Annual Symposium
Learn and Connect
Nearly every year, over 350 social service practitioners, academics, students, policy makers and advocates join us from around the world for a symposium on social service workforce strengthening. Symposia have been held in-person and online. Previous topics have focused on the role of the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of evidence to ignite support for the workforce, developing and implementing national workforce strengthening strategies and more.
Stay tuned for more information on this year’s symposium.
Find content from previous symposia below.
Annual Symposium Archive
2023 Symposium: A Decade of Progress, A Future of Promise
October 26, 2023
To commemorate our 10th anniversary as an Alliance, the 2023 Symposium offered a retrospective view of the Social Welfare Workforce Strengthening Conference—during which the idea of the Alliance was conceived. Then, through a deep dive into the experiences of three other countries—Viet Nam, Rwanda and Romania—it explored the different ways countries have made progress in strengthening their workforce over the past decade and highlighted the continuing and emerging challenges facing the workforce in each country.
2021 Symposium: Social Service Workforce In and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
September 15, 2021
The Alliance and Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB) co-hosted the 2021 Symposium, titled: The Social Service Workforce In and Beyond the Pandemic: A global conversation on adaptation, innovation and the fight for social justice. Over 260 participants from across the globe joined the virtual event to discuss experiences and insights related to the impact of the pandemic on social service practice, education and training, and the role of the social service workforce in social justice.
2019 Symposium: Using Evidence as a Catalyst for Advocacy
May 7, 2019
The 2019 Symposium, held in Washington, DC and via live webcast, focused on using evidence as a catalyst for advocacy efforts to support the social service workforce. A total of 313 individuals and 13 watch parties participated from 42 countries. They heard speakers share experiences and lessons learned from recent comprehensive social service workforce mappings and assessments in 32 countries.
2018 Symposium: Implementing National Workforce Strengthening Strategies
May 8, 2018
The 2018 Symposium focused on developing and implementing national workforce strengthening strategies. Presenters from three country-based panels shared their strategies and a final panel spoke on a Call to Action for greater support to this workforce.
2017 Symposium: Innovative Case Management Approaches
May 24, 2017
The 2017 Symposium, held in Washington, D.C. and via live webcast, focused on the topic of case management and the social service workforce. More than 100 in-person participants and 400 remote participants from 29 countries shared how a strengthened workforce is able to implement integrated and innovative approaches to case management that create comprehensive and sustainable systems of care.
2016 Symposium: Strengthening the Continuum of Care
June 2, 2016
The 2016 Symposium focused on ways in which planning, developing and supporting the social service workforce has changed over the past five years and has led to more effective services for children and families and a stronger continuum of care. Nearly 300 participants participated in the event either in-person in Washington, DC, or through the live webcast.
2015 Symposium: A Review of the State of the Social Service Workforce
June 10, 2015
The 2015 Symposium focused on ways in which planning, developing and supporting the social service workforce can lead to more effective services to children and families and stronger systems of care. The event was held in Washington, DC, and also via live webcast with a total of 365 participants from 20 countries joining.
2014 Symposium: Supporting Families, Building a Better Tomorrow for Children
April 29, 2014
During the 2014 Symposium, expert presenters discussed current initiatives underway to strengthen the social service workforce and improve systems and services that keep families and children at the heart of the work and promote wellbeing, protection and healthy development.
