lyn romeo-enfield-adults-2014-11-21

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Future of Social Work with Adults – Challenges and Opportunities

Lyn Romeo

Chief Social Worker for Adults

Twitter: @LynRomeo_CSW

[email protected]

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As Chief Social Worker for Adults my role is to:

• Provide an expert voice for social work in government. Advising/influencing national policy and legislation.

• Continue the reform of social work education,training and practice.

• Improve the wider public’s perceptions and understanding of the role and value of social work in improving people’s lives.


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Changing landscape in health and social care


Policy Drivers – Integration, Personalisation, Outcomes-focused

Care Act 2014

Mental Capacity Act / DOLSMental Health Act - Code of Practice

Dementia strategy,Autism strategy,

Transitions to adulthoodWinterbourne view

Service DE – approaches to local authority commissioning

Integrated health and social care providers (Better Care Fund)

Integrated Mental Health Services

Integrated responses with primary care

Social enterprises / community interest companies (CICs)

Standards and Regulation

Chief Social Workers for Children& Adults, education reform, AYSE, CPD

Refreshed employer standardsPrinciple Social Workers

HCPC regulationsTCSW/BASW

Research & EvidenceCare Act regulations & guidance

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The Care Act is built around people


Puts personal budgets on a legislative footing for the

first time.

Ensures that people’s well-being and the outcomes which matter to them,

will be at the heart of every decision that is made.

Independent Advocacy.

Creates a new focus

on preventing and delaying

needs for care and support, rather than only

intervening at crisis point.

Puts carers on the same footing as those they care for.

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Repositioning of social workin adult social care


Promote social workers as the lead professional

responsible for personalised, integrated care and supports

– especially:

• Prevention – promoting independence and resilience

• Assessment or review of an individual or carer with complex social care needs

• Supervising safeguarding enquiries

• Transition to adulthood

Social workers have the qualifications,

knowledge and skills to work:

- with complexity, risk and conflict

- Operate within a legal framework

- therapeutically and in the community

- with capacity and mental health needs

- to shape the social care market

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Opportunities for innovative social work practice


Task-centred/problem-solving

Person-centred interventions which make a real difference

to people’s lives

Strengths and community-based

approaches

Making safeguarding personal approach

Micro-providers/ innovative use of personal budgets

Family systemic

approaches

Attachment based strategies with adults

Motivational approaches

Inter-disciplinary team approaches

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Ability to make a difference


Social Worker

Carer

“Working with a man living in squalor, eating out of bins and very unkempt and neglecting all personal and nutritional care....the work

done with this man has made a vast difference to his life. He was shunned and discriminated against by neighbours, schoolchildren and

others in the community. It seems he has lost all self-respect, however this is gradually

coming back in very small stages...”

“It was the social worker who was the greatest professional support and put me in touch with a wonderful independent carer who helped to look after mum at home for the last few months before

she needed residential care. Of all the professionals, she had the most hands-on

understanding”

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Challenges for Social Work Practice


Renewed focus on•Maximising independence and choice

•Strong legal literacy

•Positive risk-taking

•Working with other professionals

•Leadership at all levels

Away from•Procedure and process-driven approaches to assessment and care planning

Will mean•Professional responsibility for continuous professional development

•Common values, ethics and models of interventions across adults’ and children’s services

Social work must deepen its knowledge and skills if it is to respond to the transformation of health and social care

•Changing expectations of care and support – user of services as equal partner; strengths/asset-based approaches

•Responding to meet the challenges arising from demographic changes – aging population, dementia, long-term conditions, mental health, financial constraints

Requires: Workforce planning, organisational commitment to social work and access to quality assured CPD

lyn romeo-enfield-adults-2014-11-21

Government & Nonprofit