University Senior Lecturer Invited to Speak at Social Work Week

Dr Denise Turner will be presenting at an online event hosted by Social Work England on the findings and reflections from her work carried out within health, social work and social care since the first national lockdown in March 2020.

Running from the 14th – 18th of March, Social Work Week will celebrate and recognise the hard work and dedication of social workers on an international stage.

This year the focus of Social Work Week is ‘Social work and me’. This reflects on the significant events, challenges and successes of the profession in 2021. Bringing together those interested in social work.

Denise’s presentation, ‘The Hope inside the box’: Making meaning from loss, change and bereavement in social work education and practice, will look back at the last year, living with Covid-19.
Commenting on the event, she said: “This is only the second Social Work Week staged by the regulator following the success of the 2021 programme. I’m delighted to be one of only a small number of keynote speakers personally invited by Social Work England. My presentation theme is Hope which will help connect people and inspire them with new ideas for collaborative working.”

Whilst COVID-19 has been a form of collective trauma, the presentation aims to demonstrate the ways in which distinctive forms of connection can help to maintain hope, as well as offering some reflections on shaping social work education and practice moving forwards.

Dr Turner will use practical illustrations to advocate for the importance of engaging with bereavement, loss and change within social work education and practice. The significance of memory and meaning making will also be highlighted through specific examples of co-production and digital connection completed during the pandemic.

For more information on Dr Denise Turners presentation and the week’s programme click here.