Date: May 7, 2019

Theme: Evidence for Action

Overview: The Global Social Service Workforce Alliance hosted the 2019 Social Service Workforce Strengthening Symposium on the topic of using evidence as a catalyst for advocacy efforts to support the social service workforce. Held on May 7, 2019, in Washington, DC, and via live webcast, a total of 313 individuals and 13 watch parties participated from 42 countries across NGOs, practice, government, academia, associations, foundations, UN agencies and other experts in the field. They heard speakers share experiences and lessons learned from recent comprehensive social service workforce mappings and assessments in 32 countries. Representatives provided an overview of the mapping process, trends, recommendations and next steps for using this evidence toward developing workforce strengthening strategies. Speakers also shared examples of using evidence to advocate for greater support of the workforce.

The Symposium included the launch of the State of the Social Service Workforce 2018 Report, which provides a comparative look at social service workforce development in four regions, and a Mapping Toolkit to support groups in workforce mapping. 

The event was made possible through support from GHR Foundation, UNICEF and the Network for Social Work Management. 

Click here to access the event summary.

Click here to access the presentations.