Collegial Conference in Social Work
Mid Sweden University hosted the annual national paper conference in social work on 20–21 March. Around eighty researchers in social work gathered to discuss and reflect on each other's papers.
Two days, two keynote speakers and five sessions, with at least four parallel sittings per session, where the researchers reflected and discussed each other's scientific papers. That's the short summary of NaPSa 2024.
"It's been very nice and everyone I've talked to has been very pleased with the arrangement," says Sabine Gruber, conference director and professor of social work.
The invited keynote speakers were Mid Sweden University's honorary doctor, Professor Walter Lorenz and the author Susanna Alakoski. Their performances were much appreciated.
Walter Lorenz spoke about social work in the current polarised world and the importance of safeguarding the social dimension of social work. The author Susanna Alakoski emphasized the importance of literature and writing, and especially the testimonies of socially vulnerable groups and individuals. She said that she reads a lot of academic articles in her research and challenged all academics to write more to change the practice of social work and less to make a career.