Building on the success of Falkirk’s recent World Social Work Day celebrations, local learning events, and feedback from teams, a new all-day event is planned for Social Work Services this November.

The ambition is simple but significant: bring together colleagues from across Falkirk’s social work services and partner organisations to strengthen how we support children, adults and families. Through collaboration, innovation and shared learning, we will explore how we can build on excellent practice and deliver even better outcomes together.

We already have some exciting contributors confirmed, including:

• Joanna MacDonald, Chief Executive of Scotland’s National Social Work Agency, who is keen to share her vision for the future of social work and hear directly from Falkirk colleagues.
• Representatives from the University of Stirling Social Work Programme, bringing a strong research and evidence-informed perspective.

The day will celebrate the outstanding work happening across Falkirk and create opportunities to:

• Showcase innovation, improvement and learning from across services.
• Learn from partners driving positive outcomes for families.
• Explore the impact of harm and the importance of whole-family support.
• Connect with local providers, services and community resources.

Most importantly, we want this event to be shaped by the people who know our services best – our colleagues. We are inviting colleagues from Children’s, Adults and Justice Services, with a mix of skills, experience and perspectives to join the planning group. This is your opportunity to influence the themes, speakers, workshops and learning opportunities that matter most to our workforce and the people we support.

This is more than helping to organise an event. It is an opportunity to help shape how we learn from one another, celebrate what works and inspire the next stage of improvement across Falkirk social work services.

Save the date and take part

The event for Social Work Services will take place on 2 November at Forth Valley College. Colleagues can take part in the planning discussions on the following dates. Contact socialservices.training@falkirk.gov.uk and use ‘Stronger Families Through Stronger Connections’ as the subject for more information.