Social Work Degree Apprenticeship to launch

After much anticipation, the county council is about to launch a new Social Work Degree Apprenticeship (SWDA) in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

The SWDA is open to People employees who are involved in direct work with children and adults, including (but not limited to), Child and Family Workers, Adult Social Care Workers, Health and Wellbeing Coaches.

The SWDA will lead to a BA Social Work (Hons) which provides eligibility to apply to join the social work register. The programme will begin in September 2019 and there are 12 places available, six available in Children's and six in Adult's across the county.

Applications will open on Thursday 30 May - If you would like to find out more and discuss the entry requirements and commitment, come along to an information session*:

• Workington - Helena Thompson Museum, Park End Road, CA144DE - Wednesday 29 May 10am - 12pm
• Penrith - Eden Rural Foyer, Old London Road, CA118ET - Wednesday 29 May 2.30pm - 4.30pm
• Kendal - County Hall, Busher Walk, LA94RQ - Wednesday 5 June 2.30pm - 4.30pm

*Please arrive for the start times shown. 

+ Find out more and apply on MY LEARNING

Update on Adult Social Care redesign from Cath Whalley, Assistant Director Adults

"The response to the employee consultation on the Adult Social Care redesign has been fantastic so far, with over 140 submissions to the reshaping mailbox and I would like to thank everyone who has taken part. We have now completed Mid Point meetings, and the consultation window will remain open until the end of May. If you haven’t already had your say, or if you have a question that hasn’t already been covered in the FAQs on the website, please do submit this to the website – this is your opportunity to get involved in reshaping Adult Social Care in Cumbria.

"Following consultation, and once the new structure has been finalised, we will look at assimilation and vacancy preferences. Outcomes will be confirmed later in the year and it is the ambition to have the final structure in place by 2020. Proposed key changes in the new structure include Senior Managers and teams being aligned to a specific service area (rather than geographical area), as well as a new Safeguarding Team and an On Call rota for Senior and Service Managers. It’s hoped that the new structure will allow us to develop new ways of working that will promote the independence of adults with care and support needs in Cumbria, and help us to meet the increasing demand for services."

+ INFORMATION ON THE REDESIGN

Have you had your Team Brief?

May's Team Brief was released earlier this month and hopefully you've had chance to discuss. 

Team Brief is about conversation and ensuring all employees have the opportunity to discuss the key goings on that are relevant to them. Ideally the majority of colleagues will receive Team Brief from their manager face to face.

If you have not yet received Team Brief from your manager copies are available from the following links: - Children and Young People - Integration and Partnerships - Provider Services - Education and Skills - Public Health - Adult Social Care

If you have any comments or feedback please email People.News@cumbria.gov.uk. 

Jodie conquers 40 mile K2B challenge

Last month, Jodie, one of our looked after young people, completed the 40 mile route from Keswick to Barrow as part of the K2B challenge.

Jodie was supported throughout the day by Rosemere Cancer Trust support crew, her Nanna and her social worker Rachael Denning. Despite feet full of blisters and walking a continuous 14 hours never wavered.

Huge congratulations for a great achievement!

Best Interest Assessor training opportunities

Cumbria County Council is working in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to provide the opportunity for Social Workers and Occupational Therapists to train to become Best Interest Assessors. Practitioners need to have at least two years post qualifying experience and the support of their manager to undertake the training, which requires attendance at 5 days taught by University lecturers and a Barrister, completion of an assignment, an exam and shadowing of a qualified BIA, which we will arrange in house.

The training will take place in Kendal, on June 19th, 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th. Following successful completion of the training, practitioners will be qualified and expected to undertake Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards assessments in line with council requirements. Practitioners working at Enhanced level are particularly encouraged to consider applying.

+ MORE INFORMATION contact Becky Squires, Professional Practice Coordinator.

Social Worker recruitment campaign launched

A new campaign to recruit experienced children's social workers launched this week as the council continues to bolster its workforce in areas around the county.

There's some great permanent opportunities available including Social Workers, Enhanced Social Workers and Team Managers.

If you know a perfect candidate please help spread the word (share this link), or to find out more please contact Sonyia.Curran@cumbria.gov.uk  or Jeanette.Maye@cumbria.gov.uk.

Horticare plant sale this week

Cumbria County Council’s Horticare in Kendal is hosting a plant sale between Tuesday 21 and Friday 24 May at their Wattsfield Road site (54 Wattsfield Road, Kendal, LA9 5JN). A variety of gardening items, including summer bedding, hanging baskets, shrubs and perennials grown by the Horticare team, will be available.

The plant sale is an annual highlight in the Horticare calendar, with staff and service users working hard in the weeks prior to the event to make up the beautiful hanging baskets and displays that will be on offer.

+ The sale takes place daily, 10.30am - 2.30pm, between Tuesday 21 and Friday 24 May.

Walking for Health

Active Cumbria are currently recruiting an army of walk leaders for the new Cumbria Walking for Health Scheme. Active Cumbria and Cumbria County Council have joined the National Walking for Health programme to increase the provision of guided and sustainable walking opportunities across the county.  Walking is the nation’s favourite physical activity, yet statistics show that 20% of adults in Cumbria do not walk for 10 minutes at least once per month. The new scheme will increase opportunities in an accessible and sociable way helping all kinds of people lead a more active lifestyle improving people’s quality of life and independence.

So far 54 people have attended the training from a range of organisations including Cumbria Libraries, Barnados, NCT West Cumbria, Workington Town Council, Groundwork, Heathlands Project, GLL, Age UK, Furness College, Leonard Cheshire and Life Leisure.

+ FIND OUT MORE.

New residents making themselves at home

This is an exciting time for those involved in the new care homes project. In Carlisle residents from Langrigg House and Petteril House are now settling into their new home at Burnrigg Court. The move ran smoothly and both staff and residents are enjoying being in the modern and spacious accommodation.

We caught up with Burnrigg Court Home Manager Tracy Bindokas (pictured right) to find out how they are getting on: “We’re all enjoying life and work in Burnrigg Court. Residents have been really positive about the change, and love having easy access to the gardens, and my team think the kitchens, laundry, and staff changing facilities are great.”

Progress continues to be made in Whitehaven. Our Copeland residents from Dentholme, Castle Mount and Brackenthwaite are due to move into The Gables this week. Families and the local communities will be invited to the opening events for both homes – dates soon to be announced.

New apprentice swaps Syria for Skiddaw

People's latest apprentice has had a more complicated route to her new career than most, to say the least.

Shireen is from Aoumda in Syria and aged 17 was forced to flee her hometown because of the war. Her family went to Iraqi Kurdistan where she volunteered with the United Nations as a Youth Leader at a Refugee Centre, supporting 12-15 year olds to develop resilience and carry on their studies after having been displaced. She worked there for three months before the centre closed and her father sadly passed away.

Facing difficult financial and housing issues in Iraq, Shireen and her mother had just made the decision to return to Syria when they were asked by the UN if they would like to move to England. They were then given just nine hours to pack up their entire belongings and begin their journey. 48 hours later Shireen and her mother were beginning a new life in the UK.

In the year since, Shireen and her family have had the challenge of integrating themselves into the English and Cumbrian ways of life and, although she describes mixed feelings, including anxiousness and sadness for leaving her friends and home behind, Shireen has thrown herself into making a new life in this country. She says she believes that “doing hard things makes you stronger” and she lives by her words, not only securing an apprenticeship but also learning English, volunteering in a local Carlisle charity shop as well as adjusting to a new country, culture and way of life. Shireen says she enjoys exploring her creative side through art and creative writing but has also recently became interested in climbing the fells in the Lakes, taking in the Cumbrian countryside.

Shireen begins her Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship - Level 2 with the Reablement Team in September and says she is looking forward to starting her new role. And no doubt we will be the better for having one more unique, hard-working and interesting individual within our team.

+ MORE ABOUT CCC APPRENTICESHIPS

Assistant Director - Adults, Cath Whalley, shares her reflections on last week's conference

"Last Thursday colleagues from across Children & Young People and Adult Social Care came together for an afternoon with Dr Andrew Turnell, Social Work Profession in Practice at Cumbria University.

"The focus of the afternoon was reclaiming social work – recognising the complexity of social work, and that text books and theoretical models don’t have all the answers when you are stood on someone’s door step who is in crisis, with the wide and varied emotions and circumstances that this situation can invoke.

"Andrew shared with the audience his work to develop the Signs of Safety approach and real examples to show why practitioners need to gather and grow intelligence to reflect the complexity of the situation they are facing to reach the best outcomes for the people they are working with.

"Although the focus was upon Andrew’s work with children and young people, so much of what he talked about absolutely resonated with the adult social care practitioners in the room. Whether the approach is called Signs of Safety or Strength based practice, the principles are the same.

"Social Work is not a job that anyone can do – but there is a risk that Social Workers are losing their professional identify through the focus upon procedures. It is going to take courageous practitioners and managers to challenge the status quo, and shift culture in order to become truly learning practitioners, managers and organisations.

"I think everyone in the room was inspired by Andrew, it was a real opportunity to reconnect us all and revisit our social work values and beliefs.

"At the end of the afternoon John Macilwraith closed the session, and reminded everyone in the room of the great work that social workers are doing every day in Cumbria to ensure that children, families, adults and carers are able to achieve their best lives. We were also reminded of the power of being brave and that by working together, sharing our experiences and knowledge, we really can improve outcomes and stake a claim for Social Work Practice!" 

Cath

You never stop learning as a social worker but a good start helps - latest blog from Chief Social Worker Lynn Romeo

"I recently attended the London Borough of Bexley Adult Social Work forum where I was delighted to meet consultant social worker, Nicola Shawyer. Her story of continuous professional development (CPD) to improve her practice, that of the students she supervises and its impact on improving outcomes for the people we serve, exemplifies why it is a major priority for the profession."

+ READ MORE

Electronic maternity notes now available to women across Cumbria

Women registering their pregnancy in Cumbria are now some of the first across the country to have access to electronic maternity notes, all via an app. The ‘Maternity Notes’ app is available to download to a smartphone or tablet, helps women track their pregnancy journey, keep a note of their ante-natal appointments and upload photos of themselves, their bump and eventually their baby. It also contains lots of information about baby’s development as they move through their pregnancy, and up to six weeks post-birth.

Since going live on 1 April, 100% of women registering a new pregnancy have signed up to the app through www.ncuh.nhs.uk/maternitybooking.

Best use of Local Area Research for Solway Views project

The Solway Views project is a resident led collaboration research project with Cumbria County Council, Allerdale Borough Council and the University of Lancaster and was awarded Highly Commended at this month's national LARIA (Local Area Research and Intelligence Association) Research Impact Awards.

The Award recognises how research has led to a greater understanding of a local area and an issue that is locally important e.g. vulnerability to employment. This research is being used to encourage evidence-based decision-making across partners and stakeholders within policy making in Allerdale.

+ MORE INFORMATION: Val Ayre, Public Health Locality Manager, to find out more.

Preventing Radicalisation in Cumbria

Vulnerable people, including children, young people and adults can be exploited by people who seek to involve them in terrorism or activity in support of terrorism.

In Cumbria, this exploitation is recognised by all partners, including the Police as a potential safeguarding issue. Guidance has been produced for all professionals working with children and adults for whom there are concerns that they are vulnerable and at risk of becoming involved in violent extremist activity.

This guidance can be found on the Local Safeguarding Children's Board website, and applies to both adults and children. 

County Lines Drama Workshop

The dangers of County Lines drug dealing are to be made real for hundreds of youngsters taking part in an innovative drama experience.

More than 1,000 pupils are to take part in a project run through the South Cumbria Community Safety Partnership aimed at combating the increasing problem of County Lines, which sees drugs gangs from cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, London and Liverpool targeting children and young people to sell drugs in Furness and South Lakeland.

The ATiC Theatre project, run over two weeks, will see Year 9s from schools take part in an immersive drama experience led by the Brewery Arts Centre in an exhibition space at the Cooke’s Buildings in Barrow and in an unused unit in the Westmorland Shopping Centre in Kendal.

Contact James Ducker at The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal on 01539 722833 to find out more.

Changes to the way the British Red Cross Mobility Aids Service operates

From 7 May 2019 the British Red Cross at Carlisle will be charging a weekly fee for the hire of mobility aids equipment. Wheelchair hire will be £15 per week, whilst hiring of other wheelchair accessories and toileting aids will cost £5 per week or less. This new way of operating enables the Red Cross to provide the Mobility Aids Service to an even greater number of people in need.

The Red Cross has reassured people that anyone who cannot afford to pay will not be turned away.

For further information please ring 0300 456 1914 or visit www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/borrow-a-wheelchair.

Cath Whalley, Assistant Director Adults, visits Alice Ridding, Occupational Therapist, South Lakes Occupational Therapy Team

Cath Whalley

I was delighted to receive an invitation to spend the morning shadowing Alice, to learn more about what it is like being an Occupational Therapist in Cumbria.

We started off at Bridge Mills, and I was able to experience first hand the Enhanced Duty Function, (EDF) which has now been expanded at Kendal to include dedicated Occupational Therapists. Alice talked me through how they log and progress work to ensure that no one is missed, and that those most in need are prioritised. What is really evident is how the EDF Team work together to share knowledge, skills and experience in order to achieve the best outcomes for those they support.

It was my absolute privilege to join Alice on a home visit. It really took me back to when I was a frontline practitioner, and a real reminder of why we do what we do – because we want to make a difference. The lady we visited was using her new OT equipment to get around the home safely. The equipment was helping her to live independently, without the need for formal care. It was also great to hear how Alice’s holistic, strength based approach, had led to the engagement of Age Concern – who have identified a number of lunch clubs and social opportunities for the lady to attend.

Thank you Alice for a really great morning, for sharing your time with me. Your enthusiasm and passion for your profession really shone through and certainly inspired me. I learned a great deal about being an OT in Kendal.

Alice Ridding

It was lovely spending the morning with Cath. We discussed the recently implemented Occupational Therapy Enhanced Duty Function (EDF) which has been running within South Lakes for the last few weeks. It was good to give Cath an insight into the challenges, assets and resources that we have in Kendal and the surrounding rural areas.

We also visited a lady at home to review how she was managing with her prescribed equipment. This equipment has increased her independence and reduced the risk of further falls, and was having a very positive impact upon her health and wellbeing, enabling her to access the local community and reducing her social isolation.

I really enjoyed the morning, Cath was very approachable and interested to hear how things work in our team.

"Simply brilliant!"

Tommy Wilson is a Business Support Administrator, who works within People for Adult Social Care.  Tommy carries out a wide and varied role, supporting a variety of functions, often at short notice. 

Colleagues say nothing is ever too much trouble for Tommy and he is a pleasure to work with. One of the recent happy customer said:

"Once again I want to say a huge thank-you for your support with our 2 day recruitment process this week. Once again Tommy was simply brilliant - he was organised, supportive, and a great help to the team and interviewees. It’s been a pleasure to work with him again."

+ Send you compliments to People.News@cumbria.gov.uk