More than 1,200 people registered for The Social Work Show in Manchester, with visitors and exhibitors praising the event’s learning programme, networking opportunities and the quality of conversations taking place throughout the day.
The Social Work Show, held at the Manchester Deansgate Hotel on 28 September, brought together social workers, social care professionals, employers, local authorities, service providers and other organisations for a day of learning, networking and career development.
The event featured a wide-ranging programme of seminars, workshops and panel discussions covering issues including artificial intelligence and the future of social work, trauma-informed practice, safeguarding, leadership, neurodiversity, professional identity, recruitment and retention, forensic approaches and the experiences of children, families and adults using services.
For visitors, the opportunity to access a broad range of learning in one location was among the key attractions. One adult social worker described it as “Lots of informative sessions. Great to be able to access lots of learning on one day in one place”, while another visitor said they had “really enjoyed and learnt a lot at the different workshops”.
The programme included contributions from speakers including North East Lincolnshire Council Director of Children’s Services Ann-Marie Matson, as well as Dr Neil Thompson, Claudia Megele, Wayne Reid, Samantha Russell, Denise Monks and Dr Beverley Barnet, among others.
The event also provided opportunities for practitioners to reflect on their own practice. An independent social worker who attends the event each year said: “The discussions are informative and I enjoy reflecting on the impact for my practice.”
Networking was another significant part of the day, with the exhibition bringing together employers, local authorities, charities, independent providers, specialist services, professional organisations and other sector partners.
One visitor described the event as “Good for networking”, while exhibitors also highlighted the opportunities to make new connections.
The exhibition also had a strong recruitment and employer engagement focus, with organisations using the event to discuss vacancies, promote their services and build relationships with potential candidates and partners.
Harriet Cadman, Recruitment and Retention Lead at Liverpool City Council, said the event was “Excellent, well organised show as usual for our 3rd year running”, commenting that delegates were engaged and has “deep social work experience”, and that “seminars were all well attended and of excellent CPD content and quality.”
For other exhibitors, the event provided an opportunity to introduce services and develop new relationships with local authorities and other organisations. Donna Bailey, Director at Nurture Futures, said: “The whole day was particularly beneficial in meeting the different local authorities in social work and being able to promote our company philosophy in their practices.”
The event was Headline Sponsored by North East Lincolnshire Council, which also contributed to the conference programme. Julie Bettany, Deputy Services Director and Principal Social Worker at North East Lincolnshire Council, described the experience: “What an incredible day! It has been a pleasure to be involved in this event as Headline Sponsor. From the start of the process we have been supported and guided to promote our best selves as an employer in children’s social work practice. Nothing has been too much trouble in terms of support and assistance.”
Crystal Williams, Director at Rebuild Rise Families Ltd, said: “It has been a lovely experience and great opportunity to showcase and expose our new business. It has been great meeting new people and learning about other services around. Wonderful event and the graphics in the programme are just amazing!”
For visitors, feedback also highlighted the event's organisation and the range of sessions available. One Quality Assurance Officer and Social Worker described it as “very good, well organised and helpful”, while another social worker called it an “informative and inspiring day”.
The programme also received specific praise from delegates, with one social worker highlighting Denise Monks’ session on multidisciplinary practice as “an excellent talk”, while another singled out sessions on neurodiversity and FASD.
The breadth of the programme was reflected in the range of subjects covered throughout the day, with sessions exploring professional identity, leadership, AI, neurodiversity, safeguarding, mental health, family support and the future of social work and social care.
