Annual Report of the Adults Principal Social Worker

Key Achievements and Developments

The work of the Adults Principal Social Worker (PSW) Andrew Errington for Coventry City Council during 2022/23.

What is a PSW?

Care Act 2014 states a PSW should;

• be visible across the organisation
• support and develop effective conditions for practice
• oversee quality and improvement of practice
• have direct contact with the Adults Director and front-line practice

The PSW for Adults, Andrew Errington commenced in post in July 2016 and is the Head of Safeguarding and Practice Development. Andrew reports to the Head of Adult Social Care Sally Caren.

Workforce Development

• Updated the Learning and Development portfolio for Adult Services in ensuring access to a range of relevant and current virtual and in person training opportunities.
• 69 training events relevant to Social Work attended by 952 staff.
• 2 dedicated CPD events and refresher training for deafblind assessors.
• Hosted a 7th ‘virtual’ annual practice week with the Children’s PSW providing access to a week of practice focused events.
• 911 staff booked places across the 32 sessions during the week.
• Training lead for Liberty Protection Safeguards, preparing learning and development activities in advance of implementation.
• Organised a further Adult Services Wellbeing week with staff attending various online and in person activities and events focusing on health and wellbeing.
• Led on a process to create ‘Stay’ interviews to understand why employees stay and what might cause them to leave.

Social Work Education

• Embedding and growing links with our local Higher Education Institutions Coventry and Warwick
  Universities and supporting the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership.
• Practitioners supporting teaching on the Adults Module at Coventry University.
• Continuing to support new routes into Social Work, including the new Degree Level Social Work
  apprenticeships.
• First 2 apprentices qualify, 6 members of staff undertaking the Degree Level SW apprenticeship, 2 further places planned for 2023

Workforce Development

• Updated the Learning and Development portfolio for Adult Services in ensuring access to a range of relevant and current virtual and in person training opportunities.
• 69 training events relevant to Social Work attended by 952 staff.
• 2 dedicated CPD events and refresher training for deafblind assessors.
• Hosted a 7th ‘virtual’ annual practice week with the Children’s PSW providing access to a week of practice focused events.
• 911 staff booked places across the 32 sessions during the week.
• Training lead for Liberty Protection Safeguards, preparing learning and development activities in advance of implementation.
• Organised a further Adult Services Wellbeing week with staff attending various online and in person activities and events focusing on health and wellbeing.
• Led on a process to create ‘Stay’ interviews to understand why employees stay and what might cause them to leave.

Meeting Standards

• Supporting the Post Qualifying Standards for SW Practice Supervisors, commissioning supervision training and purchased reflective, theory and selfcards practice for every supervisor to use.
• Prepared practitioners for the 3rd renewal with their Social Work Regulator ‘Social Work England’ via team briefings and workshops.
• Development of a new ‘Learning Hub’ for front line staff

Strength Based Approaches

• Continuing to support Strength-based Practice Framework with Motivational Interviewing training and coproduced with practitioners a new direct work resource with a range of tools to support communication and engagement.
• Reviewing our approach to strength-based practice with a lead officer, Belinda Kirk seconded to the role of PSW for one day a week to oversee this work which commenced in August 2022 for a period of 12 months.
• Continued to host Risk Enablement Panel discussions.
• Leading on reviewing the diversity of people accessing Adult Social Care and exploring experiences of different communities, starting community engagement events.

Practice Development Roles

• SW Practice Development roles are supporting newly qualified Social Workers, promoting Practice Education and providing practice support to front line staff and managers.
• Supporting 11 new NQSWs (end of March 23).
• 10 primary placements for Social Workers.
• 1 new SW Practice Educators trained

Practice Quality

• Practice Quality Assurance Framework with new simplified audit system. Includes observation of practice, practice and supervision audits. Allows organisational view on practice issues.
• 348 audits undertaken in 22/23 (end of March 23).
• Supported practitioners to respond to the 3rd. National Social Work Health Check.
• Undertake a further local Organisational Health Check.
• Introduced a new senior managers' quality assurance activity, receiving and feeding back on examples of case work and undertaking customer interviews

Professional Curiosity

• Ensuring practice informed by evidence and curiosity, raising the profile of our subscription to Research in Practice for Adults, ‘Care Knowledge’, and ‘SW Connect’ helping staff to stay up to date on the latest expert information and legislation to help day to day practice.
• 108 staff are now using Care Knowledge.
• 88 staff now accessing SW Connect.
• 9 in 10 respondents in health check survey agree with the statement ‘I have access to best practice, research and evidence materials’.

Safeguarding Adults

• Supporting the work of the Safeguarding Board through chairing the Workforce Development and Policy subgroups. Board multi-agency learning events on hot topics.
• Member of the WM Safeguarding Leads network.
• Chair of the Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) subgroup.

Practice Leadership

• Elected Co-chair of the West Midlands Adults Principal Social Worker Network until 2023 (chairing network since January 2017).
• Supported successful bid to National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to develop a research culture in the region acting as PSW research associate.
• Undertaking regional virtual ‘safe and effective practice reviews’ in support of CQC assurance preparations.
• Member of S75 Board and ICB leadership governance boards.

Engaging and Coproducing

• Co-chair of the Adult Social Care ‘Stakeholder Group’ working to support coproduction, meeting on a virtual basis
• Supporting development of coproduction and engagement activities.
• Leading on the production of Coventry’s ‘Local Account’, an annual report reflecting on the work of Adult Social Care
• Restarted the ‘real time’ experience survey to seek feedback from people, identify areas for improvement and to ask people if they want to get involved

Celebrating and Connecting with Practice

• Virtual networks and forums in place for staff engagement continued.
• Supporting Adult Social Care Celebration event.
• Keeping in touch with staff via the Adult Services E-Bulletin and ‘Let’s Talk’ sessions

Policy and Best Practice Guidance

• Chairing the Adult Services Policy Group, ensuring policy and public information are accessible to all relevant staff and up to date.
• Ensures adult social care takes account of NICE National Guidelines and part of a national research
  study on the use of Guidance.
• Author of key policies and guidance which has included ‘Decision Making Framework for Assessment Visits and Contacts’ reviewed, updated and produced a new suite of public information leaflets for Adult Social Care

Priorities for 2023/24

• To continue to embed strength-based tools and techniques in practice and ensure they are translating into strength-based conversations and recording
• To continue to focus on practice quality and to engage with the experience of people accessing Adult Social Care
• To prepare practice for adult social care reforms including CQC Assurance Frameworks