Social workers mark World Social Work Day 2014 with film, art, poetry and events

The organisers of training scheme Frontline kicked off today’s World Social Work Day 2014 celebrations with an early-morning screening of a film highlighting the need for more outstanding graduates to join the profession.

Education secretary Michael Gove and chief social worker for children and families Isabelle Trowler were among those to attend the event in London this morning. The film featured care leavers and children’s social workers telling their stories in their own words.

At the screening, Frontline revealed that a total of 2,684 people applied to join their new training programme, 1,272 of which were graduates of Russell Group universities and 184 of Oxford or Cambridge.

The College of Social Work (TCSW) will continue the cultural theme throughout World Social Work Day by launching a gallery of photos, images, poetry and prose submitted by social workers.

It has also released a new guidance document setting out the reserved tasks of social workers in England and will co-host a seminar on social work with older people.

The British Association of Social Workers will host a series of events in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland throughout the week, including one in which the focus will be on the experiences of social workers in Palestine. BASW has also published a series of articles about social work in a global context.

To find out more about World Social Work Day 2014, watch this address by Professor Vimla V. Nadkarni, president of the International Association of Schools of Social Work: