We would like to thank all exhibitors, visitors, including this years' sponsors, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City Council, for making the event such a successful day.
Over 1,200 social workers registered for the conference and exhibition to discuss career pathways and jobs with a range of local authorities and service providers from London and across the UK . Exhibitors included: Royal Borough Kensington and Chelsea & Westminster City Council , Cardiff Council , Coventry City Council , Ealing Council , Hampshire County Council , London Borough of Hounslow , Kent County Council , Powys County Council , Only Social Care , Randstad , Remedy Social Care , Southwark Council , Surrey County Council , and West Sussex County Council .
Speaking about the employers at COMPASS Jobs Fair, one social worker said: “ It was really great being able to meet recruiters face to face.”
A social work student also mentioned how important it was “getting knowledge on potential future jobs”.
“It was really helpful getting knowledge on the potential job positions I could apply to in the future, as well as understanding the recruitment process for ASYE and meeting representatives from each LA.”
Other service providers and publishers came along to showcase their organisations including: BASW England and SWU , The Caldecott Foundation , Cellmark , Critical Publishing , Finders International , Jessica Kingsley Publishers , The Mulberry Bush , OurFamilyWizard , Richardson Care , Social Work Coaching Hub and Social Work Today .
Visitors also had the opportunity to attend the free Social Work Innovations Conference which ran alongside the event. This included a diverse range of seminars which explored key social work topics and trends, as well as social work cinema films and free legal sessions.
The event sponsors, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea hosted a seminar on ‘Systemic social work practice: Collaborating and engaging with families’ which discussed the Bi-Borough’s trauma-informed systemic social work practice model.
Commenting on the fully packed seminar, a family support worker said:
“This seminar was highly informative and delivered well and engaged with participants in the room.”
Sponsors Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City Council also hosted ‘Building an anti-racoist workforce and services’ as well as ‘Working in partnership: Homeless and rough sleeping initiatives’.
Strategic HR lead from Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea commented on the day online: “The insightful conversations overheard prove that events like COMPASS are vital for connecting talented social workers with innovative employers.”
Representatives from BASW England hosted a workshop on ‘Promoting anti-racism in social work: The BASW England Black and Ethnic Minority Professional Symposium journey and values’.
Commenting on Linkedin, Pamela Shodeinde said: “I had an amazing time at the COMPASS Jobs Fair representing BASW Black Professional Symposium. Had the opportunity to give a presentation with my BPS Sistah Patriche Bentick talking about the importance of safe spaces and modelling this in social work practice to challenge systemic racism in the workplace. It was great to connect with so many people.”
Other seminars included thought-provoking and hard-hitting topics such as ‘Modern-Day Slavery: Responding to hidden forms of abuse’ by Hampshire County Council.
Leading children’s charity, NPSCC also explored ‘Sibling sexual harm: what social workers need to know’.
Independent social worker, Lauren Crickmar discussed ‘Why neurodiversity matters in social work’.
A social worker attending the event emphasised the “importance” of discussing neurodiversity in social work.
“It’s such an important topic which needs to be talked about. Lauren’s seminar shed much needed light on working with a diverse group of colleagues and clients.”
Exhibitors were also pleased with the day’s turnout.
Commenting on the success of the day, a Recruitment Lead said: “ Our day was very positive. The event had a great turnout. Organisers made us feel incredibly welcome from start to finish. The structure and layout worked really well for us and made it easy to engage with everyone. We thought we generated a lot of candidate sign ups.”
Another principal social worker said: “The event was very well organised with a great atmosphere. We had a lot of great conversations with social workers and students about potential roles.”
The event also had a CPD clinic for social workers who needed help and guidance on completing their CPD. Carol Stewart, social work expert and trainer offered one to one advice at the event as well as hosting a seminar on ‘How to meet the Social Work England CPD requirements ahead of time’.
One social worker said how ‘useful’ it was: ‘The event was a great way to gain my CPD and speak to experts on how I can complete everything before the deadline. Thank you to Compass for providing that help’.
Other key dates for COMPASS Jobs Fair include:
18th March 2024 Compass Jobs Fair, Birmingham
Book your free ticket
.
The Social Work Show 7th October 2024
Book your free ticket.
You can already register your free ticket to London next year on 25th November 2024. Register now.
Did you have a good day at the Compass Jobs Fair, London? Email us or tag us on social media so we can see your pictures and hear how your day went!
Twitter: @COMPASSeventsUK
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