On November 29, 2024, the first professional meeting of the Alumni community of the Social Work Study Centre, Faculty of Law in Zagreb, entitled “International Experiences in Lifelong Education of Social Workers”, was held. The meeting took place live in the Centre’s premises and via the Zoom platform, bringing together experts and participants from various fields of social work.
The moderator of the meeting was Assoc. Prof. Marko Buljevac who welcomed all participants and informed them about the mission and activities. Prof. Gordana Berc, Head of the Social Work Study Centre, wished everybody a warm welcome.
Keynote lectures
1st lecture – Prof. Ioan Durnescu
The first lecturer, Prof. univ. dr. Ioan Durnescu from the University of Bucharest, presented his experience of working with involuntary clients on probation. The key message was the importance of motivating users to change their behaviour and creating a positive view of the obligations they fulfil. It was emphasized that changes in behaviour require continuous work and adjustment. The lecture aroused great interest, praise and discussion about the challenges in the provision of social services.
2nd lecture – Goran Brkić, social worker
The second lecture was held by Goran Brkić, Head of the Probation Sector at the Ministry of Justice, Administration and Digital Transformation. The topic was the usage of EU projects in the probation system. Mr. Brkić presented examples of successfully implemented programs and emphasized the importance of lifelong education of probation officers through cooperation and projects such as the ERASMUS+ initiative.
Closing of the conference
At the end of the event, the president of the Alumni community of the University of Zagreb, Katarina Radat, uni. spec. polit. soc., invited the participants to join the community, while Prof. Gordana Berc closed the conference.
This successful first professional conference represents a strong step towards the exchange of international experiences and the strengthening of lifelong learning of social workers.
