Highland social work chief gets new role

Highland Council’s director of social work is the new president of the Association of Directors of Social Work. Harriet Dempster yesterday took up her post after being elected at ADSW’s annual meeting at Crieff on the 40th anniversary of both ADSW and of the commencement of the Social Work (Scotland) Act.

Mrs Dempster has worked in social work for 35 years, as a practitioner, researcher, lecturer and in policy posts. In 1992 she was seconded to the Scottish Office as assistant chief inspector of childcare and while there advised on the follow-up to the Orkney inquiry and the Children (Scotland) Bill team.

In 1995 she returned to local government to take up a post as manager of children’s services with Dundee City Council. Mrs Dempster was appointed an honorary professor at Stirling University in 1997, and director of social work with Highland Council in 1999.

She said: “We will, I am sure, face many challenges over the next and coming years, not least the impact of the recession. But I remain optimistic. We have an opportunity to make our contribution in social work count; make our contribution visible and valued in Scotland. We are a small country, and one of the great benefits we have is that we have a relatively close network in social work and we need to make that works for us by using it to give social work a strong united and powerful voice.

“I feel very proud and very honoured to be the president of the Association of Directors of Social Work. I feel very lucky because I am working in a profession with lots of dedicated and very able people who work to make a positive difference to people’s lives day in day out . I also feel very lucky because I am doing something I feel passionate about and so much enjoy.”