The Northern Ireland Social Care Council’s (the Social Care Council) Social Care Managers Forums are twice-yearly, free networking events that provide leaders, supervisors, and team leaders in the social care sector with policy updates, expert presentations, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities.
The Spring forums took place recently in Portadown and Antrim, focussing on the theme ‘Recruitment and retention matters: solutions for resilient workforce in Northern Ireland’.
There were a number of sector updates, including a focus on technology, specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI), with Social Care Council Director Declan McAlister and Soo Hun, Innovation and Digital Ecosystem Lead from Digital Health and Social Care NI, exploring the use of AI in adult social care.
The presentation included vital factors, including relevance and awareness, but more importantly the risks and ethics surrounding AI. A key point being that AI in the future would enhance social care, not replace it.
Other speakers on the day included Suzanne McStravick, who made a personal and motivating contribution on why supervision and learning remain critical to workforce sustainability. On that theme Social Care Council Digital Learning Manager Mairead Harking also gave an update on how the Learning Zone resources can help to can support recruitment, retention and continuous professional learning in social care.
Rachel Mackarel from L’Arche Belfast, Adrian Ghosh, Mainstay DRP and Mervyn Bothwell, Professional Advisor with the Social Care Council, gave special panel style contribution on what works when interviews potential staff to hire the right people to work and stay in social care. This was followed by a table exercise based around values-based recruitment and retention, featuring how this connects to the Care in Practice Framework (the CiP Framework).
The day concluded with updates from the Social Care Council’s Workforce Development Team covering children’s services, qualifications, apprenticeships, traineeships and upcoming events including the Care in Practice Pathways Live events.
If you missed the forums this time around, all presentations are now available to view on our website here.
The next Social Care Council Managers’ Forums are due to take place in autumn 2026 – for these and all other events, keep an eye on our events page.