Harambee “all pull together” feels like a homecoming theme for social work, the belief that people thrive when they are connected, when communities have the power to shape their own futures, and when support is built on trust, relationships and shared purpose, speaks to something deep in our professional history. As we celebrate Social Work Week this week and mark World Social Work Day tomorrow, we think it’s worth remembering that social work is often at its best when it is rooted in neighbourhoods and grounded in everyday life.
Long before “integrated neighbourhood models” became vogue social workers were walking estates, that was our experience, knocking on doors, spending time in community centres and faith spaces, and building the kinds of relationships that help people feel seen. Historically community social work in the 1970s, 80s and early 90's understood that belonging can be preventative and protective, that people draw strength from each other, and that local networks often have the solutions long before services do. Those traditions still matter now. In fact, they are essential for neighbourhood health and wellbeing models.
Neighbourhoods can and should be places of trust, where people make sense of their lives, their identity and their culture. However, this is also where inequalities show up most sharply. When we design neighbourhood models primarily through a clinical lens, we risk missing the people who are not already in the room. Health can quietly erode for people who are isolated, living in poverty, juggling caring responsibilities, facing discrimination or are homeless. A neighbourhood health and wellbeing model starts with prevention, connection and the social conditions that enable people to flourish and thrive. That means investing in the infrastructure that holds communities together and creates safe spaces, local groups, peer support, green spaces, and the relationships that help people feel they belong and can contribute.
This is where social work and social care has a vital role. Our practice is relational by design, we listen, we connect, we notice what sits beneath the surface. Strengths-based practice is how we can honour people’s stories, build on what is strong, and recognise interdependence as a source of resilience. In neighbourhood models, this becomes the glue that holds people together. Social workers can help bridge the gap between services and communities, ensuring that people’s voices shape decisions and that support is co-produced.
There are many examples of seeing this in action across the country. For example, Camden East is showing what becomes possible when health, social care, housing, the voluntary sector and local residents come together around a shared purpose. The model is grounded in local identity and built on the belief that people know their neighbourhood best. Social workers are part of multidisciplinary teams who understand the rhythms of the area, the pressures people face, and the assets that already exist. This approach is helping older people stay connected and independent, supporting disabled adults to navigate services more easily, and ensuring unpaid carers are recognised and not left to cope alone. It is also helping to spot inequalities earlier and respond in ways that are culturally informed and community led.
Neighbourhood health and wellbeing is not just about services, it is about healing divisions. In a time of polarisation, social work has a unique role in bringing people together, creating spaces where differences can be shared safely, and building the trust that public services depend on. Harambee reminds us that unity is a practice that needs shared power and a commitment to working alongside communities rather than on their behalf.
As we celebrate World Social Work Day tomorrow, Harambee invites us to return to our social work values and roots and for us to pull together, to build on the knowledge held in communities, and to shape neighbourhood health and wellbeing models that are relational, inclusive and grounded in belonging because social work has always known that people thrive when they are connected.
To celebrate Social Work Week and World Social Work Day we will be publishing a blog per day this week. With a big thank you to all of our guest bloggers for their thoughtful pieces, here is the full list of blogs to come:
- Welcoming Social Work Week 2026 - Tricia Pereira and Sarah McClinton
- Co-building Hope and Harmony: a Harambee call to unite a divided society - Adult PSW Network Chair Team - Lucy Rush, Colleen Simon, Seanna Lassetter, Fran Marshall and Vanna Changlee
- Difference as Strength: Leadership, Identity and Social Work in a Divided Society - Fazeela Hafejee and Robert Lewis
- Innovation, AI and Social Work Practice - Sarah Blackmore
- The Importance of Placements in Social Work Education - Christine Cocker and Sarah McClinton
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