.”
Another said: “I have gained knowledge about a valuable community resource that could be of therapeutic value to people we support.”
Two-thirds of the social workers who took part in a survey after the events thought it should be repeated and comments included: “Another day similar to this would be priceless.”
Marie Lynch, Principal Social Worker for Adults in Halton, said: “This is a great opportunity for our social workers to see what other opportunities are available across Halton that support our residents. There is a wealth of what we would call ‘community assets’ out there that enhance not only people’s physical and mental health but also their overall wellbeing and positive lifestyle choices.”
Executive Board Member for Children, Education and Social Care, Cllr Tom McInerney said: “In Halton we take pride in what we achieve across our adult social care services. The World Social Work Day will allow us to shine an even brighter light on how we may want to do things in the future.”