Community Development in Social Work – Promoting Collective Action for Positive Social Change

What’s new?

A very successful lunchtime seminar on Community Development in Social Work: widening the circle beyond health and social care was delivered on 10 June 2026.

Presented by Brendan McKeever, (Individual with lived experience) Independent review of website, Annie McAnallen – NI Probation Service, Paul Eaton, Education Authority, Katherine McElroy, Patient Client Council, Michael Ferris, Children’s Reform Coordinator, Northern Health and Social Care Trust.

Click the play button on the video below to view the seminar:

Click here to access the presenation for this lunchtime seminar

Scroll down to learn more.

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Community Development in Social Work Digital Learning Resource

The Northern Ireland Social Care Council in partnership with Fergal O’Brien (Regional Programme Coordinator, SWCDA), Robbie McCague (Inequalities and Inclusion Coordinator, SHSCT) and Eugene Kerlin (Regional Digitalisation and Promotions Lead for Social Work, WHSCT) have developed a new Community Development for Social Work digital learning resource. This resource has been developed to support social workers to learn more about community development and how to apply a community development approach in their practice.

We would like to thank all the social workers, social work students and individuals with lived experience who consented to have their work and/or films being featured in the resource.

We would also like to thank Aine Morrison, Chief Social Work Officer, Office of Social Services, Department for Health, Northern Ireland who has endorsed this resource and the Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland, who provided funding to promote the resource.

Click on the films below to learn more about the resource.

The resource provides access to practical ideas, tools and relevant information anytime, anywhere, any device.

Community development in social work is about promoting collective action, for positive social change. It prioritises grassroots experiences to enable communities to set their own agendas, harness their own strengths whilst promoting social justice and equality.

As the regulator for social work and social work education, we expect practitioners to continue to learn and develop throughout their career and this resource can support social workers to learn about community development and how to apply a community development approach to their practice.

Take time to explore the content and tools within this resource, complete the reflective learning questions and learn from service users, social workers and social work students’ real experiences of applying a community development approach. These will support you to embed community development into your everyday practice and better support our communities.

You can access the resource and a recording of the launch below:

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This is also what people have said…

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Addtitional Resources:

Click here to download a poster on the process of Community Development.