I've had this blog in my drafts since October 2025, unsure of how to conclude it.
However, life has found a natural and positive ending. Let's start from the beginning...
Thanks to the British Association of Social Work, I was successful in gaining funding to attend the International Federation of Social Work European conference in Oslo, Norway. It was a phenomenal and joyful experience.
It was fitting that I had such an experience during Black History Month, a reminder of the importance of Black joy and rest. For once, my sole mission was to learn, develop and connect.
The reception and welcome on the first day were exceptional. The conference commenced on a high note, setting a positive tone for the entire event. A golden thread of sustainability ran throughout, even extending to the musician, who used sustainable instruments, including a goat horn. The culture of singing and dancing was delightful.
A particularly memorable quote from the session was, 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children'.
This served as a stark reminder of our accountability as adults and the need to make changes for now and future generations.
The evening reception was amazing. The significance of holding the event in the city hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, added to the sense of honour.
Throughout the conference, I felt appreciated not only because of the selection of fantastic speakers but also because of the food provision. I definitely put on a few pounds as I can’t say no to cake!
At the opening address of the conference, time was dedicated to remembering Tamima Nibras Juhar, a 34-year-old social worker, who was murdered by an 18- year-old she was supporting. The murder was racially motivated. I found the news shocking and saddening. All delegates went silent at the unexpected nature of the announcement.
Alongside learning about the passing of Tamima, the speaker made reference to racism within the UK, underscoring the prevalence of the issue back home. Though hearing the news of Tamima was awful, I was proud to be part of the collective acknowledging the significance of her life.
“Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world” (Bell Hooks,1995).
Before the conference, I had been reflecting on my own safety as a Black woman in a front-facing role. While I’ve not heard of incidences of racially motivated murder within the context of social care, increasingly, I am hearing experiences of Black social workers and paid carers being racially abused and being made to feel unwelcome.
As we continue to see a rise in the far-right and anti-immigrationrhetoric, consideration for the safety of targeted groups needs to be at the forefront of our minds. Empathy and incident report form filling are not enough. Anything less than proactive steps, well, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said it best… 'If you are
neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”
The conference effectively highlighted the interconnectedness of all forms of oppression and the need for green social work. If you left the conference not seeing that connection and the impact of colonisation, you were disconnected.
Hurricane Melissa, alongside many natural disasters, is a case in point. Hearing the heartbreak in my mother’s voice about her country was sobering. Thankfully, my family were “ok”, but that was not the case for many. To paraphrase the keynote speaker at the conference, Dag Olav Hessen, writer and biologist: ‘those least contributing towards climate change are most impacted.’ We all need to wake
up.
“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963.
During the conference, I spoke with social workers who attended for the first time. It struck me that they did not feel entitled to occupy the conference space. This was an acute reminder of the disconnect between academia, research and practice.
I hope that, after attending the conference, they feel a sense of ownership over this space and that they recognise our right to access new knowledge, to contribute to it, and to challenge it. Research is a fundamental element of social work practice. With that said, after the conference, I put forward my own abstract to the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development in Kenya, and it was accepted.
It will be my first international conference as a speaker, and hopefully not the last. I am sure plenty of lessons will be learned and shared in future blogs.
I look forward to occupying MY space at the conference and sharing my contributions with attendees.
Upcoming events:
24/02/26 10:30- 14:00 West Midlands ADASS Research Led Communities of Practice. The theme of this event is AI in adult social care. Click on this link to get further information and register.