Global Social Service Workforce Alliance Annual Symposium

The Global Social Service Workforce Alliance invites you join us for our Annual Symposium—to be held virtually during Social Service Workforce Week. 

Officially launched in 2013, the Alliance was originally conceived during the Social Welfare Workforce Strengthening Conference, in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010, when teams from 18 countries joined together to share experiences and address key challenges facing the social service workforce at a national, regional and global level.

To commemorate our 10th anniversary as an Alliance, this year’s Symposium will offer a retrospective view of the Cape Town conference and the impact it achieved, both in the participating countries and globally. Then, through a deep dive into the experiences of three other countries— Romania, Rwanda and Viet Nam—it will explore the different ways countries have made progress in strengthening their workforce over the past decade and will highlight the continuing and emerging challenges facing the workforce in each country. 

Opening Remarks:

• Rebecca Levy, U.S. Government Special Advisor on Children in Adversity

Session 1: Impact of Cape Town Conference 

• Dr. Ian Milligan, International Advisor, CELCIS, Scotland (Moderator)
• Amy Bess, Former Director, Global Social Service Workforce Alliance 
• Grace Mayanja, Chief of Party, USAID Caring for Vulnerable Children Activity, FHI 360 Ethiopia
• Maury Mendenhall, Senior Technical Advisor, Orphans and Vulnerable Children, USAID, Office of HIV/AIDS
• Zeni Thumbadoo, Deputy Director, National Association of Child Care Workers, South Africa

Session 2: Global Social Service Workforce Alliance Across the Years

• Hugh Salmon, Director, Global Social Service Workforce Alliance

Session 3: Country-Level Progress in Workforce Strengthening 

• Dr. Kathryn Conley Wehrmann, Associate Professor of Social Work, Illinois State University & Steering Committee Chair, Global Social Service Workforce Alliance (Moderator)
• Dr. Florin Lazar, Professor, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work & Vice-president, National College of Social Workers from Romania 
• Loan Le Hong, Chief, Child Protection Section, UNICEF Viet Nam
• Leon Muwoni, Chief, Child Protection Section, UNICEF Rwanda

Closing Remarks:

• Sheema SenGupta, Director of Child Protection, UNICEF