PSW Annual Report

Please find the link for the Annual Principal Social Worker report for 2024 / 25

Over the previous year, across all our social work services covering Bradford and District, Adult Social Workers have continued to work hard on the frontline, offering the people they support our professional advice, guidance and supportive interventions to help ensure that people remain healthy, happy and where possible, at home. One of the main outcomes of last year’s Adult Principal Social Worker report concluded that our support would be better served if social workers were supported in getting to know their communities better, looking at what prevention opportunities were available, and using that knowledge to concentrate on a comprehensive workforce development offer that supported them to be true community practitioners.

Whilst there is clear evidence that social workers are becoming increasingly embedded in communities and feeling comfortable with locality based working, there is more that needs to be done in this area. Through our Quality Audit approach, there is a consistent theme that social workers remain less confident in understanding the locality offer and that they feel more support is needed in this area. The rationalisation of office buildings, and the wider role of hybrid working, although very helpful and welcome in providing flexibility, continue to pose a challenge in terms of how social workers practice and how this style of working may inhibit community and locality approaches, and this is something we need to consider going forward.

During the year, social workers have subsequently received support from commissioning colleagues via training to help understand what localities offer, particularly around universal services so that we may be more preventative in our approach, and there is now a clearer understanding of tools such as Connect to Support. In addition, across Older Peoples services, social workers are working well through Community Led Support, including hosting a regular market stall to increase awareness. This service also works in close partnership with community wardens in the heart of localities and in a preventative and inclusive approach. Similarly, our Adults with Disability social work staff now have community desks or spaces available in the heart of services, such as Keighley People First, enabling them to be more connected and accessible and jointly share space with people that they support.

The previous year has remained exceptionally challenging for many people who draw on the support of social workers. Supporting people to remain as safe as possible, whilst recognising the most difficult of socio-economic conditions that they face, is increasingly proving to be our most significant intervention. Social Workers, working around the clock, seven days a week, have risen to the challenge. We provide timely and compassionate support and offer hope to many people who feel that the situation is without hope or a compassionate response from others.

This years Principal Social Worker Annual Report is slightly different to previous years. This is so that we can recognise and celebrate the diversity of the support offered to people by adult social workers. The report is based on three distinct parts, held together by a commitment to our social work practice model.

Part One of the report focuses on Our Social Work Workforce. Despite undoubted financial difficulties faced by the council this year, the offer to support the adult social work workforce is a high priority across the Adult Social Care Department. As such, our offer to Social Workers is about ensuring that they feel safe practicing adult social work in Bradford. That joining Bradford Council, as either a new or as an experienced social worker, is an attractive offer for those looking for work. Our practice model reflects our commitment to ensuring that our staff are highly trained, legally literate and are consistent in their approach towards upholding human rights through every intervention we provide to those who have adult social workers in their lives.

Part Two of the report will focus on Our Social Work Services. Here we will reflect on how all our services work to provide opportunities for people to experience social care support in a way that opens up possibilities, ensures people remain in control of their lives, and works with professionals to recognise that the person themselves is the expert of their individual circumstances. From supporting young people who are ‘preparing for adulthood’, through early intervention in the Independence and Advice Hub, our Older Peoples Services, Mental Health Services and our newly created Adults with Disabilities Services, these are shared values. Underpinning our social work support is also the unwavering commitment to ensure people remain as safe as possible whilst remaining in control of how we approach adult safeguarding and the safeguarding of their legal rights via our Mental Capacity Act Service.

Finally, Part Three of this year’s report focuses on Our Social Work Values. This is the area of adult social work practice which is quietly continually taking place. The best social work is often discrete, under the radar and preventative, recognising issues of stigma. Our social work values underpin the work we do and in part three we will focus on our approaches to enable people to be involved in democratic decisions such as Promote the Vote, our work in partnership with people around the Peoples Forum and how it will help govern our approach, and how we work to support those people in Bradford who are with us for an immediate transition period in hotels and seeking basic support, such as clothes, shoes and children’s toys. This part of our report will also focus on how our social workers demonstrate their commitment to public service values in action. Given the diversity of Bradford and District, it will also recognise where we are investing in our cultural competency in allyship with the beautiful, rich diversity of the people we support.

I am exceptionally proud and grateful of the adult social work support that is delivered throughout the year in Bradford. This report will highlight how Adult Social Workers make a difference and continue to provide sanctuary, safety and hope to many.

Rob Mitchell

Principal Social Worker Annual Report 2024/25

Raising Expectations key documents

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