First global social work day is celebrated

Today is the first World Social Work Day, organised by the International Federation of Social Workers to raise the profile of the profession globally and emphasise its international nature.

It will be celebrated in a number of the federation’s 84-member states, and the British Association of Social Workers is planning to use local media today to raise the profession’s profile in the UK.

IFSW president David N Jones, a former BASW general secretary, said: “Social work needs to be up-front and visible and engaged in discussion with others [about global affairs]. This is a big step to have a global social work day and in time it will snowball.”

General Social Care Council chief executive Lynne Berry linked it to the GSCC’s current consultation on the roles and tasks of social work, adding: “Although cultures vary the core principles that drive social work are the same and the General Social Care Council hopes that the social care sector looks at the consultation on the roles and tasks of social work in England as an opportunity for this country to define what social work looks like, at its best, in our communities, our society.”