Annual People Directorate Conference 2025

Theme: The Pervasiveness of Poverty

Target group:

This conference is for staff in the People Directorate working in the London Borough of Sutton.

Aim:

This conference aims to deepen understanding of poverty as a critical factor in social care practice. It will explore how poverty shapes client experiences, influences decision-making, and intersects with other social issues. Through reflection, discussion, and practical learning, participants will assess whether poverty is adequately considered in their work and identify strategies to enhance poverty-informed practice. The event seeks to foster greater awareness, challenge assumptions, and inspire action toward more equitable and effective social care interventions. 

Learning objectives:

After this event, participants will:

• Recognise the impact of poverty and identify the ways poverty manifests in clients’ lives, as well as its influence on mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
• Critically evaluate how poverty intersects with other social issues (e.g. housing, health, education) and consider its role in shaping clients’ experiences.
• Have examined personal and organisational approaches to poverty and explored whether it is adequately considered in client assessments and interventions.
• Have developed a deeper awareness of the lived experience of individuals in poverty and explored ways to integrate a more compassionate, strengths-based approach in practice.
• Be able to Identify systemic and policy-related challenges that perpetuate poverty and ways that social care professionals can advocate for change.