The Care Agency marked World Social Work Day with a short seminar held at the Elliot’s Hotel to highlight the hard work and dedication of social workers in our community.

A statement continued: “The event was opened by the Minister responsible for Social Services Samantha Sacramento. The Minister was followed by the keynote speaker, Social Work Consultant Ms Deirdre Mahon, who is the Executive Director of social work for the Western Trust in Northern Ireland. The seminar was also addressed by the Care Agency’s Director of Services Safety and Standards, Angelo Cerisola.

“Social workers offer support to individuals and families through difficult times and make sure that vulnerable people are safeguarded from harm. This can include working in early prevention or recruiting and training foster carers. The role of a social worker varies within Children Services, Adult Services and within the Disabilities Service. There are many positive aspects of being a social worker, which include advocating on behalf of service users, and assisting them to obtain the resources needed to improve their well-being.

“The role of a social worker can be challenging. Social Workers are often the 'unsung heroes' of the public service, working with the most vulnerable in society.

Director of Services Safety and Standards, Angelo Cerisola, said: “Especially during COVID-19, our social workers have worked tirelessly to offer a duty of care that goes above and beyond. The hardships that social services imply are immense. However, the determination and passion for improvement of public well-being that each one of our social workers have, makes it possible to achieve our best standards.”

Minister with responsibility for Social Services, Samantha Sacramento, said: “It is important to mark the work of social workers because we must give credit to the brilliant work that is done by our social workers in Gibraltar. They are at the forefront of safeguarding our community and work extremely hard to deliver a level of care that is outstanding.

“The seminar was extremely inspiring as we focused on the development of the Care Agency to build upon the excellent work that they already undertake. We are currently investing heavily in the professional development of social workers and we are grateful to Deirdre Mahon who is once again in Gibraltar to deliver top quality training.”