£3.25
S O CIAL
WO RK
April ~ June 2016 issue Roundtable discussion
06
Hear from England’s Chief Social Workers and BASW’s Chief Executive.
NEW S
The spotlight on your profession The ‘darling’ debate
12
Find out what one dementia campaigner has learned about person-centred care.
Handling the media
20
Discover what media expert, David Niven, says about redressing negative press.
In this issue
Contents April ~ June 2016 issue
04 12 18 22 26
News bites Take a look at the latest announcements related to social work, including the government’s plans to boost mental health services for children in care.
The 'darling' debate Campaigner, Beth Britton, discusses the importance of being person-centred when communicating with people living with dementia.
Mapping social work We take a close look at data showing where social workers reside in England, and reveal the results in the form of a heat map.
Legislation update Keep up-to-date with the new immigration legislation as the Bill makes its final passage through parliament.
06 15
Roundtable discussion ...with Chief Social Workers, Isabelle Trowler and Lyn Romeo, and BASW’s Chief Executive, Dr Ruth Allen, on recent policy changes and their aspirations for the profession.
Handling the media Social work podcast producer and media trainer, David Niven, explores how we can achieve positive media coverage of the profession.
20
Practice research tips
24
In their best interest
A day in the life of ...a Looked After Children team social worker. We find out why having a supportive line manager is invaluable when working with looked after children and their families.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 02
ZoĂŤ Betts, owner of iamsocialwork, shares some tips from leading social work academics on how keeping up-to-date with vital research can be made easier for those on the frontline.
Mental Health Nurse and Trainer, Jenni Pennington, writes about closing the current gaps in meeting the best interests of those lacking capacity to make decisions.
Sanctuary
I
read about the government’s recent announcement of the new regulatory body for social work with great interest. It would seem this falls in line with their plans for the accreditation of all children’s social workers by 2020. It’s clear there is still a huge appetite for service reform, the improvement of social work standards and a greater unity across children’s and adult services. Whilst I welcome any plans to improve standards, what must be understood by those in power is the daily struggle of those on the frontline, where practitioners are already so pressed for time and available resources. It’s vital that investment in research and innovative practice acts as a proving ground for service reform before any changes to services are implemented. It’s encouraging then, to hear that the government has earmarked £20m for a revived ‘What Works Centre’ to help social workers learn from best practice. As Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Isabelle Trowler points out (in our roundtable discussion – on page 6), we are seeing a stronger picture emerge of what effective practice will look like in the future.
The government’s £100m Innovation Programme, which reports back at the end of 2016, is a great example of practitioners working creatively to deliver real positive change. At Sanctuary, we have been directly involved in recruiting professionals into one of the largest Innovation Programme projects; Hertfordshire Family Safeguarding. We’re proud to say that our submissions to the Recruiter Awards 2016, for which we’ve been shortlisted across three categories, reference our highly tailored approach to helping Hertfordshire resource 22 teams of multi-disciplinary staff to support families in Hertfordshire. This, of course, is just one of 52 funded projects. The real challenge will be working out how these can be rolled-out nationally once successful.
James Rook Managing Director
Visit us sanctuarysocialcare.com Follow us @SanctuarySW Like us facebook.com/sanctuarypersonnelltd See us instagram.com/sanctuarysocialcare
Sanctuary shortlisted
at Recruiter Awards for Excellence
T
he nominations for the 2016 Recruiter Awards for Excellence have been announced and Sanctuary Personnel has been shortlisted for three national awards; Best Candidate Care, Best Client Service, and Best Public Sector Recruitment Agency.
We understand from the judges that “hard work, innovation and commitment to pushing boundaries of excellence within the profession characterised this year’s entries” and we’re proud to be recognised as a business that does just that. We hope to recreate our success from last year to be crowned ‘Best Public Sector Recruitment Agency’ at the awards ceremony in London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Wednesday 4 May 2016.
AWARDS N E E ED B E T IS
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 03
’V L W E RT O SH
News bites
News bites Key news stories and announcements.
New
online comparison tool for safeguarding adults The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has launched a new online tool to make it easier to understand safeguarding statistics at council level. Using data from the HSCIC’s Safeguarding Adults Report for 2014 -15, users are able to analyse key information for local authority and draw comparisons against similar areas and regions throughout England. Comparing data to safeguarding referrals made between 2014 and 2015, the tool provides insights into case conclusions (whether allegations were substantiated or not), risk outcomes, the sources of risk, and referral rates (including those by gender) for new safeguarding referrals opened in 2014 -15.
GOVERNMENT BOOSTS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN IN CARE In a pledge setting out exactly what mental health services children and young people in care can expect to receive, the government is developing mental health care pathways. These pathways are expected to detail what a young person’s care will look like, along with appropriate timeframes, to help their recovery. Speaking about the new approach which is being developed by a group of expert advisers, health minister Alistair Burt said the move is “an integrated approach to meeting the needs of lookedafter children with mental health difficulties”. It’s not clear whether additional funding will be made available, although the government has already set aside £1.5bn to improve child and adolescent mental health services.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 04
News bites
Joint targeted area inspections to be launched this year A new inspection regime is set to deliver a more integrated approach to identifying, supporting and protecting vulnerable children and young people. The Joint Targeted Area Inspections (JTAI) of services will see the four inspectorates - Ofsted, Care Quality Commission (CQC), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) – deliver a more cohesive approach to inspections. These will jointly assess how local authorities, the police, health, probation and youth offending services are working together for vulnerable children and young people. Each inspection will include what the government calls, a ‘deep dive’ element, with the first set focusing on children at risk of sexual exploitation and those missing from home, school or care.
Care Act
increases local authority demand for social workers Figures released from the Health & Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) reveal a surge in the number of adult social worker vacancies following the introduction of the Care Act. As the first recorded increase in social worker numbers for four years, last year saw the number of adult social workers recruited rise by 2.5%; from 16,100 in 2014 to 16,500 in 2015. The demand for specific roles contributed to the increase. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) cases, which are coordinated by best interest assessors (BIAs), increased tenfold during 2015. In addition, the use of the Mental Health Act, in which approved mental health professionals (AMHPs) play a key role in assessments, also reached an all time high.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 05
“adult social work posts rise by 2.5%; from
16,100 16,500
in 2014 to
in 2015.”
Roundtable discussion
What does the
future hold? We catch up with England’s Chief Social Workers and BASW’s newly appointed Chief Executive.
2
015 was a busy year, with outcomes-focused practice firmly at the centre of changes to children’s and adult social care. Here, Chief Social Workers, Isabelle Trowler and Lyn Romeo, and BASW’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ruth Allen, reflect on those changes and discuss their aspirations for the profession.
In your opinion, what were the biggest changes to the profession during 2015?
Ruth: In social work practice, the adult agenda was dominated by the implementation of the Care Act from April 2015. The Law Commission's consultation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), Deprivation of Liberty and the new Mental Health Act Code of Practice are amongst other key policy changes. It feels as if adult and mental health social work is aligned with national policy, through a focus on empowerment, co-production and human rights with the MCA at the heart. The government's reform agenda in children's services and education has been more radical, controversial and fast-moving. There isn’t consensus across the children’s social care sector about the direction of travel,
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 06
Roundtable discussion
which in places risks being driven too much by early adoption and lack of attention to whole family needs.
Lyn: The biggest change in adult social care has been implementing the Care Act. At the heart of the Act, there’s a refocus on the principal of wellbeing, with people being co-producers of their care and support. There’s a greater emphasis on direct social work practice with carers, ensuring they are on the same footing and getting the same recognition. From my perspective, 2015 also saw a much sharper focus on social work practice as a model of working with people.
Isabelle: We saw the launch of the government’s Innovation Programme; a £100m investment into children’s social care services. With 52 projects across the country funded by the programme, there’s a real focus on creativity and doing things differently. It’s a huge opportunity for people involved in working with children and families to rethink how they are delivering services.
Lyn: Generally, we also saw a lot of progress in improving the social work education offering, with the introduction of four new social work partnerships and the Assessed Supported Year in Employment (ASYE). In addition, we’re still working towards a stronger grounding in outcomes-focused practice.
Isabelle: One of the most significant changes was the introduction of the new national assessment and accreditation system for child and family social work, and the new set of standards for senior social workers and leaders. This is very much about trying to move the profession beyond initial qualification to focus on the whole career. If we want to remain practice-focused, we need to have a career pathway which aligns itself to that. Since developing the new system, we’ve been working with 900 social workers to see whether it’s a valid way of assessing knowledge and skill.
Ruth: Across the profession, the closure of The College of Social Work was a huge change. Those of us involved in that and other aspects of social work leadership have regrouped to set the foundations for effective national leadership and policy visibility for the
future, which we expect to come to fruition in 2016.
What would you say are the key priorities and challenges for 2016? Re-designing services
Ruth: In addition to trying to renegotiate our relationship with government in England to ensure the profession is central to national reform, the biggest day-to-day challenge is the ongoing impact of austerity upon the people using social work services and the workforce and organisations trying to provide those services. As well as speaking out against inequality and the impact of harsh welfare reforms and funding reductions, we need to support social workers to be innovative and to have impact on their organisations. To achieve this, we need to be tactical and cool-headed to ensure fundamental social work values and our knowledge of what is effective win through in new ideas about services and priorities.
Isabelle: We’ve had a real bashing over a number of years and the public have not always felt confident about our ability to do complex work. It’s important we have that confidence so that people will then look to us to help in the re-design of public services. Practice leaders are already in the process of being creative and re-shaping services. Having clarity about what practice leaders need to know and be able to do, and assessing this against a national standard, will help us earn the public’s confidence.
Lyn: In most cases, local authorities are re-emphasising the need for good professional practice to be at the heart of working with people with complex needs; especially where there are more issues around safeguarding or capacity. Here, we’re seeing a much more proactive and positive co-production spent model of social work practice.
Isabelle: There’s no question that it’s really tough out there for services and people are being forced to think how they can do things differently. Again, the Innovation Programme, which we are heavily evaluating and expect to report back on at the end of
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 07
“We need to support social workers to be innovative and to have impact on their organisations.” Dr Ruth Allen, Chief Executive Officer, BASW
Roundtable discussion
on integrating health and social care though. If we don’t manage to shift to a more biopsychosocial model of mental health, there will be real lost opportunities to make a significant difference to improved outcomes for people and their families.
Ruth: We have seen quite a lot of social
“Having clarity about what practice leaders need to know and be able to do, and assessing this against a national standard, will help us earn the public’s confidence.” Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for Children & Families
work services that have been integrated with mental health trusts being returned to council management. The impact of funding reductions and the requirements of the Care Act have often been cited as reasons. As we hear consistent rhetoric about the need for more integration across all sectors, we must learn about what has worked in preserving effective social work, what has brought partnerships together or to an end, and keep service users experiences central. We managed to get some solid references to the importance of social work in the NHS-led Mental Health Taskforce report; although its vision overall is not the thoroughly social and human rights approach to mental health that I would have liked.
Lyn: There are some tensions within some this year, is incredibly interesting in terms of innovative practice. It will help build a picture of the things that make a real difference to children and families.
Lyn: It’s important to look at what is achievable within the context of the real challenges. Social work teams across the country are trying to sustain an outcomesbased proactive approach that promotes independence and co-production, whilst having to deal with a smaller resource base. In its own way, it’s making people think about how they can be more creative and innovative. For example, looking at the resources available within communities and families, with earlier and more public mental health promotion and taking an integrated approach to health and social care.
Integrating health and social care
Lyn: There’s been a lot of progress, but integrating health and social care remains a huge challenge, as there’s a much bigger agenda for health services integration. It’s really important that we get a better handle
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 08
of the older mental health trust models, but there are also good examples of sustained and improved integrated mental health services. Locally, professionals are working with NHS partners to make sure there is an integrated approach for when people are at risk of being admitted to hospital or could be discharged with the right support at home.
Stronger evidencebased practice
Isabelle: For me, it’s always about two things; practice and the practice systems. We could spend an awful lot of time developing individuals but they need to be working in the right kind of system to enable the best possible practice. There’s a strong picture emerging now; with some of the stronger local authorities and children’s services underpinned by an evidence-based practice model. I am very much an advocate for practice methodology; what are we seeking to do, how do we want to help, and how are we going to be most effective at supporting children and families? We’ve already launched ‘Partners in Practice’ involving nine of the strongest local authorities. We’re looking to see how we can give those stronger
Roundtable discussion
authorities with accredited workforces the freedom and flexibility from regulations to do things differently.
Lyn: My aspiration is to have a sharper focus on the role social workers play in working with people and their families. Hopefully, we can evidence that having a named social worker to work with in a more relational customer-journey way, makes a significant difference to securing better outcomes for people. Resources depending, it’s still an aspiration to pilot the use of named social workers for people with learning disabilities.
Ruth: There is ongoing work within the adult mental health sector to clarify the role and skills of social workers through a national project Social Work for Better Mental Health. This project will be a source of evidencebased practice and the organisational preconditions for great social work. It is focused not only on the profession and the organisation, but also on how to co-produce evidence of ‘what works’ with service users and carers. This is a huge untapped source of knowledge and a new means to define effective social work roles.
Isabelle: We have much more progressive stringent processes to build up a picture of an effective practice system. The new What Works Centre, which will see up to £20m funding in order to help social workers learn from best practice, will be hugely beneficial. It will give us the opportunity to review what already works, what the new inspection regimes and case reviews tell us, what we’ve learned from the Innovation Programme, and which areas we still need to analyse.
New Social Work Body
Lyn: The new social work body will further strengthen the outcomes-focused practice approach. When parliamentary time allows for the legislation to be put in place, shaping how it will function so that it meets the outcomes and objectives that we want, will be challenging.
Isabelle: It’s really important that it doesn’t just look at the minimum standards of practice, but has a focus on quality beyond initial qualification to a post-qualification
career in practice. With a thorough understanding of the complexity and richness of what we do, it will be able to regulate the profession because of that understanding.
Ruth: I am a real believer in finding opportunities within unexpected change or challenge. I will ensure BASW works effectively to get the best for the profession and for the people we serve from the proposed body.
Lyn: It will be dedicated purely to social work alone, giving us the opportunity to consolidate and enhance the work that is presently being carried out with the HCPC as the regulator. There will be a sharper focus on specialist areas such as best interest assessors (BIA) and approved mental health professionals (AMHP), looking at the ASYE arrangements to validate those. It’s very much an aspiration, but I hope in time, it will oversee the standards and accreditation of more advanced specialist practice areas.
Ruth: The publication of the two Knowledge and Skills Statements (KSSs) showed that central government wants to set a central curriculum for statutory social work; the announcement of the regulatory body makes that intention even clearer. Some saw these moves as side-lining the Professional Capabilities Framework (the PCF), which BASW took over from The College of Social Work. The PCF is different from the KSSs and it’s not about specific skills and curriculum content; it is about the scope of a unified social work profession. It continues to provide a valued, common language to describe how capability can mature throughout a career. Within BASW, I will ensure that we properly review and develop its potential and relevance in the constantly changing landscape of professional accountability. The proposed body is ambitious for social work standards, and a lot of questions remain over how they can be implemented. The professional challenge is to get the most out of this and other policy proposals that come along.
Your views The team at Sanctuary Social Work News is always keen to hear your views on how policy changes directly impact those working in frontline social work. Simply tweet your thoughts to @SanctuarySW!
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 09
“My aspiration is to have a sharper focus on the role social workers play in working with people and their families.” Lyn Romeo, Chief Social Worker for Adults
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Work that fits around your lifestyle Find out what it’s like to work for Skylakes, and why three practitioners enjoy the professional challenge it brings.
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xtensive administrative and managerial support; improved job satisfaction; increased professional development; flexible working. Do these sound too good to be true within social work? These are just some of the benefits of working for Skylakes; the UK's leading social work service delivery provider. We catch up with Skylakes Social Worker, Paul Thwaites, Locality Manager in adults services, Adam Muir, and Practice Leader in children’s services, Neville Ebanks-Simpson, to find out more. Neville, who originally joined Skylakes as a social work practitioner in 2014, recalls why he made the leap from local authority work. He
“Skylakes offers a great deal of flexibility and professional challenge for any experienced practitioner.” Paul Thwaites, Skylakes Social Worker
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 10
says “I had been working for local authorities for a number of years, and with all the changes, I felt like I needed to take my career in a new direction. Working for Skylakes on a project basis, where caseloads are protected and you are given the autonomy to work effectively to deliver the best outcomes for children and families, is ideal for me. It’s one of the reasons I entered the profession in the first place.” Adam Muir, who has been a Locality Manager with Skylakes for just over two years, agrees. He says “for me, working intensively at different localities provides me with the professional challenge I need. I appreciate the autonomy I am given to be able to progress cases and if I need to discuss any issues, my managers are easily reachable. I also benefit from the support of the Skylakes administration team, who amongst many things, upload information to local authority systems so that I can concentrate on progressing my workload.” For social work practitioner, Paul Thwaites, working for Skylakes has many benefits. He says “I am afforded a lot more freedom in terms of when I book appointments and write up my reports. I have a much better work/life balance. Skylakes offers a great deal of flexibility and professional challenge for any experienced practitioner.”
Apply today If you are interested in working for Skylakes, we are recruiting for projects across the country now. Find out more at skylakes.co.uk/apply.
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Person-centred care
The
‘darling’ debate
Dementia care campaigner and consultant, Beth Britton, discusses the importance of person centred care.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 12
Person-centred care
T
here is a well known phrase that, for a long time, was a marker for kind, compassionate care: “Treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself.” The problem with the application of this principle is that how you might wish to be treated as a person in your own right is likely to be different from how I would wish to be treated. It’s easy to slip into our own preferred methods of communication without even thinking about it, but while that may put one person at ease, it could put another on edge. From personal experience, it’s vital that your opening interaction with someone needing care and support responds to them as an individual; in other words, you are personcentred. To do this, you need to be aware of not just what you say, but also your body language and your approach. The subtleties in your physical presence are hugely important. Certain actions could be seen to put you in a position of power. Whether it’s unknowingly standing over somebody or approaching a meeting with a stack of paperwork, these behaviours can suggest superiority, and without the professional realising it, create an imbalance. If we pause to reflect, the person you are meeting and their family will not have a file about you as their social worker so how must they feel knowing that you have all this knowledge about them? It’s definitely worth being mindful of this when looking to establish a trusting and open relationship with a person and their family. Once you’ve considered your approach prior to seeing the person, think about what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. Your greeting needs to be appropriate for the individual - addressing the person in a way they feel comfortable with. Given my dad spent the last nine years of his life in three different care homes, as a family we gathered plenty of experience in the different ways staff addressed dad. These ranged from the formal ‘Mr Britton’ and the less formal use of his forename, through to calling him ‘uncle’, which was intended by staff as a term of endearment. I can’t say how dad felt about the different ways in which he was addressed, since he never spoke to me about them or reacted differently depending on how he was
greeted. I personally never had a particular issue with the use of any terms of endearment, but other families may feel differently. Some people might welcome being called ‘love’ or ‘darling’, while others may see it as overly personal. It’s best to let the person being cared for take the lead and, as the conversation progresses, absorb the style of communication they use. This is your best guide on how to tailor your interaction with them in the most personcentred way possible. Equally, try to respect how they want to conduct the meeting; if they want to walk and talk, do not try to persuade them to sit down. They may become upset and welcome some reassurance from a gentle touch, or that may feel like an invasion of their personal space; it’s all about individual preferences. If the person’s family are present, you may find yourself drawn into conversation with them as they will often have questions about the care of their family member. This can leave the person receiving care, especially those living with a learning disability or dementia, feeling isolated from decisions about their care and support needs. Remember too, there is no need to speak any louder than normal unless the person is known to be hard-of-hearing, since dementia and deafness do not always go together; my father had perfect hearing during his 19 years with vascular dementia. If someone has extremely limited or non-existent verbal communication, being creative can greatly assist in communicating with them. Pictures or word cards can help to illustrate conversation, and some favourite music might enable the person to express themselves. Above all, to be truly person-centred, treat every interaction as a new one, and be mindful that you may need a different approach with the same person next time.
Author profile Beth Britton is an independent campaigner, consultant, writer and blogger, specialising in issues affecting older people, with a particular interest in dementia. Beth’s dad had vascular dementia for approximately the last 19 years of his life. She aims to provide support and advice to those faced with similar situations, inform and educate health and care professionals and the wider population, promote debate and create improvements in dementia care.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 13
Promotional feature
Working for Rotherham
Sanctuary becomes the exclusive supplier of social workers to Rotherham Council.
S
anctuary Personnel has been awarded Master Vendor status for all of Rotherham Council’s locum social work jobs, across both adult and children’s services.
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Rotherham Council is investing to improve its children’s services and has a clear vision to become rated as ‘outstanding’ over the next three years. Sanctuary is proud to be working exclusively in partnership with the council to achieve this by recruiting talented social workers. Successful candidates will benefit from excellent continual professional development opportunities and the highest quality management support and supervision.
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Social workers (including those specialising in child sexual exploitation) Senior social workers Advanced practitioners Team managers Independent reviewing officers Child protection chairs Auditors Other specialist roles across both services
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Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 14
Find out more To find out more and view current vacancies, visit sanctuarysocialcare/ rotherham. We look forward to hearing from you.
Handling the media
Social work &
the media
David Niven, former National Chair of BASW and child protection expert, explores how we can achieve positive media coverage of the profession.
W
hen was the last time you saw a headline or heard a broadcast that stated “Social worker does good job” in the national media? The mystery is that, in most other western industrialised countries, social work and social workers are generally regarded with more respect than in the UK. I haven’t yet, in several decades of social work practice, heard a satisfactory explanation of why this is. Over the last 20 years I’ve regularly appeared
on, or written for one form of media or another and most times it’s been to counteract a negative story about social work. But even though it’s been a bumpy ride at times, I’m still completely committed to working with the media. We just can’t avoid the fact that in either broadcast, written or social media, it’s the window to the world for most of the population. If social work as a profession doesn’t influence what’s in that window, then those looking for easy targets to blame or those who perpetuate myths about social workers will never be challenged. The public deserves balance.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 15
Handling the media
356
social workers respond to survey on ‘social work and the media’.
How satisfied is the profession with its portrayal in the media? Recently my company commissioned a survey aimed at those in and close to social work to see if the perceptions were right and what measures are needed to improve things. When asked if they felt the image of social work in the media is satisfactory, 90% of the 356 respondents disagreed. What started as a quick insight produced a staggering response. Each question within the survey received between 40 and 70 voluntary comments, and with over 320 of the respondents being frontline workers, managers, students, academics, independent case workers and retired staff – it is clearly a subject which those across the whole profession feel passionate about.
What are the barriers to positive media coverage? Interestingly, 90% agreed with the statement “employers should be more open with the media about the work social workers do”. Respondents’ comments revealed issues pertaining to confidentiality, information sharing and data protection being used too regularly as an excuse to avoid media engagement. Furthermore, 76% agreed with the statement “frontline social workers should be seen and heard more in the media”. As one respondent said, “frontline workers should be heard to aid better understanding in communities.”
What is the broader impact of negative media coverage?
76%
agree ‘frontline social workers should be seen and heard more in the media’. Only
6.9%
feel they shouldn’t.
A colleague of mine, Dr Kieran File, is a media linguist and communication consultant. His PhD research explored the language of media interviews. His first thoughts on the survey feedback were that participants “have no doubt that aggressive media targeting of social workers in the wake of scandals and tragedies makes the job of practitioners more difficult”. For every scare story that isn’t balanced, it makes it just that more difficult for the social worker on the doorstep the next day to gain the trust of a family. As one respondent said, “it makes it hard to maintain equal relationships
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 16
Handling the media
with other professionals and appear competent when working with families”.
How do we achieve balanced coverage? We need to share the vast collection of positive social work stories with the public to improve understanding and balance. I’ve no problem in suggesting the reverse and inviting journalists to talk with social work students on these issues. It’s a two-way street. There are many good journalists who would be willing to give an honest account if they felt they were being included, within reason, just as there are many social workers who are mature and aware enough to share our world with the media without being restricted by employers. They can offer local success stories. Others who have a more senior role are able to effectively handle complaints. Trust is possible. This is where social work and media training comes in.
How can media training be beneficial? Media training can be focused at every level of social work. We know that there is an appetite to publish positive stories about the profession; the Social Worker of the Year Awards are a fine example of this, where hundreds of individual pieces of press coverage have been received.
practice looks like. This is why I strongly support the training of frontline social workers in talking to the media to help balance community understanding of what social workers do. This involves engagements with the media in all its forms (social, broadcast, and print) provided the press is willing to talk about success stories, of which there are countless opportunities to do so. Social work in the UK is comparatively young as a profession, although its roots are much older, but we can’t just wait for the world to understand our work fully. The speed of communication today is such that we need to constantly share all the good work we do and continually update our ‘shop window’ to show the value that tens of thousands of social workers bring to our communities every day of the year.
320
social work professionals agree ‘employers should be more open with the media about the work social workers do.
Yet, as one participant asked, “why don’t we discuss our processes and involve the public?”. It’s an important question as only 6.9% of participants felt frontline social workers should not be seen and heard more in the media. Too often we confuse confidentiality with secrecy and so the social work profession regularly appears defensive rather than being allowed to publically highlight what good
Author profile David Niven has over 30 years’ experience in the field of social welfare and is a recognised independent expert on child protection. As a former National Chair of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), David has a long-standing relationship with the media. He continues to appear on radio and television, in addition to presenting on key social work issues through the UK’s leading social work podcast, socialworldpodcast.com.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 17
Mapping social work
Mapping
social work There are 68,220 social workers living in England. We take a look at the ratio of local residents to each residing social worker.
Living Vs need The average number of children in need per qualified social worker is over 20 in Lambeth and Newham (based on Department for Education statistics), but the number of residing social workers is comparatively low.
Enfield
Harrow
ck
tm
City
st in
y
Bexley Lewisham
1501-2000
2501-3000 3001-3500 3501- 4000 4001- 4500 4501-5000 5000+
South West London
Merton Croydon
Kin
gs ton
2001- 2500
Sutton
There is one residing social worker to every 235 residents in Hounslow, compared to one for every 41,586 in tri-borough (Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, and Westminster).
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 18
Barking
Greenwich
South
Wandsworth
Lambeth
h
wark
el Ch
Richmond
1001-1500
Tower Hamlets
Newham
er
and
it rsm me
Hounslow
Redbridge
ne
n
es W
Ealling
Ken
Hillingdon
0-500 500 -1000
Camden
Ha
gto
Brent
Ham
The number of residents to each residing social worker.
Haringey Islin
London key
Wa lt fore ham st
Barnet
Bromley
Mapping social work
England key The number of residents to each residing social worker.
0-100 101-200 201-300 301- 400
Stark differences
401- 500
Neighbouring counties paint a very different picture. East Riding of Yorkshire has one residing social worker to every 336 residents, compared to 899 in North Yorkshire.
501- 600 601-700 701- 800 801- 900 901-1000 1000+
Havering
Travel With direct travel links into the City and neighbouring counties, the majority of London social workers live in the outer boroughs.
Educational hubs Performance Some local authorities whose children’s services have been rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, show a higher number of local residents to each social worker. See black markers on map above.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 19
Bristol, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Manchester and Southampton all show high numbers of residing social workers.
Research in practice
‘Let the
understanding guide you’
Zoë Betts reveals some top tips to make it easier to stay up-to-date with key changes in the profession.
O
perating in a challenging climate that is very much in transition; where change, financial limitations and responsible practice dominate our landscape, social workers are battling daily to try and stay updated and ensure they have the right skills and knowledge to do their job. Those of us on the frontline know that in theory it should be simple; but, achieving this on a consistent basis isn’t. Caseloads are busy, time is limited and keeping up-to-date with local procedures can be challenging enough. It becomes a cycle. To be better informed we need to be up-to-date, which means spending time reading and learning, engaging with the profession on a wider scale and not just out of necessity. So, how can we make it easier to integrate this into our working week?
Two iamsocialwork events hosted over two evenings in February, focused on answering this question. The eight keynote speakers included Dr Sharon Shoesmith, Professor David Shemmings, Professor Jill Manthorpe and newly appointed BASW CEO Dr Ruth Allen, the events had a strong academic theme. The focus was to remind people of the importance of bringing research back into daily practice and to identify the best ways of doing this. I wanted to share with you a little of what was covered. Professor Jill Manthorpe and Jo Moriarty, researchers with the Social Care Workforce Research Unit from the Policy Institute at Kings, shared some tips:
1. Evidence changes They reiterated that social work is grounded in research and strong evidence-based practice, but we must remember that this evidence changes. Make sure you’re checking the most recent information and if it’s several years old
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Research in practice
already, there could be scope to build on this.
2. Saving time Make it easier for yourself to read and understand research and do what your routine allows. There were some useful suggestions for when your time is more constrained; read the summaries from resources such as SCIE or keep an eye on Twitter for easier-to-read blog articles on research topics.
“It’s not about blame or negativity; it’s about progressing learning and trying to understand just that little bit better.”
Professor David Shemmings discussing risk and research with children and families.
3. What fits with your experience? Look at areas where your strengths are, perhaps where you are practicing, or have the most knowledge, and take time when you can to progress this one area. It might make it more enjoyable to do as it’s naturally where your interests are. With this career, you never know where it might take you. Long-term, your direction could focus on research and you may end up expanding on areas that were previously just your observations or frustrations. There are so many gaps we acknowledge through frontline practice that we aren’t even aware of; when we’re writing dissertations, for example! And while we might not always be in a position to undertake that research at that particular time, it’s about tuning in to this, so we can let our practice lead us to new areas of reading and interest.
Richard Pantlin encouraging people to move and talk about what motivates them.
The key message from both events was to ‘let the understanding guide you’. So many of the speakers emphasised that while research informs practice, practice also informs research, and this is the very crux of it. It’s always about trying to understand something a little better. We often jump to the negative, as Dr Sharon Shoesmith explained “blame is where people will always go first”. It’s not about blame or negativity; it’s about progressing learning and trying to understand just that little bit better.
Author profile Zoë runs iamsocialwork which supports students and qualified social workers to network with one another and learn from academics via a variety of national events and forums. She is a judge for the Social Worker of the Year Awards and works full-time as a social worker, addressing process improvements as part of an integrated hospital discharge team in London.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 21
Pindrop silence to hear Dr Sharon Shoesmith’s experiences of blame culture.
Contact me E: iamsocialwork@hotmail.co.uk T: @iamsocialwork W: iamsocialwork.com
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 22
Immigration Bill update
Immigration legislatÄąon update
Support for families and care leavers with no immigration status to be taken out of the Children Act 1989. Assistance will only be provided by the local authority following an assessment in relation to paragraph 10A of Schedule 3 Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
People carrying placards march through London UK to show solidarity for the refugee crisis.
The intention is for support to be refused or withdrawn when a family can freely return to the parents' country of origin, and under the new legislation, a human rights assessment is not required to determine this. Children will continue to be eligible for support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 if they have needs other than accommodation and financial assistance, and where a child in need assessment has been undertaken.
Support for care leavers
S
ince our featured debate on the Immigration Bill in the previous issue of Sanctuary Social Work News, amendments have been made to the legislation which is currently in the final stages of making its way through Parliament.* Significantly, the Immigration Bill will see support for families and care leavers with no immigration status taken out of the Children Act 1989.
Support where a child is destitute Destitute migrant families with no recourse to public funds will no longer be able to acquire accommodation and/or financial assistance under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
Care leavers who have no immigration status when they reach 18 will be excluded from receiving any assistance under the Children Act 1989. They will be able to access accommodation and/or financial assistance from the Home Office under section 95A Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 when they are destitute, have been refused asylum, and there is a 'genuine obstacle to leaving the UK'. Where they have no immigration status but have not yet applied, or are potentially eligible for Home Office support for refused asylum seekers, they can access assistance from the local authority under paragraph 10B of Schedule 3 Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, although there is specific criteria for doing so. *The status of the Bill is correct at the time of going to print. For full details on changes to legislation, visit parliament.uk.
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Fea upda ture I m m te : T h e ig r Bil l 2 at ion 015
Training
best interest In their
Mental Health Nurse and Trainer, Jenni Pennington, writes about closing the current gaps in meeting the best interests of those lacking capacity to make decisions.
I
t is estimated that as many as 6.5 million people provide either paid or unpaid care or support to people lacking capacity. This is expected to rise to 9 million by 2037, (Policy Briefing, Carers UK, 2015). It is vital, therefore, that these carers are aware of and work within the legal framework and spirit of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). The MCA (2005) sets out a groundbreaking statutory framework to empower and protect vulnerable people who are incapable of making their own decisions. It also provides a legal framework for everyone working in health and social care who is involved in the care, treatment and support of people aged 16 and over who live in England and Wales and who are unable to make all or some decisions for themselves. Section 1 of the Act sets out the core principles at the heart of the legislation; the right to make decisions for oneself protected by the assumption of capacity; a right to support so that decisions might be made (even if those decisions are thought to be unwise); the requirement to act only in an individual’s best interest where indicated and to ensure
that a least restrictive approach is taken when acting in someone’s best interest (Cave, 2015). Whilst the principles are now firmly embedded into health and social care practice and organisations appear to be protecting autonomy by empowering individuals in their life choices, the House of Lords Select Committee Report (2014) concluded that there remains a poor understanding and implementation of the empowering ethos of the Act. Evidence shows that there are gaps resulting in differential treatment of people, particularly where there may be tensions between potential risk and resulting deprivations of liberty. As a specialist trainer for Sanctuary Training’s MCA and DoLS course, I work with practitioners to refresh their knowledge of the MCA and impact of deprivation of liberty. Given the wide ranging implications of recent Supreme Court judgements in relation to deprivation of liberty, it’s particularly timely for practitioners to reflect on their practice. It’s important to consider how paternalistic decision-making might be limited so that a balance can be made between protecting the individual autonomy of people lacking capacity and protecting them from their own harmful decision-making.
Author profile Jenni Pennington has worked as a Registered Mental Health Nurse for over 13 years and is now a CQC Inspector, Senior Lecturer and Training Consultant for Sanctuary Training. She delivers bespoke training for multi-agency professionals working within health and social care. To book a place on Jenni’s DoLS – Update and MCA course (9 June in Birmingham) visit sanctuarytraining.com.
Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 24
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A day in the life of...
A day in the life of... a L ooked After Child r e n team social worker
Tuesday 1 March 2016
8.00a m I like to arrive early to the office an d the fir st th ing I do check my emails and the is Integrated Ch ildren’s Sys tem (ICS) to see whether anyth ing has happened on cases overnight. Th is also gives me a chance th ink of the tasks tha to t must be done that da y, and allows me an hou undis tu rbed to start fin r al evidence for cou rt. 9.30a m I attend a Loo ked After Ch ild (LAC) review for a child pla home with their parents. ced at Th is placement isn’t goi ng well as the mother not sus tained any positi has ve chang e to meet the child’s needs, and so the meeting is difficult an d emotio nal for the fa mily. We agree a care pla tasks for the mother to n with complete within the nex t three mo nths. I have 20 minutes after the mee to spend ting cal ming the fa mil y down and ensuring the under stood exactly wh y have at is needed from them. 11a m I receive a tel ephone call from a fos ter carer. A child who currently in fos ter car is e due to sexual ab use has started to make fu disclosures of what ha ll s happened to her in the past. She made the dis the pre vious day in the closure rapy and within the pla cement las t nig ht. The carer is dis traug ht, an fos ter d the therapist requir es additional support natu re of the disclosur due to the e. I have to have a 15 minute de-brief with my after th is phone call du manager e to the content of the disclosure. We agree tha should hold a strategy t we discussio n regarding the content of the disclosur then I complete the pa e, perwork and send the relevant information to the pol ice. 12. 30pm I attend a ris k management meeting regarding a child who longer on my caseload. is no However, I am respon sib le for their young er sib they are looked after lings as children and I have kn own the fa mily longer professio nals currently than mos t inv olved. We discuss the risk posed to the young per son by their associ ates and the risk the young per son poses to there has been an escala others, as tio n in criminal behav iou r. We discuss staff and agree that rather safety than a home visit, the parents should meet us office. We also formulat at the e a risk management pla n for the young per son receive an email from . I later the Senior Manager at the Youth Offending Ser ing “I jus t wanted to say vic e say× thank you for attending the meeting as I kn ow had to move some th ing you s around. You r contribu tio n was very helpful had a long-s tanding un as you der standing of the cas e and risks.” 1.3 0pm I update ICS with th is morning’s eve nts and carry on writi final evidence. ng my
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A day in the life of...
“Having a supportive a n d k nowledgeable ma nage r in a local auth ority is invaluable; they a re able to focus yo ur mind when at times it is nea r impossibl e to not have a n emotional reaction to a situation” 2.4 5pm I complete a sta tutory visit to three children placed at hom their mother. Th is is a e with case in wh ich the local authority is making an application to discharg e the Care Ord er as the mother has made signif provements and the chi icant im× ldren’s needs are being met. The virtual school pu rchased an emotio na has spot l support service wh ich is helping the young est with their emotio nal wel child lbeing. The mother rep orts that th is work is well and that the child going is now displaying less challenging behaviou r. believes that her daug She also hter had been displayin g th is behaviou r as a being rehabilitated onc result of e home from care, and that she was tes ting her she would leave again. to see if The mother feels th is int ervention is helping a their relation ship. I spo lot with ke to the old er two chi ldren about their late at school. They are lea marks ving in plenty of time but arriving late mos t they agree to try to imp days and rove th is. 4pm I complete a hom e visit with the little girl who made the disclo over the weekend. She sures was waiting for me wh en I arrived with a worry Th is is a bag that she bag. had asked me to get aft er reading “The Huge Ba Worries” by Vir ginia Iro g of nside. I spent a few wee ks trying to find one, the end I asked a fa mil so in y mem ber who is good at sewing to make me one little girl now uses th . Th is is every time I come to see her. She writes all worries in the bag and her we go throug h it one -by - one ; I can see the physi relief in her once I ha cal ve taken them away. Th is is a very emotio nal an challenging visit for d me as worker. Th is little girl has amazing emotio resilience and is able nal to show moments of ins igh t into her self that I not witnessed in mos t have adults. I am also conten t that the placement I and care plan I formu chose lated for th is young gir l was the rig ht one an she feels safe enoug h d that to share her story. Th is will ho pefully be the to her recovery. start 6pm I call my manager on my way home and we go throug h my pre vious and discuss how I am fee visit ling and what needs to ha ppen for th is little gir Having a supportive an l. d kn owledg eable manager in a local authority is invaluable; they are ab le to focus you r mind when at times it is nea impossible not to have r an emotio nal reaction to a sit uatio n, to keep cal to plan what happens m and next. I use the drive to reflect on my day and myself, have I ensured ask that everyth ing has bee n done? Could I have don anyth ing any different e ly? What went well? Wh at could have gone better really important to use ? It is th is time so that when I go home I can unwind prepare myself for tom and orrow.
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e want to provide a magazine that is interesting and relevant to you. And if it is, you can count reading it as part of your Continuing Professional Development profile. Let us know what you think about the magazine and what you would like to see published in future editions, by filling in our feedback survey at surveymonkey.com/s/ sanctuarymagazine Alternatively, feel free to get in touch using the contact details below.
Visit us sanctuarysocialcare.com Follow us @SanctuarySW Like us facebook.com/sanctuarypersonnelltd See us instagram.com/sanctuarysocialcare Sanctuary Social Work News ~ 28