SSSD concludes Social Services Conference with 7 workshops

Skill acquisition through targeted training

Dr Jassim Al Hammadi, Director of the Knowledge Office, emphasised that the workshops are a core component of the conference’s goals. Designed to enhance family cohesion and societal security, these training programmes aim to equip professionals with advanced and diverse skills in the field of social work.

He stated that the workshops significantly contribute to increasing the effectiveness of social sector workers and align with Sharjah’s vision for community sustainability. The workshop topics were chosen to reflect current challenges such as mental health, artificial intelligence, and social impact measurement.

Dr Al Hammadi noted that the diversity of participating experts—from local, federal, and Gulf institutions—ensures the workshops deliver impactful content and tangible results to improve social practices.

Seven specialised workshops

The seven workshops covered a wide range of essential social topics, including mechanisms of social observatories to support foresight policies, building indicators to measure the social impact of services, developing social research to enhance community cohesion, the future of social services with Artificial Intelligence technologies, strategies to support mental and psychological health in the community, developing social media to enhance community impact, and managing community initiatives to increase impact and sustainability

Social impact measurement indicators

In his workshop, Dr Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Dakhil, an addiction and family therapist from Saudi Arabia, emphasized the importance of developing scientifically grounded indicators to measure the social impact of services. He highlighted their role in improving service quality and resource efficiency.

Enhancing community cohesion

Dr Laila Al Hayas, Executive Director of the Community Development Sector in Abu Dhabi, led a session on the role of social research in boosting community cohesion. She explained how research findings can inform effective social policy and cited Singapore as a successful model where research contributed to stronger community ties.

The role of social observatories

Dr. Sherif Abu Shadi, Knowledge Consultant at the Department of Social Services, conducted a workshop on the strategic importance of social observatories. He discussed how timely data collection and analysis can help preempt societal issues and provide innovative, sustainable solutions.

AI and the future of social services

Dr. Amal Ibrahim Ali, Assistant Professor at the University of Sharjah, presented a session on artificial intelligence’s role in the future of social services. She outlined how AI can improve efficiency and cut costs, while also highlighting the technical challenges that need to be addressed.

Mental health in the community

Dr. Jassim Al Marzouqi, a consultant psychiatrist at Al Qassimi Hospital, led a workshop focusing on mental health strategies. He stressed the importance of awareness, prevention, and targeted treatment programs, especially for vulnerable groups facing psychological stress.

Social media’s role in community influence

Prof. Ahmed Abdul Karim, Head of Family Guidance at Dubai Courts, discussed how to enhance community impact through social media. He emphasized the importance of creating relevant, engaging content and using digital platforms to increase awareness of social issues.

Managing community initiatives for sustainability

Engineer Othman bin Mohammed bin Hashim, founder of the Shabab Khair Ummah Volunteer Endowment in Saudi Arabia, explored how to manage community initiatives for greater impact and sustainability. His workshop focused on best practices and the importance of cross-sector collaboration.

Conference conclusion

In closing, the Department of Social Services noted that the workshops offered significant contributions to the field of social work. The sessions not only fostered professional development but also laid a strong foundation for future policies and services that enhance community wellbeing.