Social work - a caring presence in our community

"... Best wishes and congratulations to the Association in Malta on this First Social Work National Conference!" David N. Jones, president, International Federation of Social Workers.

Having a sense of self and being in touch with one's identity is essential to the continuous development and advancement of any profession. To effectively be ourselves we must know who we are, what we believe in and stand for, know where we're coming from and where we're going to.

In the words of Sharon Farrugia, one of the social workers who attended the first Social Work National Conference in Malta, "it was just what we needed! It was like a social work festival... It was a confirmation of what we believe in and a celebration of what social workers do every day in their work!"

This is precisely the spirit in which the first Social Work National Conference was proposed by the executive committee of the Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW).

Since social work is a helping profession, the title chosen for the conference asked a central question for the profession: "How can social work better meet the needs of people in our communities?"

The two-day conference, which was attended by 150 participants, offered a professional, critical and, above all, independent space for social workers to discuss and reflect upon their practice. This was addressed in the context of the future direction of the profession, its ever-developing values and the partnerships which it chooses to create.

Social work is primarily undertaken within the public sector, where resources are often limited and where everyone is undoubtedly extremely busy. Social workers rarely have the space to reflect, independently and critically, upon the broader picture of their identity as a profession and their role in society.

Training opportunities for social workers tend to be technical and specific, usually relating to the needs of the service or a particular service-user group. Thus, social workers are rarely given the chance to present their expert views and opinions regarding their role in society as agents of social change. In addition, social workers' significant contribution to social analysis and to reflection about their roles in relation to the spectrum of professions present in our society, is seldom tapped.

For this reason, the scientific committee designed a programme intended to offer an opportunity to social workers, whether they be in academia, management or practice, to present their work, experience and research. Students were also encouraged to participate actively. The scientific programme was intended to provoke debate by means of thematic workshops.

Theresa Micallef, currently working on social inclusion policy implementation at the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, wrote: "We were very pleased to put in our small contribution. Thank you for giving us the space."

Joyce Mifsud, a conference participant, wrote: 'I would like to thank all the MASW and its team for the brilliant conference. It was not only informative, enriching and open to suggestions, but also done with class, giving us opportunity to discuss and express our views regarding issues at work."

European social policy

Professor Gabriel Kiely, through the first keynote presentation, gave the conference the opportunity to analyse European social policies, in particular those regarding social cohesion. He also offered those present a reflection on how social work values relate to these policies, thus making the conference aware of the part that social work has to play in relation to future European social policy.

This was a very timely and insightful intervention, considering that just two days earlier, a declaration was made in Paris, for a more 'social Europe' to be included in the European Constitution. The declaration was signed by nine EU member states.

The contribution of Maltese social work to the European context was further highlighted by keynote speaker John Rolè, a social worker leading the local fostering service. He presented a set of standards for child in-and-out-of-home care, based on the experience of children and service users from 32 countries in Europe. Service-user involvement and participation in service delivery and development is key to partnership in social change. This partnership needs to be bolstered in the local context.

Panel presentation

A keynote presentation which proved of particular interest to participants was a panel presentation by local personalities who have contributed significantly to the social work field. The panel speakers, who were asked to speak on "The past, present and future of social work were Jane Spiteri, Anthony Mifsud, Carmen Zammit, Doris Gauci, Joe Gerada and a student representative, Deborah Gauci.

No fewer than 30 social workers were able to present their work, experience and research during the two-day conference. Possibly the broadest and most comprehensive scientific content ever made available to social workers in Malta was included.

The 21 presentations and workshops dealt with the regulation of the social work profession; the role of social work in promoting social cohesion in Europe; social rights; adaptive innovation in the local adoption of good practice; children at the centre of social cohesion; housing and social cohesion; application of the Council of Europe campaign to combat violence against women; social work practice in palliative care; creativity in professional social work supervision; developing resilience in social workers; sexual orientation, gender identity and the law; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in social work practice; improving the quality of care of children in residential and foster care; creativity through reflective practice; the link between the International Federation of Social Workers and social workers in Malta; meeting the needs of people with mental health problems living in the community; team practice in an assessment and rehabilitation hospital for the elderly; development of child care services in Malta; provision of community services to persons within their own community and a plan of action toward social cohesion.

Constant struggle

Reading through this list it becomes quite obvious that social work is by no means an easy task! Maintaining that delicate but essential equilibrium of skilfully delivering a professional service to people while doing so in the fundamental caring spirit of social work that places the person at the centre of every situation is no mean task.

This activity requires academic, practice and personal wisdom. In the words of Professor Malcolm Payne, author of the well known Modern Social Theory, who also honoured the conference with his presence, "by its very nature, the social work profession has set itself the almost impossible task of transforming society to improve lives through interpersonal work."

Professor Payne went on to describe social workers as wise professionals facing a constant struggle. Ian Johnston, CEO of the British Association of Social Workers, also pointed out this struggle, for which there is no simplistic or transferable right answer. Social workers have taken on this challenge of offering a service to, for and with people... their question is, 'Is our society ready to accept the challenging struggle which leads us towards such wisdom?'

At the end of all this, one may ask, what is this social work wisdom about? Is it the awareness and concern for social well-being? Is it the skill of putting high-flown ideas of social justice into practice? Is it the ability to recognise the strength and beauty of those who society has judged, rejected, excluded or discriminated against? Is it the ability to foster relationships within a professional framework?

Is it harnessing and brokering often limited resources? Is it being able to discern when to control, when to protect and when to empower? Is it accepting to take on the challenge of dealing with all these complexities and more, so as to be a caring and positive presence for people? ... I leave readers to judge for themselves!

This conference was organised by the Maltese Association of Social Workers, in collaboration with the Department of Social Policy and Social Work of the University of Malta to continue to promote an unconstrained professional identity for the social work profession.

We hope that this event has helped to continue emphasising the important role of the association in the ongoing development of the social work profession. We also hope that the future of the association will see more and more support and membership.

Thanks are due to the conference's main sponsor, the National Lotteries Good Causes Fund, Ministry of Finance, as well as other sponsors including the British Association of Social Workers; the Civil Society Fund of Malta Forum in Europe; the Foundation for Social Welfare Services; Ministry of Health, the Elderly and Community Care; the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity and the Department of Social Policy and, Social Work, University of Malta who made this conference a reality.

A word of congratulations is also due to the student participants who contributed to the conference logistics and attended in large numbers.

Ms Agius is writing on behalf of the Maltese Association of Social Workers in collaboration with the Department of Social Policy and Social Work of the University of Malta.