Assessing people with dementia: what social workers should know

Assessment starts with recognising that the person's views, wishes and opinions matter. Click here to read CommunityCare article

Top tips on making the transition from practitioner to manager

New managers may feel like 'piggy in the middle', between their team and senior leaders. Read  Communitycare article here

Top tips on managing professional boundaries in social work

As with all professions, social workers are expected to uphold key boundaries to protect themselves, their clients and the organisation they work for. These boundaries are meant to ensure that relationships between social workers and clients remain professional, even when working on very personal and difficult issues.

National recruitment campaign proposed for adults’ social workers

A national recruitment campaign for social workers in adults’ services is needed to combat the shortages of experienced specialists, such as best interest assessors, according to Skills for Care chief executive, Sharon Allen.

What social workers need to know about ADHD, trauma and neglect

Social workers need more understanding of how trauma impacts behaviour to help prevent maltreated children being misdiagnosed with ADHD.

Children in the child protection system are three times more likely to have a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than the general population. Why is this the case? It’s possible that children with ADHD are more vulnerable to parental abuse and neglect because of their challenging behaviour and the socioeconomic backgrounds most commonly associated with ADHD.

A guide to writing your first mental health tribunal report

What are social circumstances reports and how should you go about completing one? A mental health social worker offers advice

A day in the life of social work

This research, carried out in partnership with Community Care, finds that many social workers are struggling with their caseloads and longer working hours due to staff shortages and budget cuts. These insights are taken from feedback from over 2000 social work professionals and it aims to provide an insight into the typical working day of social care staff.

• Report

Social workers' role in mental health 'misunderstood', survey finds

The role of social workers in mental health services is “greatly misunderstood” by the public, according to research published by fast-track social work training scheme Think Ahead.

A survey of over 1000 British adults found only a third (33%) knew social workers were involved in deciding whether someone should be detained under the Mental Health Act. Social workers who are qualified as Approved Mental Health Professionals lead on this work. Click on the link above for more findings.

Social work: essential to integration

Department of Health -
This document should be used to support and inform local and regional health and social care integration initiatives. It explains: the critical contribution that social workers make to integrated services; how social work is essential to the whole system; and the necessity of support to ensure integration succeeds in providing the services people need. It also includes ‘top tips’ for directors of adult social services and for principal social workers to assist in progressing the integration agenda.

• Advice note
• Department of Health - publications

How to achieve best practice in supported decision-making

There is a real connection between the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Care Act 2014 regarding supported decision-making. The shared duties and themes reinforce the absolute importance of working with all people from the presumption they have mental capacity to make their own decisions and are best placed to do so. Also of fundamental significance are the principles that all people must be provided with the information and support necessary to enable them to participate, and that any decisions affecting them must be built upon their wishes, feelings, beliefs and values to achieve the best outcome for them. Read more about supported decision-making HERE.

Department of Health named social worker: reflect and refine report

Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) - 
The Named Social Work pilot scheme aims to address the lack of continuity of care in social work by creating a role of a single named social worker. This report presents the interim findings on the scheme's progress and outlines the specifics of how this role is developing throughout the process of implementation.

• Report
• Press release

Social workers issued guidance on coercive control

Social workers have been issued guidance on safeguarding people who are victims of controlling and coercive behaviour.

The Department of Health has funded a set of tools to help practitioners respond to the issue, which experts say underpins domestic abuse and can be a heightened risk among people with care and support needs.

Government wants thousands of social workers accredited next year

Thousands of children’s social workers will face accreditation tests next year, under government plans.

A tender notice issued by the Department for Education shows the government wants 8,000 practitioners accredited by December 2018 as part of the first phase of a national rollout.
The social workers will come from a group of 31 councils, including the DfE’s favoured ‘partners in practice’ councils, that have signed up to pioneer the scheme. Social workers will go to regional assessment centres to sit the majority of the four-stage assessment, which includes an online test of knowledge and skills and a simulated practice observation using role play scenarios with actors.

The DfE said final decisions about accreditation rollout are subject to the results of a consultation currently underway. The consultation is also seeking feedback on a list of statutory social work duties ministers believe accreditation should be required for.

Rise in social workers quitting or switching jobs in adult services

NHS Digital report also finds shift of wider social care roles from councils to independent sector continues.

Turnover among social workers in adults’ services rose last year, official figures reveal.
One in six (16%) social workers in English council adults’ services departments quit or changed their jobs in 2016, up from 13% the previous year, according to the latest NHS Digital report on social care staffing. Almost one in five social workers (19%) started their jobs within the year, up from 15% in 2015.

Government response to Five Year Forward View for Mental Health

The Government has published its response to the recommendations outlined in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health and has announced that it will accept all of them in full.

The report focuses on the recommendations made to Government, which includes some for which responsibility is shared with NHS England and Arm’s Length Bodies. The recommendations and responses in brief are as follows:

We know bafflingly little about what actually happens in supervision

Ensuring supervision is regular is vital but we need much more research into experiences of supervision and its impact, says David Wilkins.

Almost everyone agrees that high quality supervision is important for social work. Children’s social workers need supervision that provides support, reflection, analysis and that is focused on the best interests of the child. Without this kind of supportive space, the difficult task of child and family social work becomes even more challenging and stressful.

Spotting the signs of modern slavery: key advice for social workers

Human trafficking, forced labour and debt bondage are all forms of modern slavery. Social workers need to be aware of the potential signs.

Here, we present some of the key facts and pieces of advice for social workers.

‘It is awful to tell a parent you don’t believe they can care for their child safely’

The subject of adoption is one of the most contentious issues within social work. It is crystalized in mystique due to the unspoken nature of care proceedings and the uncomfortable subject matter that leads to a care plan of adoption being proposed.

Tips on applying attachment theory in social work with adults

Attachment theory will be a familiar concept for social workers who work with children; a model to understand how early experiences of care influence a child’s strategies for gaining protection and comfort. But it may be less well known that the theory can also be of use to practitioners who work with adults.

Attachment strategies aren’t just used in childhood, but continue across the whole course of a person’s life. So if social workers can understand the strategies an adult is using, and the behaviours that can result from this, they can make assessments and plans that are more likely to help the person make changes and access support.

Clark Baim, a psychodrama psychotherapist and co-director of training provider Change Point Ltd, has developed Community Care Inform Adults‘ guide to using attachment theory to work with adults.

Government to revive controversial ‘exemption’ plans in social work bill

The government will revive controversial proposals in the Children and Social Work Bill that were thrown out by the House of Lords last month.

Peers voted to delete the so-called ‘innovation’ clauses from the Children and Social Work Bill. But the government will table amendments this week to re-instate the proposals in what ministers labelled a “much altered and improved” form.

The original proposals allowed councils to apply for exemptions from children’s social care law to “test new ways of working”.

The government said the powers would allow services to cut red tape and safely trial innovations. Opponents, including Labour and a coalition of more than 30 organisations, claimed the measures threatened legal protections for vulnerable children.