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	Social Care Ireland&rsquo;s 2015 annual conference took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sligo this week, with the theme of this year&rsquo;s conference being &ldquo;Building Relationships and Breaking Barriers&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>
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	Speaking to Social Care Training Ireland after the very successful conference, President of Social Care Ireland Carlos Kelly had very positive feedback from the event:</p>
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	<strong><u>On the conference:</u></strong></p>
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	&ldquo;Without a doubt, the conference was a great success. From an attendance perspective, we had 180 attendees from every corner of the country. From an educational point of view, we had 47 academics and professionals either speaking or presenting workshops over the course of the three days. As an organisation, there was a definite drive underway and we know what we need to achieve going forward. There is certainly an appetite for meaningful change and the conference provided an opportunity for the entire social care sector to have their say.&rdquo;</p>
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	<strong><u>Amalgamation:</u></strong></p>
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	&ldquo;I think one of the most positive developments that came from the event was the decision of all three member bodies within SCI to endorse the decision to form a limited company. This will give SCI a very strong footing in terms of professionally representing the social care sector. Social Care Managers, Social Care Workers and Social Care Educators will become members of Social Care Ireland but they will also become a member of a SCI special interest group, thus keeping their professional identity. We hope to be in a position to offer our members Professional Indemnity insurance inclusive of Fitness to Practice. All professionals registered with the Regulator, CORU, are subject to fitness to practice.&rdquo;</p>
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	<strong><u>On Father Peter McVerry:</u></strong></p>
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	&ldquo;As Social Care in Ireland is moving towards professionalism, Father Peter McVerry warned of the dangers of becoming too professional. His address was very moving and thought-provoking. He spoke of the importance of caring, and given that we are all working in the care profession, it&rsquo;s hugely important to retain a focus on the relationships with young people. &nbsp;Father McVerry spoke of how he opened his first hostel 35 years ago and how he referred to that period of helping people as the best time of his life. By his own admission, the hostel would have been shut down after an hour by today&rsquo;s standards. He has suggested that the more attention we give to paperwork, offices and writing reports, the less attention we give to the young people in our care and that a healthy balance should be found. He also warned of the risks of inadequate aftercare and warned not to compartmentalise aftercare. As a keynote speaker, he was very informative, very factual and very human.&rdquo;</p>
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	<strong><u>CPD Portfolio </u></strong></p>
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	&ldquo;We launched the CPD Portfolio at the conference and it was very well received by members. It is aimed at preparing social care workers for the CPD requirements of the Social Care Registration Board. We have spent a lot of time beating the drum about Continuous Professional Development but life often gets in the way preventing us actually undertaking CPD. This portfolio provides a useful template for SCWs to follow in attaining the sixty CPD points over a two years period. The entire policy and portfolio is available on the website, www.socialcareireland.ie. Social Care Ireland are also planning to provide an online recording facility of CPD activity for its members.&rdquo;</p>
