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Social Service Workforce Week

Social Service Workforce Week

Every year, the Alliance hosts Social Service Workforce Week. The week serves as an opportunity for advocates to bring attention to and build support for the social service workforce as well as raise awareness about promising workforce strengthening efforts supported by stakeholders around the world. Organized around daily themes focused on areas of practice, the week allows Alliance members and the public to exchange knowledge and resources and engage in advocacy efforts through various forms of social media. The Alliance also shares blog content, resources and worker profiles organized around daily themes. See below for some of the content and resources circulated during the week in previous years.

Social Service Workforce Week 2022

This year, Social Service Workforce Week was held from 17 October through 21 October under the theme Making the Case for Investing in Strengthening the Social Service Workforce Across Sectors. During the week, we hosted two virtual events, released two new publications and published a series of blog posts to:

  1. examine the diverse roles of social service workers when located across various sectors, such as health and education, and within humanitarian contexts;
  2. exchange learning on how the social service workforce can work most effectively when located in community settings across these different sectors, and
  3. recommend strategies and interventions for planning and resourcing the social service workforce required for this range of roles, including how to use our costing and ratios guidance to plan the most impactful deployment of social service workers.

Access all materials from the week

 

Social Service Workforce Week 2021

The 2021 Social Service Workforce Week drew attention to the essential roles social service workers play in helping people and communities prepare, adapt and respond to emergency and disaster situations. Throughout the week, we explored how the role of the social service workforce has changed, and how social service workers have adapted, as such emergencies have become more frequent and widespread.

 Access the all materials from the week

 

Social Service Workforce Week 2020

The 2020 Social Service Workforce Week highlighted the many essential roles of the social service workforce in the lives of individuals, families and communities. Throughout the week, daily blogs, worker profiles and new resources reviewed how the workforce is essential during COVID-19 and for transforming children's care, protection of children, and delivering mental health and psychosocial support. A new Guidance Manual on Strengthing Supervision of the Social Service Workforce, developed by the Alliance's Interest Group on Supervision, was also released and a webinar was held to review the guidance and share promising practices in supervision. 

 

Social Service Workforce Week 2019

The 2019 Social Service Workforce Week called attention to the many ways the social service workforce collaborates with other sectors for promotive, preventative and responsive services to improve health and well-being for all groups. 

A webinar was held on October 22 on the topic of The Role of the Social Service in Supporting Children on the Move: A European perspective. Experienced child protection, reunification and safeguarding professionals from Children and Families Across Border and Safe Passage shared skills needed by social service professionals for working with children on the move. They also highlighted their work in operational delivery, litigation, and political advocacy to help unaccompanied children access safe legal routes to asylum, and the support children on the move receive once they arrive in England as their final destination. Download the full recording and presentations now. 

 

Social Service Workforce Week 2018

The 2018 Social Service Workforce Week drew attention to the recently launched Call to Action, shared examples of how it is being implemented, and outlined steps individuals and groups can take toward achievement of the country and global level recommended actions outlined in this advocacy document. Blogs also highlighted some of the ways the organizations that have signed on to the Call to Action are supporting workforce strengthening efforts. Review the materials for ways to become further involved in advocating for this frontline workforce.

Webinar, September 27 - The recording, presentations and summary are now available from the webinar 'Ending Violence Against Children Requires a Strong Social Service Workforce,' hosted by the Alliance, UNICEF and the Global Partnership to End Violence.

 

Social Service Workforce Week 2017

The 2017 Social Service Workforce Week highlighted why we need to advocate for a stronger workforce to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including the goals related to violence, migration and health. Daily themed blogs, worker profiles and related resources helped to increase attention and action for strengthening the social service workforce.

 

Social Service Workforce Week 2016

The 2016 Social Service Workforce Week focused on “Building the Case for a Stronger Social Service Workforce.” Daily blogs reviewed the reasons a stronger workforce is needed to best care for vulnerable populations, and how this can be achieved. Read each day's blog below.

 

Social Service Workforce Week 2015

The 2015 Social Service Workforce Week focused on the role of community level workers. Read the daily blogs to learn more about this important aspect of work.

There were many excellent examples of how other organizations promoted the week and shared resources in 2015 about the para professional workforce.

 

Social Service Workforce Week 2014

The first Social Service Workforce week was held in April 2014 as a means to raise awareness for the Alliance and garner support from members, organizations and the public around the issue and importance of social service workforce strengthening. A blog and other resources were released each day during the week.

Read the blog posts from each day: