£15.00
This presentation will explore how social workers, through restorative practice, can support the implementation of The Strasbourg Declaration on Roma (CoE, Citation2010), which requires Member States and Enlargement countries to provide restorative practices designed to reduce antigypsyism, tackle structural racism, dispel prejudices and ensure that Roma and Traveller people are recognised as equal citizens in European societies.
Although The Strasbourg Declaration on Roma presents a list of priorities that aim to address the social and economic marginalisation of Roma and Traveller people in Europe, there is no meaningful attempt to promote change within the purpose, function and organisation of social work, so the contribution that social work is making to achieve these aims, is unclear.
If social work becomes incorporated as a fifth pillar of focus that can work alongside education, health employment and housing in the shared realisation of the ‘Strasbourg Declaration on Roma’, the Council of Europe can work with children, families, communities and the Romani & Traveller Social Work Association to embed The Reflection, Objective, Movement and Action (ROMA) Model: A Framework for Restorative Supervision within Child Welfare Services'.
While the Best Interests Assessor is responsible for assessing mental capacity for issue-specific decision-making, related to implementing the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, knowledge of how to assess the best interests of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller adults has not been advanced in equal depth.
In this presentation, Dr Dan Allen explores the unique challenges faced in these assessments, including systemic racism, language barriers, limited access to services, and insufficient guidance that impede progress. He also highlights actionable opportunities for change, offering insights into fostering cultural sensitivity, building meaningful community engagement, and adopting practices such as cultural humility and appreciative inquiry to drive more equitable and effective outcomes.
It has improved my knowledge and understanding about the range of harms caused to children and their impact as I have been able to network with a wide range of experts from the UK and beyond. There is no other multidisciplinary association for child protection professionals focused on learning to support and improve practice and policy
