Support and training

The Learning and Development Offer is delivered through a combination of virtual and face to face methods to assure flexibility and improved access. It has been informed by the continuous improvement cycle set out in our Children’s Services Quality Assurance Framework. It is important that we have clear council plans to make sure we are moving in the right  direction to “protect, care and invest to create a better borough”.

This includes:

• We continue to model Systemic Practice and have an ongoing training offer for our staff. Our Systemic Team facilitate PODS and Systemic consultations.
• We have adopted Motivational Interviewing and it’s principles with a clear focus on empowering families.
• We have a strong links with local Universities and the Apprenticeship Scheme and continue to promote the learning from academic study within practice. We are a member of the West Midlands Teaching partnership and continue to contribute to their training and development programme.
• Telford & Wrekin Council is committed to developing the careers of its social workers through learning and development opportunities, including vocational and academic routes, which allow social workers to demonstrate their professional progression within the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) and the Knowledge and Skills Statements (KSS).
• We are further strengthening our focus to reflection and wellbeing and are reviewing our supervision approach, in line with our refreshed supervision policy.
• We recognise a need to continue to develop our practice in line with the national context of Social Work and context of the recent national pandemic and our training plan is very much informed by these developments. As part of closing the loop between national and local learning, we have implemented Community of Practice sessions to ensure that the learning from National Reviews and the National Panel is incorporated into our practice and disseminated within our work force.
• We have close links with the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care to ensure that the latest findings of research are implemented into our practice and shared within our Local Authority.
• The Principal Social Worker continues to disseminate relevant learning to the teams which is then discussed within the Community of Practice forums and Team meetings.
• We are continuing to support our ASYE’s within their practice in collaboration with Adults Services. We have refreshed our training plan in terms of the generic support offered to ASYE’s and hold monthly group supervision sessions in relation to the KSS and PCF in addition to facilitating bespoke training to ASYE’s within their own area of work.

Last updated: 22/03/2022 10:19