The Conference on Child and Family Social Work organised by the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences of UIC was held online on 15 January. Scholars and front-line social work personnel discussed the needs, current situation, problems and challenges of children and family social work services, shared experiences and models of social work services and explored innovative solutions.
UIC Vice President (Academic), Prof Huang Huaxiong, delivered a welcome speech for the conference. He introduced UIC's achievements in social work in terms of training talents and serving local communities. He said that UIC has been adhering to liberal arts education and serving society in the fifteen years since its establishment, and actively promoted the integration of social service resources in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In the future, UIC will continue to develop an open mind and spare no effort to promote the development of local social work.
UIC Associate Vice President (Internationalization) and the Dean of Division of Humanities and Social Sciences (DHSS), Prof Adrian Bailey, talked about connection, communication, and collaboration. He said "In a time of great changes at the post-pandemic era, I am sure there are a lot of new challenges and tasks that we have to face. I sincerely hope this conference can provide an important platform for our future collaboration in the Greater Bay Area."
The conference was held online
Secretary-General of China Association for Social Work Education, Professor of the Department of Sociology of Peking University, Prof Ma Fengzhi, delivered a speech on the theory and practice of family civilisation construction from the perspective of social governance in the new era. She introduced the function and significance of families, the impact of social changes on families. She pointed out that only by establishing a benign interactive relationship between the family and the society can it be possible to achieve comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable development. It is also necessary to reposition the family's strategic position in social development and bring the issue of the family building into the national perspective.
Director of the Department of Social Work, School of Social Development and Public Policy of Fudan University, Prof Zhao Fang, introduced China's child welfare development. She suggested perfecting the operating mechanism for child welfare regarding personnel selection and reward system. Prof Zhang also explained about strengthening policy support in rural, central, and western regions of China as well as enhancing the professional capabilities of child welfare management.
Associate Director of the Social Work Practice and Mental Health Centre of Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr Su Xiqing, gave a speech on children's social work based on the perspective of advantages. She mentioned that the family and social environment often cause the plight of teenagers. In the practice of social work, it is necessary to change cognition and pay attention to their advantages, turn problems into needs and make social work a bridge to balance family power relations.
Director of Social Work and Social Administration Programme of UIC, Dr Chan Kam Tong, introduced the child welfare policies and current situations of children in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao. He also analysed the policy priorities and service highlights and expressed his suggestions for child welfare work development.
Experts and scholars from Macao Polytechnic Institute, Guangzhou Growth Motivation Social Work Professional Development and Resource Centre, Shenzhen Sunny Family Comprehensive Service Centre, Caritas Macao, and other institutions also shared their research and practical experience during the conference.
From MPRO
Reporter: Zhang Fan
Editors: Samuel Burgess, Deen He
