Booking for this event closes on Friday, 13th March.

Confirmed speakers include Emmanuella Ubah, Dearbhla Ní Chúláin and Thomas Dunning. 

Dearbhla Ní Chúláin will provide an Update on the recent Special General Meeting of the IFSW on the motion to expel/suspend the Israeli Union of Social Workers, and next steps

Emmanuella Ubah is a second-year Master of Social Work student at the University of Galway with a background in law and a strong commitment to human rights and children’s wellbeing.

Originally from Nigeria in West Africa, where formal child protection structures remain limited and children’s voices are often marginalised in decision-making, Emmanuella first developed her interest in child protection and social justice. She later lived in Sweden for over a decade, where she observed the operation of highly structured welfare systems in which social workers play central roles in schools, communities, and child protection decision-making. Having lived across Nigeria, Scandinavia, and now Ireland, her perspective is shaped by experiencing social welfare systems across different cultural and institutional contexts.

Her current research explores children’s voices in Irish child protection policy and inspection reports, and she is particularly interested in how social work can build trust between communities and services in increasingly diverse societies.

Building Bridges Across Cultures: Protecting Children in Diverse Societies

The talk will reflect on my experiences living across Nigeria, Scandinavia, and Ireland and explore how different systems approach child protection and family support. I will focus on the importance of cultural understanding, trust, and proactive engagement between social work services and diverse communities so that families are better informed about supports, expectations, and children’s rights in Ireland.

Thomas Dunning is a social worker with over 20 years of specialised experience working with separated children and unaccompanied minors in Ireland; and is considered a national expert in the area of children in migration. From 2010-2023, he served as Principal Social Worker with Ireland's National Team for Separated Children Seeking International Protection, where he coordinated Ireland's Calais Special Project and led relocation projects for unaccompanied minors in Greece and Malta.
Thomas qualified as a social worker in 1990 in Chicago, USA, where he completed his student placement in adult probation – felony court. He subsequently worked in mental health, alcohol and other drug abuse treatment, HIV prevention, and LGBTQ+ health promotion for many years before relocating to Ireland over 23 years ago.
He actively contributes to European policy and practice development in this field, sitting on the Vulnerability Experts Network of the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA), the European Guardianship Network, and the European Social Network. He has participated in research projects with Missing Children Europe and the Irish Refugee Council, and at the request of the Council of Europe and the European Commission - DG Home Affairs, has presented the Irish Model of Care and Protection for Unaccompanied Children at conferences and expert working groups throughout Europe. 

Co-building hope and harmony : The social work response to separated children seeking international protection in Ireland.

WORLD SOCIAL WORK DAY 2026

The theme for this year, Co-Building Hope and Harmony: A Harambee Call to Unite a Divided Society, highlights the vital role of social work in bringing people together across communities, cultures, and systems to shape a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.

The 2026  theme draws inspiration from the African philosophy of Harambee; a collective call for unity, mutual support, and shared responsibility. In a world increasingly fractured by conflict, inequality, displacement, and ecological crises, the theme is both a reminder and a challenge: that the only sustainable way forward is through cooperation, solidarity, and co-creation.

At its heart, social work is a profession rooted in the values of human dignity, social justice, and community participation. These values affirm that no society can thrive when its people are divided or excluded. The theme therefore underscores the urgent need to restore trust and to rebuild bonds of belonging in fractured communities. Social workers, together with their allies, are uniquely placed to nurture these processes standing with communities, amplifying marginalized voices, and facilitating dialogue across social, cultural, and political divides.

The choice of Harambee is deliberate and symbolic. Literally meaning “pulling together” or “all for one,” Harambee has long served as a rallying call in Kenya and across Africa, mobilising communities for self-help and collective development. Beyond its literal meaning, Harambee embodies the spirit of solidarity and shared responsibility, where every individual contributes what they can for the good of all. In this way, it resonates deeply with the African ethic of Ubuntu; “I am because we are” but with a practical emphasis on joint action and shared effort.

By invoking Harambee, the 2026 theme calls on social workers, governments, institutions, and communities worldwide to join hands in co-building spaces of hope and harmony. It challenges us to move beyond charity towards genuine solidarity, beyond service delivery towards systems change, and beyond divisions towards unity. It reminds us that peace is not merely the absence of violence, but the presence of justice, inclusion, and opportunity.

World Social Work Day 2026 is therefore a global call: to heal divisions, to strengthen resilience, and to shape a fairer and more sustainable future. It urges us to recognise that no single actor can overcome today’s challenges alone whether they be war, inequality, or ecological collapse. Hope and harmony are only possible when we “pull together,” across borders, sectors, and communities.

As a Kenyan proverb teaches us: “Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.” In the same spirit, this theme affirms that when humanity unites in Harambee – pulling together as one, no adversity is too great to overcome, and no dream of justice, peace, and dignity is beyond reach.