Keynote speakers

Reforming Social Work and Social Work Education in England: opportunities and challenges

Download the Keynote PowerPoint presentation (PPS, 3.4MB)

The session will provide an overview of recent developments in the work of the Social Work Reform Board for England, followed by an opportunity to put questions to the panel. Confirmed panel members:

Hilary Tompsett is a qualified and registered Social Worker with experience over a period of 16 years as a practitioner and manager. Hilary has been in Higher Education since 1991 and Head of Social Work at Kingston University since 1997. She is currently Chair of JUC and JUC SWEC (Joint University Council and its Social Work Education Committee), Vice Chair of GSCC (General Social Care Council) and Co-Chair of the Surrey and Sussex Social Work Education Group. She has contributed to national strategic government working parties and also presented evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on child and family professional social work training. She is currently Co-Chair of the Education Working group for the national Social Work Reform Board.

Hilary Burgess is a registered social worker, and Senior Academic Adviser at SWAP,
the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Social Policy and Social Work, through
which she works to support and enhance social work education. Prior to this she was
a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol, where she was programme director for
qualifying social work education for seven years. She has written extensively about social
work education and research. Hilary is a member of several working groups of the Social
Work Reform Board and has been instrumental in developing the Professional Capabilities
Framework; she is currently working with SCIE to progress the framework.

Patricia Kearney is Head of Children & Families Services at SCIE and is a registered
social worker. Prior to this she was Head of Practice Development at NISW. Patricia has
held a number of practitioner and manager posts, with particular experience in child
protection remits within adult mental health services. She worked for several years as
lecturer at Goldsmiths College, University London, delivering the PG qualifying social work
and advanced family work programmes and as an honorary family therapist at the Maudsley Hospital Children’s Department. SCIE is currently leading development of the Professional Capabilities Framework on behalf of the Reform Board.

Julia Hassall, Co-chair of the Education Working Group for the Social Work Reform Board and representative of the Association of Directors Children’s’ Services (ADCS). Julia qualified as a social worker in Hull in 1984, and worked as a social worker and manager in Humberside and Hull, in different local authority settings with children, families and adults. Julia is currently the Assistant Director for Children’s Social Care in Wirral.