Social Work News - July to September 2019

ÂŁ3.25 Social Work News Magazine

mysocialworknews.co.uk

July - September 2019 issue

06

The spotlight on your profession

12

30

The Big Interview

Care Leaver Covenant

Family Care Trust

We discover how virtual reality software is transforming social work practice.

Find out about the innovative app opening up new opportunities for care leavers.

We learn how Adults with learning difficulties are benefiting from working outdoors.

Social Work News

Contents July - September 2019 issue

06

12

The Big Interview: Cornerstone Partnership

Care Leaver Covenant

We discover how virtual reality software is transforming social work practice with specific emphasis upon fostering and adoption.

Find out about the innovative app which is opening up new opportunities for care leavers.

14

16

Social Work Circle

Discussing body image

Our guest columnist Mariam Raja explains why it’s so important to consider talking therapies.

We find out how social workers can open up conversations with young people about their concerns relating to body image.

18

20

Ann Craft Trust

Taking care of yourself

We speak to the charity behind National Safeguarding Adults Week, a campaign designed to raise awareness of adults at risk.

We speak to a health expert who offers his advice on how you can manage your wellbeing and reduce your stress.

24

28

Have Your Say

Book Reviews

It’s increasingly important that care leavers believe in themselves. Our community share their thoughts on how we inspire self-confidence.

Discover some of the latest social work text books which are available to purchase from your local bookstore.

30

32

Family Care Trust

Social Work Circle

Adults with learning difficulties are benefiting from working outdoors.

We learn more about this exciting charity project in Solihull.

Our social worker explains why it’s so important to have strong peer support when working in the social work profession.

Social Work News - 02

Social Work News

Editorial

foreword This issue, we’re exploring how the social work profession is continually changing. More than ever, we’re having to adapt to cope with growing demands yet depleted resources; we’re having to think creatively and 'outside of the box' to find new ways to support the people that we care for. But it’s wonderful to uncover so many new initiatives, and we hope that you can use this issue to become inspired to see how our profession is evolving.

This issue, we had the pleasure of interviewing the Cornerstone Partnership and testing their exciting new virtual reality software first-hand. It was an incredible experience, and the opportunities to make use of this fantastic technology are endless. In our view, it’s something which could really transform the way in which we work, and we urge you to read our interview on page 06 with an open mind. Despite the advances in VR, it's easy to think that it's still a gimmick, but it’s important to embrace changes and think about how we can use them to make our practice more effective.

Meet the team

Sticking on the technology theme, we’re also raising awareness of the innovative Care Leaver Covenant app. The team behind the scheme are combining interactive technology with a personal approach to enable care leavers to have access to the same opportunities as their peers. We were excited to talk about how the app works (page 12), and it’s ideal for anyone working with young people who are transitioning into independence.

If you read our most recent issue, you will have seen our interview with BBC journalist, Ashley John Baptiste. In the interview, he spoke of the need to help care leavers feel confident and full of self-belief. Hundreds of you told us your thoughts on how we can help young people in care to dream big which you can read about in our Have Your Say feature page 24.

Of course, it’s not just about children’s services. This issue, we found out how a residential care home in Staffordshire changed the way they support their residents to focus on mental health (page 10). We’ve also spoken with the Ann Craft Trust (page 18) and heard all about their plans for National Safeguarding Adults Week 2019.

As always, we hope that you enjoy reading this issue of Social Work News. We want this to be your magazine, so if you have any suggestions for features then please let us know!

@myswnews

Andrew Pirie,

Owen Dye,

"Once again, we’ve pulled together an issue which really highlight’s some fantastic projects and initiatives in the social work sector. We hope this inspires you to explore some new ways of working."

"It's been another great issue with a broad range of subjects, allowing us to be even brighter and bolder with the design. We also had the opportunity to test some very thought-provoking VR software that we hope you find as interesting as we did."

Amy Dawson,

Gemma Raw,

"This issue has been so enjoyable to write. Having the opportunity to test out the Virtual Reality software was absolutely incredible. I really hope practitioners can understand how it can be used as a real learning tool."

"It’s incredibly exciting to see how the magazine is growing from strength-tostrength. We will be opening up our social media engagement to continue the conversations online, and it’s great to see some of our readers are already starting to join us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram."

Marketing Director

Art Director

Contributing Editor

Editorial

0333 7000 040 | press@mysocialworknews.com

Social Work News - 03

Marketing Executive

Advertising

0333 7000 040 | advertising@mysocialworknews.com

News bites

Scottish Vulnerable Witness Bill protects child witnesses

Rate rise for unaccompanied asylumseeking children

The Scottish government has unanimously passed a Bill which will ensure more child witnesses are able to pre-record evidence ahead of a jury trial, preventing the traumatic experience of presenting in court.

Immigration minister Caroline Nokes MP has announced that councils will receive an increased day rate for supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The new rate of £114 per night (or £41,610 per year) will reflect the challenging scope of supporting vulnerable unaccompanied children and recognise the input from local authorities as they integrate them into community services.

The changes in the Vulnerable Witnesses Bill are intended to minimise further distress to children who have experienced or witnessed serious crimes such as murder, sexual assault or human trafficking.

Speaking of the Bill, Kate Wallace, Chief Executive of Victim Support Scotland, said: “We welcome the passing of this Bill, which we believe is a crucial step forward in protecting and supporting children and families who have been involved in serious crime. It is well known – as we have seen through our own Witness Services across Scotland – that the process of giving evidence in criminal trials can have adverse mental, physical and psychological effects on child witnesses.”

As part of the Bill, the Scottish government has committed £2 million in funding which will be used to create a specialist evidence suite for children and vulnerable witnesses in Glasgow, as well as upgrades to support facilities in Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

The new single-payment rate scraps the previously tiered rates and for the first time, does not consider the child’s age or date in which they entered the UK. Previously, the rate for children under the age of 16 was £95 per day, whilst the day rate for those aged 16 or 17 was £71.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned of the spiralling costs involved in looking after unaccompanied children. The LGA recently revealed that council spending on children’s social care costs relating to asylum-seeking children has increased by 95% in just four years, from £77m in 2014/2015 to £152m in 2017/2018.

In this issue of Social Work News, we speak exclusively to Sarah Crowther, author of 'Working with Asylum Seekers and Refugees'. Sarah gives us her input on how social work teams can effectively support refugees and help them access community support services.

Social Work News - 04

News bites

Consultation to improve support for victims of domestic abuse The government has launched a new public consultation as part of its strategy to tackle the growing issue of domestic abuse. This not only focuses upon the new landmark Domestic Abuse Bill (which seeks to clearly express the statutory definition of domestic abuse), but it outlines the need for a new Domestic Abuse Commissioner. The consultation specifically looks at what support is needed for victims of domestic abuse, with a focus upon access to accommodation.

Prior to her departure as Prime Minister, Theresa May announced that all councils in England should have a legal duty to provide homes for victims of domestic abuse. More than two million people are affected by domestic abuse each year, and the consultation will ensure that there is a consistent response throughout England. It is expected that local authorities should develop and publish strategies which explain what support services are available for victims.

Funding for these services will be made available, although the exact amount will be not be announced until the public consultation closes on the 02 August 2019.

You can participate at gov.uk/government/consultations/support-for-victims-of-domestic-abuse-in-safe-accommodation

Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme launched by DfE

New initiative launched for families affected by alcohol misuse

Children most at risk of being targeted by gangs or violent crime will benefit from better support from specialists across education, health, social care, police and the voluntary sector thanks to a new initiative.

The Children’s Society has launched a new initiative which is designed to support those affected by alcohol misuse.

The “Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme” was launched

by Education Secretary, Damian Hinds. It is hoped that the initiative will improve how different local areas respond to child exploitation – such as gang, ‘county lines’ drug dealing, online grooming, sexual exploitation, trafficking or modern slavery. £2 million has been invested into the scheme, which will help professionals identify those most at risk of being exploited.

Mr Hinds says: “We are all united in cracking down on those who try to lead vulnerable young people down a dangerous path, and the threats they face are multiple and complex. We must make sure that we work together and this new approach, to better support teachers, police and health professionals will improve the expertise and guidance available to all those who care for and educate young people”

CAPE (Children of Alcoholic Parents Engagement) is a new learning programme which provides free online resources and toolkits as well as workshops and training to frontline professionals who work with young people. It will support NHS staff, social workers, police, youth, school and voluntary workers to increase their awareness and understanding of children who may be affected by parental alcohol misuse and help them to identify those that are at risk.

The CAPE project is one of the first initiatives to be funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, following measures announced last year which promised to give children living with alcoholic parents fast access to support and advice.

You can find out more about the free online resources available at childrenssociety.org.uk/cape

Share your news! Simply email press@mysocialworknews.com if you have a story you wish to share with us.

Social Work News - 05

The Big Interview

How VR software can you give you the benefit of hindsight In today’s digital age, technology is rapidly transforming the work that we do. For this month’s feature interview, editor Amy Dawson and art director Owen Dye met with Helen Costa and Charles Hamilton from the Cornerstone Partnership, an organisation specialising in virtual reality software. During our interview, we learnt more about how virtual reality isn’t just for gaming fans, but can also revolutionise the ways in which we deliver social work practice.

Ahead of our interview with Helen Costa and Charles Hamilton, we had read about the innovative virtual reality software which is making big waves across the social work profession.

Last year, the Cornerstone Partnership conducted a thorough pilot trial, featuring 30 councils and care organisations with more than 500 professionals. The trial was to determine if virtual reality (VR) could improve the life chances of children in care and children who have experienced attachment-related trauma. The results were clear; 91% of participants believed that VR can change the perspective of carers and adopters, whilst 85% believed that the use of VR could help them to make quicker decisions. A staggering 72% said that they would do things differently as a result of the training whilst six out of ten social workers felt that they had increased their own understanding of the experiences and feelings of children.

We were extremely excited when we were invited

by CEO Helen Costa to visit the Cornerstone Partnership’s offices in London to try this new software for ourselves. After all, how effective could a simulated computer scene really be?

With minimal experience of virtual reality software, it was with trepidation that we each put the headset on. To help us adjust to the 360-degree experience, we were suddenly transformed to the plains of Africa where a herd of elephants walked calmly towards us.

The experience was certainly surreal; wherever we moved our heads the scene was all-encompassing.

Sales Director Charles Hamilton had warned us that it really would “isolate the senses” and he was right – it was hard to believe that we were sat in a central London location!

The Cornerstone Partnership currently has a set of 12 videos which are designed to help professionals understand the real impact of childhood trauma.

Each video varies in length from three to seven minutes, and each video gives you a powerfully immersive experience of what life is like for an abused child. Users can gain an in-depth insight into an abused child’s development, starting from in utero, through to the early years and school years, which helps them to understand situations from the child’s perspective. The result was undeniably powerful; there were times when we naturally gasped out loud and grabbed hold of the seat in shock at what we were seeing. In fact, the videos are so powerful that before we began the test, Helen had to issue a warning that these videos can, in fact, be a trigger for some professionals.

Having viewed two separate videos, one which was aimed as a recruitment tool for potential foster carers, and one which is designed to be used by professionals, we sat down with both Helen and Charles to find out more about how social workers can take advantage of this exciting new software.

Your virtual reality software is a ground-breaking method of allowing social workers and prospective foster parents to understand life from the perspective of a child. How was the technology developed to support the adoption and fostering process?

We’re incredibly proud of the video content that we’ve developed and we’re continually working on plans to increase our video library. We’re actively trying to have more stakeholder input into future content; we want to be speaking with academics, professionals, law enforcement and even central government. We have this fantastic tool which

Social Work News - 06

The Big Interview

can be used to address specific issues, so it’s vital that we focus upon the topics that resonate, and which can make a difference. These videos need to actively change beliefs and behaviours, so it’s important that we get them right.

Our VR kit is a tool which can be used to get across someone’s experience in a safe environment. It allows people the benefit of hindsight as they can literally see how one experience can shape an individual. Therefore, we want to tackle contextual safeguarding; it’s about where things lead and from a foster parent perspective it could give a sense of help to handle other behaviours. There are so many issues we could explore with this technology; for instance, knife crime, CSE, county lines. The possibilities really are endless.

We see this technology as a way of connecting with teenagers and young people by giving them the benefit of hindsight in a safe, controlled environment. Imagine if a young person is considering going out with a knife; we can show them where that path leads and what that outcome could be, without them going through with it. It could help them understand how decisions have

consequences, and the interactivity of this kit would help them to fully understand the implications of those decisions.

In our view, the headset is about starting conversations and explaining what children are thinking. It’s a new interactive style of media and feedback has been incredibly positive so far. What’s particularly exciting is that we can work with so many people to discover what the next layer of content should be – we’re always open to contributions from social workers if they feel that there is a subject which should be tackled.

During your pilot trial, you helped 30 different local authorities to deliver VR interventions. What have been the biggest barriers to encouraging teams to utilise this software?

We’ve been incredibly impressed with the impact of the software to date. Now, we have nearly 40 different local authorities signed up for our headsets

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and it’s been interesting to hear how different teams have had different experiences.

What we have noticed is that if the local authorities have someone in a learning and development role with an interest in technology (perhaps a Director of Service or a CEO) then the process is a lot smoother.

There’s still a perception that virtual reality is a gimmick, and often people don’t necessarily see the potential of using the headset as a tangible learning tool. But there is a strong learning element at play, and we’re fascinated by how different councils are using these kits in different ways.

There is no rule book for how the headsets should be used. Everyone has a personal reaction to viewing the videos; for some people, they may be much better viewing in a quiet room where they can have an in-depth conversation afterward, whilst others may use the headsets as a conversation starter. We know that some authorities have used the headsets successfully at events which are designed to boost fostering recruitment, whilst others have found that the videos are so hard-hitting, it’s almost the opposite effect. They’re scared that the videos could put potential foster carers off. It’s a delicate balance.

The Big Interview

As we develop more content, there’ll be much more room to use the kit in various ways. The technology is only as good as the content library and we’re working hard to add more video content.

You offer a Trauma Aware Service (TAS) which is specifically designed to help schools and educators understand childhood trauma.

How have schools responded to this availability?

It’s an unfortunate statistic that you’re five times more likely to be excluded from school if you’re living within the care system. It’s critical to keep these children in school as they’re more likely to be involved in grooming, exploitation or end up in a custodial setting.

With the VR software, the teachers had the strongest reaction as in a reversal of their behaviour. The machines have been described as an “empathy machine” and it’s because you can really understand what that child has been through. For example, if a child mentions that “daddy is always shouting” then your own perception of this statement may be based upon just a loud voice. But if you’ve witnessed “daddy shouting” from the perspective of an abused child, and could see exactly how intimidating it could be, you really would change the way you react.

We’re also interested to hear about your dedicated VR trauma awareness training for the legal profession. How did you identify this specific need and how has the feedback been from legal teams who tested it?

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This work has come from our contact with local authorities. Our feedback to date has been primarily anecdotal, with many judges simply saying “wow.”

Within the family courts, there is a reluctance to take children into care, even if the social workers feel that the situation warrants it. This software can sway a judge from thinking about how they can “fix” problems and help them to understand the actual context of what is happening. Often the judges making the decisions don’t necessarily understand what impact neglect can have on a child – using our VR software can be a real “aha” moment for them.

We know that neglect is one of the hardest traumas to recover from. It’s damaging as the child will feel completely worthless, and this changes their internal script which sets the tone for their future.

If you feel worthless, you have no value to anyone and its difficult to make meaningful connections.

This isn’t understood properly and it's impossible to

The Big Interview

get this across until someone watches a video like this. The choice that the judge makes is based on a more accurate understanding of what the report means, which leads to a different outcome and more informed decisions around matching.

Equally, it’s just as relevant if you’re a social worker specialising in special guardianships. It can be easy to want children to stay within their family where possible, but there is a temptation to exaggerate the potential of that person’s ability to care for the child. Giving them this VR headset means that the potential guardian can recognise if they have been through a similar experience and understand if they are the right fit for the child.

In our view, the real benefit of this technology is that it gives a realistic view of the person’s strengths as well as identifying areas where they could struggle.

With this additional knowledge, it’s much easier to identify whether the placement is likely to succeed.

What are the costs involved for local authorities or individual practitioners interested in investing in the VR software?

We have two options available; we can work with entire teams to supply multiple headsets, or we can work with individual social workers, enabling them to become fully certified practitioners.

Our individual package costs £3,750 per person. This cost includes full training, certification for a year, the full video content, the physical headset and backup from our team. We’re incredibly careful about who we allow to use our software because the videos can be a trigger for some people due to the harrowing content. We ensure that our practitioners are fully certified before they can take it away.

On a team basis, we offer an entry-level package for £30,000 per year. This includes 12 headsets, and full

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certification training for 12 social workers, making it the ideal choice for teams. As well as offering the full video library and headsets, we ensure that each team can have an additional six days per year where we can work with them on any events that they may be hosting. We bring along additional headsets (if required) as well as helping to demonstrate the true value of virtual reality. Our feedback has told us that these events are often invaluable in demonstrating to executive teams exactly where the money is being spent. It allows them to “do something” and experience something that they haven’t seen anywhere else.

Find out more.

To find out more about Cornerstone Partnership and their VR software, you can visit their website thecornerstonepartnership.com or alternatively you can call on 01628 636 376.

Social Work Circle

“Care is no longer about keeping someone alive, it’s about giving them quality of life” In today’s world, we are living longer than ever before. This is bringing new challenges to those working in adult services. We find out how a Staffordshire Care Home has taken an innovative approach towards their care services and discover why it’s so important for social workers and healthcare professions to pay attention to mental health. Vicky Smith, Principal Care Home Manager at Samuel Hobson House and its sister home Mayfield House, tells us what she thinks.

Sitting back on a comfortable armchair, listening to the soothing sounds of a musician playing a beautiful melody on the piano, the audience is rapt.

The atmosphere is calm, peaceful and harmonious.

Some are so relaxed they nod off; others listen intently; a few grab an instrument themselves and join in with the music.

But this isn’t a piano bar in the West End, this is Samuel Hobson House care home in Newcastleunder-Lyme, Staffordshire. And this is one of just many activities that have been introduced to improve the mental health of our residents. Others include intergenerational activities with local children, exercise classes and virtual reality.

Like the rest of the health and social care sector, residential care is changing – with more focus on

taking a holistic view on supporting service users.

This marks a distinct shift in thinking from traditional practices which focused on physical and medical needs and has clear benefits for both the residents and the staff who work in care settings.

I have worked in care for 15 years and have seen tremendous changes during that time. When I first started my career, the focus was on the practical side of care – primarily making sure residents were bathed, dressed and fed. If they seemed unwell, we would seek support for their physical ailments and there was little emphasis on their mental wellbeing.

There’s been a huge shift in this way of thinking.

The mental wellbeing of our residents is a top priority. We continuously monitor how they are feeling so that we can respond quickly if someone

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seems down or not quite themselves. It’s no longer about keeping someone alive; it’s about giving them quality of life.

The care homes are a sister company to Acacia Training, which specialises in apprenticeships, short courses and government funded qualifications to the health care, social care and early years sectors.

This has real benefits for the staff because it means that we have access to the latest training – from dementia care to mental health first aid.

We have introduced a number of regular activities, all designed to improve the mental health of the 80 older people who reside across the two care homes.

They include the musician who brings his piano in every week and encourages residents to pick up instruments and play along with him, and a local

Social Work Circle

children’s music and movement class, Boogie Beat, which holds workshops at the home. Young and older generations can take part in activities together, like making Easter bonnets or singing songs.

Local fitness trainer Andy Lewis, who specialises in training for people with complex mental needs, also visits the home regularly. He encourages the residents to take part in interactive exercises, like “climbing mountains” and “canoeing” all from the comfort of their armchair. One lady, who is very quiet and rarely talks, claps her hands and stamps her feet with anticipation every time she sees Andy arrive.

We even have virtual reality equipment so residents can trek through the jungle on safari, visit Blackpool Pier or sit on the beach of a tropical island. They were some of the first in the UK to benefit from the technology, ImmersiCare, which was specially designed for use in care homes and hospitals, particularly for people with dementia. These activities are small things on their own but they’ve had a huge impact on the residents’ wellbeing.

Other changes include encouraging residents to make their room or flat as personal to them as possible to create a homely environment and including family in their care plan. We get family members involved as much as possible. If a resident isn’t settling well or doesn’t seem themselves, we work with their family to find a resolution and come up with ideas for what we can do to make them

feel better. We had one lady who was very agitated when she first arrived and spent all day in her room.

Through working with her family and putting tailored measures in place to improve her mental health, the change in her wellbeing was huge. She began sitting in the lounge with the other residents, taking part in activities and going on trips to the shops.

I’m a qualified mental health first aider after taking part in an accredited two-day Mental Health First Aid training programme, provided by Acacia Training.

Since it introduced the course, the company has trained over 150 people in health and social care.

The course made me so much more aware of what is going on around me and helped me to notice when something isn’t quite right, whether that’s a passing comment or a post on social media. This

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has had tremendous benefits both to the residents and to the staff and since I completed my training, I’ve signposted three staff members to the relevant agencies or places to get the support they need to improve their wellbeing.

We ask ‘how are you’ every day, but most of the time we’re just on autopilot. Take the time to really listen to the answer. We all have to support each other.

Find out more.

Acacia Training can offer health and social care professionals dedicated training to ensure that all staff are aware of the signs that somebody may be affected by mental distress. To find out more about their training programme, visit acaciatraining.co.uk or you can call them on 01782 646346.

Care Leaver Covenant

A unique approach to securing employment opportunities for care leavers In October 2018, the government announced the launch of the Care Leaver Covenant. The strategy has been designed to help those leaving the care system to live more independently, by opening new opportunities with some of the UK’s biggest businesses. We speak exclusively with Gareth Evans, Head of Partnerships at the Care Leaver Covenant to find out more about how the initiative has worked since it’s initial launch.

Last issue, Ashley John Baptiste those who are approaching independence often don’t have the same levels of confidence as their told us that we need to inspire peers. It’s important that we help them build their young people growing up in care self-worth so that they feel that they can apply for to believe that they have “access the same opportunities as others. to the same opportunities as But it’s not only about employment. Our approach their peers”. How is the Care is based upon enabling young people to build the foundations for a happy, and opportunity-rich life.

Leaver Covenant working to achieve this?

The Care Leaver Covenant We work across five specific objectives; to live was launched in October independently, to have access to employment, 2018. What impact has it had education, and training; to live safely and securely; upon young people since its to have access to healthcare and to have access to launch, and how do you see it financial literacy training. continuing to develop?

These five strands anchor absolutely everything that we do. We believe that collectively they can enable a person leaving care to have a fulfilling life.

We read Ashley’s interview with you, and what he spoke about is incredibly important. We speak to many people who are about to leave care, and we know that those who are facing the job market or

We’re continuing to work hard to increase our offerings via the Covenant. There are new opportunities being added on all the time.

We see the Covenant as being a way of laying strong foundations for those who have grown up in the care system. We embrace the idea of the ‘Universal

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Parent’ which we use to mean that all of society has a role in parenting young people who are care experienced. We have a variety of initiatives which are far beyond just work experience placements. We have training programmes and access to financial literacy schemes to help support young people.

Looking to the imminent future, we’re about to launch a new banking programme which will enable care leavers, and young people in care, to open a bank account without the traditional ID that most high street banks require.

In addition to this, we’re tackling the high number of care leavers who get tangled up in the criminal justice system. We are developing a partnership with Tuckers Solicitors and are shaping a public offer to provide Covenant-approved legal defence for care leavers. This programme will impact individuals who have been arrested and detained in police custody.

Additionally, we recently ran a roundtable discussion with the Greater Manchester Mayor and over 10 prominent higher education bodies and housing providers where we laid out our ambitions for

Care Leaver Covenant

providing a better quality of housing to care leavers.

Too many young people are living in situations which are not secure and are not conducive to a stable personal life so it’s important that we work on this.

Plus. These funds can support travel expenses or even clothing or equipment for certain jobs, ensuring that the person leaving care can simply focus on making the most of their opportunity.

The Care Leaver Covenant App is designed for young people to find available opportunities.

How does the app work?

We want our care leavers to feel that they can prosper and that they are not at a disadvantage.

It’s been wonderful to see many of our partner organisations willing to pay for expenses and we’re very optimistic that our opportunities are genuinely viable for those leaving care.

This app has been carefully planned with the needs of our care leaving community in mind. We’re continually filling it with a variety of opportunities for work placements across the UK, as well as details of training provisions and even discounts and other promotions. It’s easy to navigate by geographical region or type of opportunity and we’re always updating to improve functionality.

If there is a project that a care leaver is interested in but they are worried about the financial implications, we’d reiterate that they shouldn’t write it off. They can contact us, and we can work on their behalf to ensure they can access their placement.

with universities and colleges because they are big employers. We want university jobs to be made available to care leavers.

How is the Covenant working with social work teams to share details of this innovative App? We are working with personal advisors, participation workers, youth workers, social workers, and managers to raise awareness of the app and of how it can be used in the most productive and appropriate way. We want to promote independent use amongst care leavers.

We are encouraging professionals to download the app onto their phones and devices. This will allow

One thing we always say to our care leavers is that we are always here to help. If someone looks at the app and finds that they are overwhelmed or unsure of what they are looking at, all they need to do is to pick up the phone and give us a call. Our contact details are published within the app, and we’re always available to explain what the process is, what the opportunities are and how they can make a formal application.

What do young people need to do once they’ve seen an interesting opportunity?

This varies as in some cases they may need to contact us directly, or it may be that they need to get in touch with the employer directly. Within each listing, it will be made clear who the first point of contact is. We work incredibly closely with the partner organisations in creating new opportunities.

We typically have a dedicated point of contact who will understand exactly what the specifics are of that offer, and what is available.

We’re very aware the process can feel daunting and we’re always keen to work with care leavers, taking them step-by-step through each process. If someone calls us, they can be sure that they’ll be speaking to an individual person. This process isn’t automated because we know how vital the human touch is. We can spend time explaining exactly who we are and how our projects are set up to help them build these positive foundations. Because we’re such a close-knit team, we are all available to answer any questions, it may be someone in our youth engagement team, an education specialist or a member of our IT team.

We all work closely to support our end goal. We aim to empower those leaving care to look at and pursue the opportunities available to them.

Money can be a barrier to many opportunities. Do you have anything in place which can help them financially?

Yes, there are initiatives in place which can help provide financial support. For example, there is the flexible support fund which is related to Jobcentre

Find Covenant...

@careleavercovenant

Why is it so important that universities have joined the Care Leaver Covenant to open educational opportunities and encourage further learning?

The work that we’re doing with universities and higher education institutions is important.

Firstly, we need to work hard to ensure that those who are leaving the care system have access to a fulfilling and enriching higher education/further education experiences. We know that the statistics on the number of people going to university from within the care system could be improved and it’s important that we do what we can to give them the confidence to apply. But the work doesn’t just stop there. Once a young person has begun university, we need to ensure that they have the necessary support to make that experience positive and fulfilling. It could be through additional mentoring, pastoral support or access to new equipment or financial aid. We’re also actively embracing our work

Social Work News - 13

@careleavercov

Care Leaver Covenant

them to utilise it during meetings that they may have directly with care leavers as part of their pathway plan, foster placement, residential work or as part of different forums with young people.

We have also gained feedback on the app from our advisory panels that we hold with young people and the staff that support them. This is important because, naturally, not all teams work in the same way and may have different processes about how they work with and inform their care leavers of opportunities and support.

Download the app.

It's free to download and is available on the App Store for Apple devices and the Play Store for Android. All you need to do is search for “Care Leaver Covenant” and it’s easy to install.

Want to know more?

Find out more about the Care Leaver Covenant by visiting mycovenant.org.uk. Alternatively, download the app or phone 0800 077 3557.

Social Work Circle

Starting new conversations: Talking Therapies As more conversations take place surrounding mental health, it’s vital that as qualified professionals, we start to encourage the people that we care for to talk honestly about their feelings. Social worker Mariam Raja shares her thoughts on why talking therapies are so important and provides her suggestions for how we can engage with people and encourage them to understand the benefits of talking.

Social Work News - 14

Social Work Circle

will make them talk or do anything they are not comfortable doing.

“But I can talk to my friends” In my experience, this is often a rationale for why people reject the notion of talking therapies. That’s why we need to explain that talking therapy provides a non-biased and non-judgemental, physical and mental space for them to talk in. I believe the easiest way to get people to engage with the therapy is to highlight the fact the therapists are trained in constructive ways of dealing with thoughts and anxieties. It’s worth reiterating that everything they say will remain highly confidential.

“I’m talking to you, aren’t I?” Service users may not understand why a referral to another professional is required when they are already talking to a social worker. It’s easy to understand why they make think this – after all, they are probably unaware of the difference between a social worker and a psychotherapist. Therefore, it’s important to help them understand the distinction between a social worker, who empowers individuals to find practical solutions to problematic situations, and a psychotherapist, who has the skills to address and overcome emotional and psychological issues.

I firmly believe that if we take the time to explain this difference to our service users, they’ll fully embrace the benefits of talking therapies.

Over the last decade, we have seen a positive shift when it comes to the subject of mental health.

Many influential public figures have come forward to openly discuss their own experiences or raise awareness on the matter. Most notably, this includes the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who collectively launched their ‘Heads Together’ campaign in 2016.

It has been pleasing to see the continuous development of support services as well as the routes to access these provisions. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, which was created in 2008, now reaches over 900,000 people yearly. In 2007, we saw the launch of the ‘Time to Change’ initiative, a mental health campaign in England, with the objective of reducing mental health-related stigma and discrimination. Despite this substantial progress in accessing services and changing public attitudes, many barriers remain.

Statistics suggest that one in four people will experience poor mental health at some point in life.

This figure highlights the importance of social work practitioners being mindful of mental wellbeing in their everyday practice. It is also useful to remember that deteriorating physical health, disabilities, substance misuse, loss of independence and unexpected challenges in our service users’ everyday lives, could make them more susceptible to poor mental wellbeing. Therefore, it is vital for social workers to establish good relationships with service users’, in which they feel comfortable to discuss their mental welfare. The greater the social worker’s

understanding is of their service user’s mental strength and anxieties, the more likely they can signpost to the most appropriate services.

Making the most of it.

Talking therapy provides space for service users to talk through their anxieties, establish what are their negative thoughts and behaviour patterns, and explore different methods to manage or overcome these. However, many still feel intimated with accessing talking therapy, so much so that they choose not to engage.

In my experience, the following tips can be useful for social workers to overcome these barriers and encourage service users to engage with and embrace talking therapies.

“I have never heard of it” In this instance, try to explain to service users exactly what talking therapy is. Where possible try to avoid using social work jargon and explain it using simple, clear language. For the therapy to work we need to ensure that the service user understands the aims and objectives of talking therapy.

“Don’t tell me what to do” This is a common misconception of talking therapy; the idea that someone is trying to 'fix' you. It is important to debunk this notion. As social workers, we need to remind service users that they are in control. The therapy will go at their pace and focus on what they want to talk about. I’ve found that it’s important to assure the service user that no one

Social Work News - 15

‘How do I access it?’

Once your service user is ready to participate in talking therapies, it’s important to move as quickly as possible. We need to have a good understanding of how to access these services and explain the potential timescales to the person involved.

I think it’s also important to inform the service user of the referral process and explain that it will involve specific services undertaking their own assessments and identifying the best therapy for them. One of the biggest changes in recent times is that people can self-refer without needing to go through their GP or any other healthcare professional. Service users can engage in therapy through face-to-face individual sessions, over the telephone, online or even via group therapy sessions. This flexibility means that they can find the right style of therapy to suit their needs.

Why it’s so important to tackle talking therapies.

Social workers have a rare opportunity in people's lives. Therefore, when support needs for mental wellbeing are identified; social workers should feel confident to advise and encourage support services.

It is only the power of effective communication between the social worker and service user, which can break the lack of understanding and taboos around talking therapy.

This is why I believe that it is time that we started to have new conversations about the real power of these talking therapies.

Body Image

Conversations about body image As young people are more affected by issues related to body image than ever before, we explore how social workers can initiate conversations and encourage young people to change the way that they feel about their bodies.

Lisa Fathers, Director of Teaching School and Partnerships at Alliance for Learning which is part of Bright Futures Educational Trust, and a national Mental Health First Aid trainer, offers her insights into how social workers can approach the topic of body positivity with young people.

"Body image is our perception of our appearance.

It’s based on how we see ourselves and how we think other people see us. The two things are often very different. Positive and negative experiences and relationships can affect body image and as social workers you may be supporting young people with a range of mental health issues, some undoubtedly linked to this topic.

Body image matters because it is tied to self-worth and identity. How you see yourself, the world and your place in it affects the choices you make, the confidence which allows you to take risks and who you choose to spend your time with. If you do not feel acceptance of your own body image and identity, you may seek short-term friends or even make bad choices.

In an education setting we regularly see instances of low self-esteem, lack of confidence and more complex matters tied to the subject of body image. While our goal is to offer opportunities and education to every child, I believe anyone working with young people has a duty to inspire them to discover and achieve things beyond the opportunities that they can see now.

In the last issue of Social Work News magazine, BBC journalist, Ashley John-Baptiste, commented on what’s most important to him as someone who grew up in the care system. He believes that every single person leaving the care system should have a high sense of self-worth. I agree - every child should be supported to understand the concept of self-esteem and their self-confidence should be nurtured.

If you are working with young people who may need support in this area, these top tips we offer can help:

Positive self-talk and selfacceptance is key.

Adopting this attitude yourself and encouraging others to do the same is really important. This means not making comparisons to others and accepting who we are.

Focus on personal qualities and efforts that have nothing to do with physical appearance.

Every individual has a gift or a passion for something.

Nurture the thing they enjoy doing. Doing what you love creates a sense of self and is important to help develop positive self image-based values.

Emphasising health over looks is important.

Don’t put a lot of emphasis on physical appearance and instead, talk about all the different aspects that make up a person. For example personality, skills and a their outlook on life.

When you witness negative body image messages, talk about them openly.

Observe pop culture, media and sports and have conversations about messages conveyed around beauty, gender roles and health, recognising when images may have been altered or airbrushed.

A strong sense of identity and self-worth are vital for a young person’s self-esteem.

Sport, PE and physical activity really help to build this along with encouraging them to be able to express their feelings, problem solve and come up with their own coping strategies for setbacks. This will build confidence and improve resilience.

If a young person is affected by peer pressure, bullying, or is self-conscious about their body image, it might help to talk to their school or college.

Schools can be a positive environment for fostering healthy body image and self-esteem and should have policies in place to deal with these issues."

Find out more.

Mental health first aid training may help you identify when a young person is struggling with their body image. Find out how you can improve your skills at allianceforlearning.co.uk/cpd/mental-health-first-aid

Social Work News - 17

Adult Safeguarding

Discover the charity making a difference to adult safeguarding We speak to Deborah Kitson from the Ann Craft Trust; a national charity specialising in adult safeguarding. Last November, the charity launched its inaugural National Safeguarding Adults Week, an awareness campaign designed to raise awareness of the different ways in which we can fully protect adults at risk. Deborah tells us more of the plans for this year’s week, as well as explaining how they work closely with social work teams to support safeguarding activities.

Can you tell us more about who the Ann Craft Trust is?

additional courses on specific and topical issues such as online safety, cyberbullying and radicalisation.

The Ann Craft Trust (ACT) was established in 1992 (previously NAPSAC) and is a national registered charity. It is committed to safeguarding young people and adults at risk of abuse.

We were delighted when the Safeguarding Adult Board Network approached us and asked us to work in partnership with them on National Safeguarding Adults week this year.

ACT responds to the needs and concerns of people working across and being supported by social care, health, education, and criminal justice by providing information and advice, peer support and networks.

We also have a variety of publications including a quarterly bulletin, bibliographies, and books as well as training, seminars and conferences and research and awareness campaigns.

ACT also responds to emails and phone calls requesting advice and guidance as required.

You’ve created a series of toolkits for practitioners to educate them on topical issues such as Domestic Abuse, Learning Disabilities, and How does the Trust work with Forced Marriage. Why is it so social services teams to increase important that social workers safeguarding knowledge and continue to update their improve practice? knowledge of these areas?

ACT sits in the Centre for Social Work in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham and contributes to the teaching of social work students.

The ACT offers a wide range of training and consultancy to the statutory, voluntary and independent sectors including local authorities, child and adult safeguarding boards and social care teams. Our range of training for them includes Safeguarding Awareness, Safeguarding for Managers, Mental Capacity Act, and DoLS, as well as

As exemplified by the Care Act 2014, it is important to address the diverse range of themes that come under the remit of safeguarding. ACT’s work looking at forced marriage and learning disabilities (the most recent being My Marriage, My Choice funded by the Forced Marriage Unit) aimed to raise the issue within the statutory and voluntary sector. Our work across safeguarding Boards previously had evidenced that this was not an issue that they were addressing or had considered. Statistics of people with learning disabilities and forced marriage have increased over

Social Work News - 18

the last five years and hopefully, due to the work of ACT and the University of Nottingham, this is now an area of work that is being addressed.

Domestic abuse is another issue that we are currently funded to look at and again we have been raising the issues relating to domestic abuse and young people with learning disabilities and the dearth of resources available to them. So, this work and our toolkits and research reports raise the issue and to some extent also offer the opportunity to campaign on behalf of these groups.

How can social workers gain access these toolkits and what kind of things can they expect to find in them?

ACT’s research reports and publications are all available and information about them and how to access them is on our website at anncrafttrust.org.

They offer research findings and recommendations for best practice.

You’re doing a lot of work to safeguard adults within the sports sector and this has been funded by Sport England. Why is this such a growing area for concern and what should social workers be doing to protect the vulnerable adults they support?

Adult Safeguarding

Sport England has funded the Child Protection in Sport Unit for over fifteen years. They have become increasingly aware that adults also need to feel that they are participating in a safe environment and can report concerns with confidence.

Everyone involved in sport and activity, whether they are a volunteer, participant, spectator or an elite athlete, should never have to worry about abuse.

Safeguarding in sport is the process of protecting children and adults from harm by providing a safe space in which to play sport and be active. Everyone has a role to play in keeping others safe and people should know what to do if they have any concerns. A key part of safeguarding is spreading the message about keeping people safe and building a culture of always acting in their best interests.

You launched the first ever National Safeguarding Adults Week. Why did you decide to spearhead this initiative and what activities took place?

We realised that many organisations across the UK put on their own safeguarding weeks throughout the year. Our aim was to create a time when we can all focus on safeguarding adults – because we want to be better, together. Throughout the week, national and regional activity safeguarding, sports organisations put on a range of activities to help spread awareness of certain safeguarding issues.

Each day of the week focuses on a different theme, including disability hate crime, forced marriage, domestic abuse, online safety, and safeguarding adults in sport and activity.

New themes for 2019 include self-neglect and

Will you be replicating the awareness week this year and if so, how can adult social work teams get involved?

adults in sport and activity. There are many ways

National Safeguarding Adults Week 2019 takes place on 18-22 November. We’ve partnered with the SAB Manager Network and The University of Nottingham, and each day will focus on different issues.

Social Work News - 19

modern slavery, and we will also revisit certain themes from last year, including disability hate crime, financial abuse, forced marriage, and safeguarding adult social work teams across the UK can get involved. You can find many suggestions by simply visiting our website.

Want to know more?

If you’d like to get involved in the National Adult Safeguarding Week 2019, visit anncrafttrust.org or email ann-craft-trust@nottingham.ac.uk

Changing habits

Taking time to look after yourself As social worker burnout becomes increasingly prevalent; we investigate some of the ways that you can look after your own health and wellbeing. we speak exclusively to Sam Cleaver, Director of Stoic Performance to find out how we can reduce our stress levels and manage our waistlines.

In October 2018, the British Association of Social Workers revealed that almost two-thirds (61%) of practitioners and managers were planning on leaving the profession within the next 16 months.

With resourcing more challenging than ever before, employers need all of the help that they can get to proactively support the overall health and wellbeing of their staff.

Health and fitness coach Sam Cleaver, Director of Stoic Performance believes that it's important to take a holistic approach to ensure that social work managers are looking after their teams effectively. As a qualified personal trainer and health coach, Sam regularly works with clients to help them understand the impact that ongoing stress can have on the body. He believes that the body can only cope with a certain amount of stress before it starts to have a detrimental effect on your overall health. Poor digestion, sleeplessness, and weight gain can all be indicators that the body is not coping, and in a highly-pressurised environment such as social work,

it’s no wonder that social workers are complaining of increasing health problems.

In an exclusive chat with Social Work News, Sam explains how social workers can make small changes to improve their overall health and wellbeing.

Social Workers are notorious for their busy schedules and their stressful working day.

What advice can you give to help someone reduce stress?

There are many different facets to the nervous system, but in this context, we have the sympathetic side and the para-sympathetic side. Our sympathetic side is our ‘flight or fight’ response mode which is all based upon survival. If this side of our nervous system takes control, it explains why we may feel bloated or have digestive issues when stressed.

In contrast, the para-sympathetic mode is the rest and digest side of the nervous system. It controls our

Social Work News - 20

stress levels, our sleep patterns, and our digestion. In an ideal world, we need to ensure that our nervous system spends up to 85% of our time in this mode.

Because social work is such a hectic environment, it stands to reason that many social workers may be spending far too much time on the sympathetic side of the nervous system. This could lead to developing a variety of health concerns. It is possible to manipulate the body to revert to the para-sympathetic side – I often recommend “box breathing” to calm down. All you need to do is inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale for a count of four and hold for a count of four – repeated ten times in a row. This will naturally calm your body down and help it reset back to the para-sympathetic state.

I’d also recommend making use of a variety of free apps which can support meditation practices. Apps like Calm or Headspace are a great tool to use as they can enable you to take a few moments out of your day to focus upon yourself.

Changing habits

In a recent post on his website, the popular blogger Social Work Tutor recently lamented that 'social work was making him fat'. Many of his readers expressed agreement and felt that busy shifts, poor catering facilities, and emotional eating were affecting their bodies.

What would you say to this?

No work makes anyone fat, it's just a matter of perspective. When people get guidance and methods on how to manage stress, burn more calories (without realising it) and have the tools to prepare quality food (or at least grab good options on the go) it becomes easy.

We can change our environment if we acknowledge it and start to make a movement. Without accepting the situation, we simply won’t try to attempt anything new. Compound this with the feelings of hopelessness and potential depression etc then we have a huge group of people who will struggle to lose weight because they psychologically aren't in the right head space. With support plans and guidance from someone who can provide them with what they need, it offers an opportunity which will create an environment of success. As a result, the brain chemistry will be positively affected, meaning healthier, happier and more productive work staff.

Social workers often work irregular hours making it difficult to schedule regular exercise. How can they incorporate move exercise into their weekly routine?

Whilst shift work does make it harder to stay healthy, it shouldn’t be used as an excuse for unhealthy habits to creep in. I always say that the most important thing anyone can do to improve their health is to simply move as much as possible. It may be that you take the stairs rather than use the lift, or you park at the furthest end of the car park to increase your step count. The important thing is to change your habits and turn it into a routine.

If you find that you struggle to get to the gym, then why not take advantage of technology?

There are numerous workout routines that you can follow on YouTube which have been designed to be completed in your living room. There are also nutrition plans available online which will help you to change your eating habits and give you support.

Personally, I offer an online coaching service which allows me to work closely with clients across the UK with full training sessions complemented by exercise video tutorials. Along with my own recipe books (which are compatible with MyFitnessPal), there are also a series of “survival guides” for restaurants and outlets such as Costa Coffee, Pizza Express, Nando's and Greggs.

How does nutrition link in with overall health? Can eating the right foods help you to look after your wellbeing?

Nutrition plays an important part in keeping you healthy. After all, emotional eating is a real thing.

After a tough day at the office, it can be incredibly tempting to reach for the nearest biscuit tin or to call for a takeaway because you don’t have the energy to cook. But in the long run, that’s not a great choice for your health or your purse.

Good nutrition doesn’t need to be about eating ‘clean’ 100% of the time – realistically there are times when you do need to relax with a glass of wine.

Instead, it’s about making small changes to help you feel that you are taking control of your food choices.

Drinking plenty of water, achieving your five portions of fruit and veg a day and eating plenty of protein will help you to manage your weight effectively.

Social Workers rarely have time for lunch breaks and often eat their lunch ‘on the go’. How can they still eat good food during the working day?

Preparation is key to help you during the working week. I know that social workers lead busy lives but if you have a rough plan of what your week is likely to be, then you can prepare accordingly. For example, if you know that you’ll be heading to court then you’ll know that you’ll need to take something with you that is easy to eat ‘on the go’.

There is a real trend for meal prepping – if you’ve seen this on Instagram or Pinterest then you’ll know that many people try to prepare several days’ worth of meals in one go. This means that it’s all ready and prepared for your convenience. It’s not always

Social Work News - 21

necessary, but if you find that this is a trend which works for you, then you should continue to do so.

As part of my downloadable recipe books, I’ve created some delicious lunch menus which can be prepared in advance – not only do they taste great, but all the ingredients can be picked up from your nearest Aldi, Asda or Lidl, making them low cost too.

The Salmon Quinoa Bowl is a favourite and should keep you feeling energised for the rest of the day.

Can you work with social work teams to help improve their health and wellbeing?

Yes, as part of my online training portfolio, I’ve set up a system where I can work with entire groups of people (such as social work teams) to help them collectively improve their overall health and fitness.

This is a great option for social work managers to tap into – after all, if their entire team can manage their stress better, and they are feeling fitter and healthier then it stands to reason that work output will be far more effective as stress levels and sickness levels fall.

Corporate coaching works well because it enables everyone to motivate each other and work more effectively as a team. And as employers are expected to make more efforts to support employee welfare, then it can have positive knock on effects upon staffing levels, recruitment and reputation. It’s a real win-win situation.

Find out more.

If you would like to download one of Sam’s free recipe books, or request a ‘Costa Coffee survival guide’ then visit stoicperformancedownloads.co.uk To find out more about Sam’s online personal training or corporate coaching programmes, visit stoicperformance.co.uk or you can simply email sam@stoicperformance.co.uk

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Have your say

Have Your Say Last issue, BBC journalist Ashley John Baptiste spoke of the need to place more emphasis upon “aspirations” and “self-worth”. As part of our regular Have Your Say feature, we asked our community what you think are the best methods to help young people in the care system dream big. Your answers were hugely inspirational. Here are just a few of the many comments we received.

Social Work News - 24

Have your say

“We need suitable training for foster carers and care workers. There should also be an emphasis on trauma-informed practice for social workers and continued support post-18” Rosalie, Social Worker, Cornwall “Young people in care need to be heard and valued.

So often they are stigmatised and made to feel "different", so much so, they can grow up with a self-fulfilling prophecy. I was one of those children myself, having been in the care system from infancy until I was eighteen. I came across very few people who believed in me; one of those people was my social worker who always made me feel that she believed in me and my future aspirations. I have never forgotten her.” Natasha, Independent Social Worker, West Midlands

through it and learn key life skills, whilst we safely supervise. It may also be a sporting activity such as Duke of Edinburgh or wider learning experiences to promote independence. A young person I recently worked with would experience anxiety and poor mental health as a result of low self-esteem. They would avoid all public engagement, so we explored options for them to become involved in group work and deliver presentations. This sometimes backfired, but we kept going and eventually it led to them delivering a speech to a large audience in Belfast.

The self-esteem this gave them was invaluable.

Exploring opportunities for young people such as work placements, or taster days, often lets the individual find out for themselves whether a goal is for them or not.

“In the last issue, Ashley spoke about how a single social worker gave up their free time to commit to him and how during residential living, a social worker continually made him get up each morning and attend school. These examples are the bedrock of self-worth. We each get our confidence and motivation from family and positive role models around us.

Most of the approaches here are easily set up, only needing imagination and little to no cost. There is no need for any fancy or expensive tools or complicated ideas. Motivation and self-worth come from how someone is encouraged and picked back up when they fail..and they will fail. But if keep finding opportunities for them, eventually, for most people, it will work.” Stu, Social Worker, Ballymena

For those in care, this role often falls to us as social workers. It’s hard to encourage children in care to go to school every morning as their starting base for valuing education can often be much lower than their peers. One or two knocks on the bedroom door and then giving up is not enough. In residential settings, every worker, every day should be consistent about motivating and encouraging young people to attend school, training or other productive activities. We should avoid organizing meetings or other less relevant activities during school times which can create an avoidance culture and disrupt an appreciation of school. Social workers also have a range of personal interests, these skills should be promoted in the home for young people to engage in activities. One home in the Northern Trust in N.I as an example promotes regularly activities such as boxing, kayaking, surfing, hiking, etc, using the skills of the workers. This should be an easy fit as most workers would love getting paid for taking part in their own hobbies.

“The education system needs to be more joined up with social care and share the same understanding and empathy.” Sara, Service Manager, Hull

We must also recognize that university isn't for everyone and that vocational qualifications and training can lead to just as rewarding a career.

There are partnered organisations in the voluntary sector who specialise in educating and working with care experience young people to gain their Essential Skills and OCNs and help with college applications or job skills. As these agencies work specifically with Health Trusts and Local Authorities, they take a longer-term approach to commitment, understanding young people regularly experience crisis which affects attendance and therefore won’t drop them at the first sign of difficulties.

Confidence not only comes from learning it’s OK to fail and how to react but also experiencing positive risk taking. This may be a relationship which isn't ideal and instead of preventing at all costs, we allow the young person to develop the ability to work

“We can begin by actually listening to young people and trying to understand what their aspirations are.

Regardless of being distracted by funding issues or having to attend numerous panels to seek the funding that is rightly theirs. We need to also pay more than lip service to actually spending time with young people to build relationships in that so many go through an infinite number of social workers in the first place. We need to ensure that we meet our responsibilities as corporate parents and argue strongly for what they both have and need.

Talking to young people who have already been disenfranchised within society realistically enabling them to be who they are, and they want to be. This takes commitment, energy, time and purpose.”

Mark, Senior Social Work Practitioner, West Midlands “Continuity of worker is paramount. Assistance to identify key interests and achievable aspirations and joint research of how to pursue these. Development of SMART strategy. Ensure inclusion of 'fun' activities and include regular but not over frequent reviews of progress. Constructive support through failure, enabling reflection. Celebrate the achievement of goals.” June, Director, Orkney Islands “By allowing them to dream big and encouraging them toward their dreams. Whether it be university or apprenticeship or something else where they are achieving. Fundamentally we need to listen to what they are saying and become role models for them.”

Marcie, Fostering Social Worker, Warwick

What do you think?

Do you agree with what our readers are saying?

Join in the conversation with us online on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at @myswnews.

Social Work News - 25

Have your say

Have Your Say Our social work community have shared their thoughts and insights into a range of social work-related topics with us. This issue, we’re looking at how the profession has changed and where our community believes that it’s headed. We’ve had a variety of responses and it’s clear to see that there is no singular approach which could impact upon the profession.

Let us know what you think by sharing your thoughts with us via our social media channels, or email us directly at press@mysocialworknews.com

Social Work News - 26

Have your say

How has the social work sector changed since you first joined the profession?

“There is a lack of services now for early intervention.

By getting in there at the beginning, we could help prevent children from coming into care or removing them as soon as possible. We should get the youth services funded again and the early interventions” Marcie, Fostering Social Worker, Warwick “A great deal. When I started, we had the time to spend with families and actually support them through direct work and assistance. It moved on to be an assessment role and commissioning out to support services, which then reduced due to funding issues and service-led rather than userled. Safeguarding has evolved in becoming more recognised across other agencies and supporting multi-agency liaison and support for a family.” K, Practice Lead, London “I think that we have more skills available to us, but not enough direct work time. Caseloads were, in fact, higher when I first began, but less paperwork.

Social workers present as less formal.” Sarah, Senior Practitioner, Cambridge “Since the 1990s there has been an increase in the level of technology and complex computer systems to record work with children. There was more staff employed in administration roles to complete admin tasks. Models of practice are increasingly reliant upon signs of safety without reference to social work theory. New entrants to the profession are being trained differently and tend to be much younger often without direct work experience with children and/or vulnerable adults. Social Work no longer has the opportunity to raise the consciousness of service users and wider society - today social work has become reactive to events in people's lives rather than proactive in changing and challenging society to promote inclusion.” Vivienne, Social Worker “It has become a lot more ‘target’ driven. However, this in itself is not a bad thing, but there is a tendency to concentrate too highly on this and not on the excellent outcomes being delivered. This is especially important as another change is the dwindling resources that were once available to reach a much bigger target group. There is a lot of focus on early intervention, quite rightly. However, there’s is a significant lack of resources to address the number of children in need, before social care becomes an intervention rather than an intervention.

This is another big change over the years as social work practice was primarily regarded as an intervention service.” Sara, Service Manager, Hull “I joined social work in the mid-'90s. I have witnessed the profession move from being engagement focused with emphasis on direct engagement and encompassing group and community work to it being an administrative assessment-based profession led by risk management. This move seems to have mirrored the American model of social work practice which focuses primarily on children's social work, and to a much lesser degree

@myswnews on adult social work. Successive governments seem to have scapegoated social work and withdrawn funds from both frontline children and adult services ending in service provision being reactive rather than progressive and preventative.” Sarah, Principal Social Worker, East Sussex

What do you think is the future of social work?

“I feel social work will give out what is put in.

The workforce needs to feel valued and properly supported by increased wages and future prospects.

Training needs to encompass a range of areas and specialisms should be guarded, not reduced. I fear this won't happen.” Rosalie, Social Worker, Cornwall “If adults have to arrange to pay for their own services, as they more or less do now and insurance companies start to offer a product on the basis of a version of Dilnot, it is possible to see social workers employed to assess against a funding package away from local authorities.” Nick, Retired, Poole “It's certainly not clear what the future is. I feel that unless social work becomes more about humanity rather than money, we may go some way to making a positive change. There is far too much bureaucracy, money pinching, cuts, ego and stress in the profession which deflates from the reason we started this. Social work needs to be recognised as a specialist role that suffers from increased workloads

Social Work News - 27

and limited time to actually work with a family in a supportive manner.” K, Practice Lead, London “Sadly, I think that it will be privatised; and so, the money will be made from adversity. I think that health, education and social work should form integrated teams. A recognition that we need to work together." Sara, Senior Practitioner, Cambridge “The ideal would be if health and social services truly work in partnership to provide a holistic service.

There is evidence this ideal is being achieved but it is taking a long time as the top managers themselves are not fully signed up to different ways of working.

Recent legislation has increased expectations but there has been a lack of resources to back up the grand ideals set out in the Care Act.” Surinder, Social Worker, Greenwich “We really need to ensure that the practitioners of the future are supported to not only fill their potential but also support those of their colleagues around them. The next five to ten years will probably bring us more conflict and challenges, I hope that workers continue to get the support that organisations like BASW can provide as I can see their services being of paramount importance in equipping the social workers with the tools to provide the services much needed by families. We need to nurture all our social workers to be the best they can be for themselves and others." Mark, Senior Practitioner, West Midlands

Book Review

We look at the latest social work textbooks As always, here are a selection of the latest social work textbooks. This issue, we’re looking at books relating to safeguarding adults, working with asylum seekers, and how to write analytical assessments in social work.

If you would like to be entered into a free prize draw to win this fantastic selection of books worth over £100, then please email us with your name, job title and address to press@mysocialworknews.com

The Straightforward Guide to Safeguarding Adults: From getting the basics right to applying the Care Act and Criminal Investigations.

Deborah Barnett Jessica Kingsley Publishing, £19.99 This book is designed to be a straightforward overview of the responsibilities that professionals have in relation to safeguarding adults. As well as determining what those responsibilities are, it also makes it clear how to implement them into frontline practice. Written by a qualified social worker, Deborah Barnett has created an informative yet easily readable guide to help practitioners interpret and understand the complex Care Act 2014.

Writing Analytical Assessments Safeguarding Adults and in Social Work (Second Edition) the Law: An A-Z of Law and Practice (Third Edition) Chris Dyke Critical Publishing, £21.99 Designed as a self-help guide for social work practitioners, this second edition tome will take readers step-by-step through the stages of writing an analytical assessment. As expected with Critical Publishing’s popular “critical skills” textbooks, readers can benefit from clearly defined sections, written in an easily digestible format. This book will make a great study aid as it’s designed to be dipped in and out of, making it the perfect assessment writing companion.

Michael Mandelstam Jessica Kingsley Publishing, £40.00 Designed in a handy A-Z format, this book is a great read for anyone needing information regarding Safeguarding Adults and the Law. The book covers all safeguarding duties relating to the Care Act 2014 and focuses on how different areas of the law are applicable to the practice. This is an ideal reference point for those who may need further clarification of where the law stands and should be on the bookstands of all adult social service departments.

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Working with Asylum Seekers and Refugees. What to do, what not to do and how to help.

Sarah Crowther Jessica Kingsley Publishing, £19.99 This is a much-needed guide for social workers new to working with asylum seekers and refugees.

The book is separated into two clear areas; how to work with refugees to understand their experience and effectively engage with them, and how to meet their practical needs such as access to housing, healthcare, training, and employment. With more than 155,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, it’s imperative that practitioners are aware of the unique challenges involved in providing them with access to vital services.

Book Review

"This hard-hitting novel is an expose of the lasting effects that childhood abuse can have"

Trap, Prey, Lust: The hidden sexual crimes of the rich and famous Carolyn Shanti. Filament Publishing, £14.99 A different book for Social Work News readers; this hard-hitting novel is an expose of the lasting effects that childhood abuse can have. Based in the setting of exclusive London clubs, the superrich clientele entertain themselves in the highs of their nightly sexual sports. Always looking for the next sexual high, the senior members of the club are famous men whose wealth and position have protected them from punishment until their crimes are exposed‌ This book was written by Carolyn Shanti as a narration of her own childhood abuse. Brought up in a wealthy, privileged family, Carolyn suffered ritual sexual abuse by her own father as well as members of the occult society that he belonged to. She was groomed by her abusers to prevent her from remembering the abuse or her perpetrators.

This is a hard-hitting novel. The author hopes her book will demonstrate the seriousness of sexual abuse, and the cultures which condone them.

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Outdoor Learning

Growing vital skills with outdoor learning The Family Care Trust is a charity in Solihull that provides support for people with memory problems and dementia, as well as work-based training for adults with learning disabilities.

Here, manager Daniel Adams writes exclusively for Social Work News about the services that the charity offer, as well as sharing his advice for social workers around the benefits of learning and working outdoors.

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Outdoor Learning

Who are the Family Care Trust?

The Family Care Trust’s services split into a number of key areas. Firstly, we run The Blanning; a day centre for people with memory problems such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. As well as offering a supportive environment for clients, The Blanning provides carers and relatives much-needed respite.

Secondly, our Community Support Service helps people with mental health problems, as well as learning and physical disabilities, to live independently. Our specialist teams visit people in their homes to provide care and help them with day-to-day tasks, as well as emotional support.

On top of this, the Family Care Trust helps adults with learning disabilities undergo work-based training through our Community Gardening Services.

Here, project workers help people in the local community by carrying out a range of gardening and maintenance tasks.

We also offer work-based learning at Newlands Bishop Farm, which is a fun, positive, farming activity centre in a rural setting, offering unique work experiences in horticulture, woodwork, gardening, horse and animal care, catering and retail. The farm includes a kitchen and café – and we also host events including weddings and corporate functions.

Helping to support those with learning difficulties.

This year, the charity is celebrating its 25th anniversary. We have an ambitious fundraising target to raise £250,000 to build a new facility at Newlands Bishop Farm to help hundreds more people with learning difficulties.

Our plans include adding to the new garage with a workspace, which will open up to give us more space for teaching woodwork, as well as a 4,000 square foot café and kitchen area. This will allow us to provide more catering and hospitality training, creating wider employment opportunities for a greater number of project workers.

We’re the only service of this kind in Solihull and the West Midlands, and with government-owned facilities becoming increasingly overstretched, or closing down altogether, it’s vital we continue to grow and improve.

As well as the new facility, we’re further improving our services by expanding our team, investing in more machinery and tools for training, and finding more ways of helping our project workers grow in confidence, skills and qualifications.

Growing skills and confidence.

The setup at the farm is quite unique in that we offer project workers hands-on experience working with animals, gardening and growing food. There are numerous studies that show how beneficial working outdoors can be to a person's physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Learning and training in this sort of environment gives project workers the chance to exercise and get fresh air, as well as the sense of achievement that

comes with caring for animals or growing food and plants. Research also shows that working outdoors and tapping into the seasons helps to ground us, reduces stress, and improves our overall health.

to provide any additional support to help project workers at home, as well as when they’re with us.

Even when we’re working indoors – preparing food in the kitchen, serving in the café or selling plants at our shop – our project workers benefit from the interactive and practical nature of the work. Understanding where food comes from and preparing lunches encourages healthy eating, further improving wellbeing.

Over the years, we’ve built a strong reputation in the region among social workers. A lot of social workers come to our charity as part of their training while they’re at college or university, and this is often the first time they become aware of what we do.

Working as a team reduces isolation and creates a sense of community between the project workers and staff. The benefits combine to grow confidence and independence in our project workers.

Work and play.

As well as training our project workers with practical experience, we also make sure we focus on the social side of things too. We spend breaks and lunch together everyday and throughout the year we have socials, events and trips out.

This helps our project workers learn social and soft skills, interacting with people in different environments, gaining confidence and of course, having fun.

Our aim is to support our project workers to get qualifications and the confidence and skills needed for employment. We collaborate closely with two of the local colleges to provide these qualifications, and liaise with families, carers and social workers

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Social worker support.

Because we’re a small charity, our local network is extremely important to us and we work hard to build relationships with social workers in the area. They appreciate having a reliable service nearby which they can refer their clients to, especially those who will benefit from outdoor, work-based learning.

At the end of the day, our goals are the same – to help people with learning disabilities get the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to live happy, independent lives and, where possible, find a job.

Although we’re based in Solihull, I’d strongly urge for social workers to find initiatives in their local area which encourage clients to work outdoors wherever possible. Not only are we teaching project workers practical skills, we’re helping them to develop in confidence and improve their overall wellbeing – something the social workers we collaborate with have experienced first-hand and are keen to support.

Find out more.

To find out more about the Family Care Trust, simply visit familycaretrust.co.uk

Social Work Circle

Nice people, shame about the job Our social worker is sharing her thoughts on how we should be improving the social work profession. In a highly pressurised and often emotional environment such as social work, could peer support help us to do our jobs effectively?

Is a pleasant team enough to keep you in a job? I wonder how many of us have remained in a role we found unsatisfying, stressful or downright miserable (or all three) just because we liked the people we worked with. Colleagues are an important factor in how we perceive job satisfaction.

I remained in a job I hated for several years, mainly because I liked the people I worked with. We were a close-knit group who supported one another, shared information, and stuck together as a team. Informal peer support can often make or break a job, but camaraderie isn’t only about going to the pub or gossiping over the kettle. It’s about pooling knowledge, expertise, and knowing who to approach for answers on a issue. A great role is all very well, but your colleagues need to be up to scratch too.

Working in mental health, I hear a lot about peer support for clients. Studies have shown that they find it hugely beneficial. However, I also think about my colleagues and their mental health. In many workplaces it’s not a priority. Retention of staff is a big issue and I am convinced that formal peer support systems may be the way to help.

Given the recognised strengths of peer support, I’m frequently surprised at the lack of formal provision in teams, though I have worked in teams where attempts were made to address this. Group allocation was one idea. The concept was that social workers would share their opinions, discuss strategies and offer support on cases. It failed when everyone realised there was nothing beneficial by attending apart from an increased caseload. Peer support was distinctly lacking.

It’s important to consider what can be done if camaraderie is non-existent. Is a culture of peer support something that can be grown and nurtured? I like to

think it can be, by developing a systemic peer support strategy and embedding it in a team’s structure.

I’m interested in accessible mentoring schemes, buddying up for new staff members, a proper induction programme for all (not just a pile of e-learning) and expert managers taking the lead. Whilst it’s important that managers are on board, it's vital that practitioners are too. Everyone needs to be engaged, otherwise nothing changes.

A system which supports experienced workers in taking on a specialist role, ready to share their knowledge of local resources, specific policies or an area of specialism would be of benefit to teams. A culture of asking questions and being heard is important. People shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.

Office layout can foster peer support. Many teams have adopted an ’agile working’ policy (also known as hot desking) which can be isolative and divisive. A colleague told me about the time his ‘desk neighbour’ noticed he’d been out a long time and managed to track him down to a police station where he had gone to act as Appropriate Adult for a client. As a newly qualified social worker, the duty sergeant had exploited his lack of experience and had kept him busy in the station for most of the day. Luckily his colleague knew better and got him out. Hot desking wouldn’t have picked up on this.

All of these ideas aren’t new, but they require time and resources as well as support and engagement from managers and practitioners. There are teams, of course, who work well together and are supportive but it’s very much on a frontline and informal level. If employers are serious about retention, then they could start looking at what many practitioners are already doing informally and making it something more established and supported.

Join our Social Work Circle and become a guest contributor.

If you would like to contribute towards our panel of guest commentators, why not join our Social Work Circle?

We’re always looking for social workers to share their views and comments on issues relating to the profession.

To find out how you can become involved, please email press@mysocialworknews.com

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Social Work Circle

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Refugees

Practical advice to support your work with asylum seekers and refugees If you’re working with asylum seekers or refugees, then you’ll be aware of the challenges that they present. You may have to deal with language or cultural barriers, or they may be affected by the traumatic experience which led them to seek refuge. Sarah Crowther, author of 'Working with Asylum Seekers and Refugees: What to do, what not to do and how to help' shares some practical advice to help social workers understand the three immediate priorities when working with asylum seekers and refugees.

To contact Sarah directly, email sarah@reap.org.uk

Immigration Status, constraints and entitlements.

Detention Asylum seeker Refused asylum seeker

Work

Housing & Money

NHS

Yes

£36/week through ‘National Asylum Support Services’ (NASS).

Yes, free

Yes and deportation

Can’t rent, Usually No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). Might get NASS.

Yes, but may have to pay

No

Earnings, main-stream benefits, social housing, some free study/English

Yes, full use as British

Refugees/Leave to Remain also Apply for British nationality in due course.

Close family might join them.

A child, however, is first and foremost a child, protected and supported by British childrens’ law that overrides immigration restrictions.

Check whether any children you support (with family or unaccompanied) can register as British citizens, well before they turn 18.

Disabled people also are protected and supported via the same health, social care and disability rights legislation as any disabled person in the UK, even if NRPF.

Social Work News - 34

Refugees

Most of us expect to decide for ourselves what kind of life we want to live. But people in some countries face political realities where they can't make any such decisions. In the end they must keep themselves and their loved ones safe and get to a place where there is hope. Some (relatively few) come to the UK. In most parts of urban Britain today, if you work ‘hands on’ in primary, community or local services of any kind, you will find yourself working with asylum seekers and refugees.

To enable social workers to work effectively with asylum seekers and refugees, I’ve broken down the three immediate priorities you may need to consider.

Priority #1 – understanding the essential definitions.

You will hear different words describing people who have come to the UK claiming refuge. People often mix up meanings, but you need to feel confident in your use of essential definitions. The following explanations are pragmatic definitions only. It’s important to remember that you must be licensed to give immigration advice.

If your client needs a solicitor, ask your nearest community law centre, they may be able to help by making a recommendation.

1. Asylum seekers 'Asylum seekers’ say they will be in danger if they are returned. They are still waiting for a final Home Office decision. Non-EU nationals escaping domestic violence within the UK, trafficked or enslaved people also apply to stay via the asylum system.

2. Refused asylum seekers ‘Refused asylum seekers’ have had their request rejected. Perhaps the Home Office sees them as an ‘unreliable witnesses’ or considers there to be no current serious danger to the individual at home.

3. Refugees ‘Refugees’ with ‘Refugee Convention’ status or other ‘Leave to Remain’ are those who asked for asylum and the Home Office has agreed they can stay, at least for now.

Depending upon their definition, the person’s activities and entitlements to access public services may be constrained by their legal immigration status. However, as for anyone in the UK, everyone is protected by the Equality Act 2010 Public Sector Equality Duty and by the Human Rights Act 1998.

In all cases, make sure all your clients register with a GP as soon as possible for a full health check.

The GP can ask for proof of address and status but cannot not refuse to register them.

Priority #2 – understanding their experiences.

You need to appreciate how people’s experiences can shape their relationship with you, and therefore how effectively you can assist them. They have left behind families, identities, skills and goods; they have probably lived through prolonged uncertainty,

risk and vulnerability - and probably poor conditions, treatment or abuse. They have lived through the British asylum system. They face regular migration issues too - language, unfamiliar systems and culture, limited contacts.

This means refugees often: • Mistrust and fear authorities - including you relying instead on advice from informal contacts • Lack documentation and fail to manage paperand online systems • Live in insecure accommodation, relationships and livelihoods, moving often and at risk of isolation and vulnerable to abuse • Struggle with physical and mental health, perhaps adopting risky coping and livelihood strategies • Are impoverished and disempowered • Are susceptible to shocks and crises that can have long term consequences • Struggle to access the services and support they are entitled to

Priority #3 – making good use of your contacts.

You cannot refer them away. You need to respond directly to most of the challenges they are facing.

Your greatest asset is a network of trusted contacts who can offer you expertise and knowledge. You

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need diverse contacts so you can knit together a mesh of support to serve refugees’ complex and rapidly changing needs. You will find yourself advocating for them, helping them negotiate access through systems that they will struggle and possibly fail to manage alone.

Don’t forget: • Refugees are ordinary people. They may have been through extraordinary and traumatic circumstances which might make them a bit extraordinary, but they are not ‘other’ people • Each refugee is unique: each person’s experiences and responses to their situations are unique • Refugees are active agents of their own futures.

They came here to take back control of their lives, and you are a witness to their efforts. Don’t be surprised if they don't do what you recommend

About the author.

Sarah Crowther works for Refugees in Effective and Active Partnership (REAP) in West London. She has recently written ‘Working with Asylum Seekers and Refugees: What to do, what not to do and how to help’ published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers (2019). Her specialist field is the interaction of local people with large agencies, social action, equity and equality. She is chair of trustees of the HEAR Network of Equality and Human Rights groups and voluntary organisations in London.

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