Managing challenges
Standard 1: Strong and clear social work framework
Strong and Clear Social Work Framework
Making leadership effective
Organisational change needs committed leadership but relying on one person is not sustainable. To ensure lasting improvement, leadership needs to be distributed and deeply embedded in the entire system. This ensures a broader base of support.
Improving clarity on tasks
Lack of clarity about roles and tasks can lead to lower job satisfaction. It also causes anxiety and defensive actions, diverting attention from main responsibilities. For instance, social workers may concentrate on case recording instead of prioritising time for crucial face-to-face interactions.
Promoting anti-racism strategies
Only 26% of employees experience a balance of 'high support and high challenge'. Minority ethnic group social workers often face unfair scrutiny. It is crucial to take anti-racist actions to fight structural discrimination.
Fostering a climate of psychological safety has been shown to enable a culture where high support and high challenge is more readily received. That should be from the highest levels of the organisation. Employer standard 5: Supervision details tools for leaders. These tools will help create such a supportive culture which will promote anti-racist practices.
Applying insights from practitioners
Strategies that work in one local area might not work in another. It's important to value practitioners' insights and recognise existing good practices. This is crucial when developing new models or frameworks. Success needs support from the entire system. Without it, or with only partial support, efforts may fail.
Organisations should concentrate on reflective feedback rather than monitoring. By doing so, you can improve people's wellbeing and help them to learn from their mistakes. Learning-focused cultures create a safe environment for staff. This encourages open, fear-free expression and improves workforce wellbeing.
Making the workplace a place for open discussion
Social work is challenging and complex. Practitioners can worry about assessment of their resilience or capability. It's vital to provide a safe space for open discussion, free of judgement. Such an environment is important for reflection, learning, and better practice.
Helping staff adjust to frequent change
At times, practitioners resist change and reject new methods. Frequent changes in organisations can lead to change fatigue. This causes stress, burnout, and a desire to leave. It lowers motivation and performance, building a resistant atmosphere.
References
This is the list of research and evidence sources used to produce this section. Publicly available links are included.
Bostock, L., and Newlands, F. (2020). Scaling and deepening the Reclaiming Social Work model. Evaluation report. Department for Education.
GOV.UK (no date) Writing about ethnicity.
Mckinsey (2021). Psychological safety and the critical role of leadership development.
McNeish, D. (2017). What have we learned about good social work systems and practice? Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme Thematic Report 1 Department for Education.
Menzies, Lyth I. E.P. (1974). Task and Anti-Task: Paper read to the Conference of the Association for the Psychiatric Study of Adolescents.
Peach,J., and Horner, N. (2007). Using Supervision: Support or surveillance. Social Work: A companion for learning. London: Sage.
What Works Centre for Children's Social Care (2022). Anti-racism report.
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The resources have been developed by
Research in Practice
in collaboration with
DfE.
Published: 30 October 2024
Last updated: 30 October 2024
Published: 30 October 2024
Last updated: 30 October 2024