Global Social Work: UK System Re-design is Returning to Community Development Roots to Retain Experienced and Creative Social Workers on the Frontlines

Keeping experienced and creative social workers on the frontline

Devon county council has created a new model of working in order to enable valued staff to tap into local networks

Debbie Andalo, Guardian Professional, Tuesday 28 May 2013. 

Social worker Tamsin Lewis feels part of the North Devon seaside community in Ilfracombe where she works. Parents will often drop by at the children's centre where she is based on their way back from doing the school run because they know that's where they are likely to find her. Lewis feels the relationships she now has with families and children are stronger and that her partnership working is in a different league compared to when she was based in the regional office in Barnstaple 20 miles away.

Lewis says: "Today I am much more visible in the community and feel much more part of the Ilfracombe community. I get involved in things which I previously wouldn't have done, being here promotes working in partnership with other agencies. Being more visible has also supported my relationships with families and children – I feel much more responsive to their needs."

Lewis is convinced that being based in the locality was instrumental in the creation of a multi-agency project supporting teenage girls at the local college who were being sexually exploited, or in danger of being exploited, by older men. She says: "I don't think it would have happened if I was still based in Barnstaple. I think actually being in the community and working in partnership with other professionals on a daily basis made the difference rather than spreading myself thinly over a larger patch with so many different schools and different professionals."

The success of the health and wellbeing project is testament to the Back to Social Work programme which is transforming the way in which children and families teams work at Devon county council, which is the second largest local authority in England. The council is behind a new model of working which evolved following meetings last year with its social care workforce about how they could deliver services in a different way.

Rory McCallum, Devon's head of child and adult protection says: "It was about creating a system which values social work expertise, keeping our most talented and creative staff on the frontline and reclaiming a traditional way of working that is focused on 'doing the right thing' and not simply 'doing things right'."

Teams of social workers have traditionally been based in regional offices and, typically, individuals could spend two hours travelling from one side of their patch to another to visit children and families. The council decided to create a network of smaller teams each based in a locality. Every team is led by an advanced professional (AP) – a specialist role aimed at keeping experienced social workers on the frontline rather than losing them to management. The AP works alongside two qualified social workers and two family practitioners.

The plan is that the teams will "be hardwired" into the network of established learning communities in Devon which are centred around children's centres and schools.

McCallum says: "We wanted to harness that local connectivity and build on relationships with partner agencies to make a real difference within our communities." The council has maintained its central Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), is pushing ahead with co-locating its child protection teams with the police, and has created a specialist child sexual exploitation and missing children team staffed with social workers and youth workers.

McCallum says: "We want to push this model of sharing working space wherever it makes sense to do so, particularly when you look at the benefits that it brings in terms of developing relationships with key professionals – you aren't going to get that sitting in your office talking to somebody on the phone a couple of times a week."

The council is currently rolling out the new locality model and is looking to increase its AP workforce from 14 to 56: "We're looking for social workers with real passion and drive to make a difference, every day, to the families who need them. It isn't so much about how long they have been a social worker for, but more about their skills, knowledge, desire to find innovative solutions and work flexibly with others. It's about appointing people who have the right attitude – the grit and determination to succeed – coupled with that drive, energy and positive attitude," McCallum says.

Devon county council also wants to recruit another 22 family practitioners bringing the total to 90. As McCallum says: "This is about creating more 'doers' in the system, skilled staff who can engage with people, develop relationships and bring about positive change." McCallum is confident that the new skills mix will bring more "shared ownership" of casework – expected to be around 60 cases per team – and create a culture of reflective practice with APs taking on a mentoring role and demonstrating their skills and knowledge to their team.

Having the opportunity to mentor other social workers, increased autonomy and being able to stay on the frontline all appealed to Lewis when she decided to apply for an AP role a year ago.

Lewis says: "Being an AP kept me in the front line and allows me to continue to practice which is why I and a lot of other people go into social work in the first place. I still wanted to work with children and families but this AP role gives me an additional dimension because of my responsibilities within the team. I think if this role hadn't come along I might have gone for a practice manager job – but I would have been a very frustrated one as I would have always wanted to be going out with the social workers."