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Welcome to the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership newsletter.
In this newsletter, we will keep you informed on updates, developments, events, masterclasses, best practice and research, within the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership.
In this edition:
Hello everyone!
Hope you are all safe and well during this challenging time. I would like to begin by telling you all a little about my journey so far as a social worker. I have been a social worker for 15 years. How time flies! I graduated from The University of Nottingham in 2005 and began my first job within Walsall Children’s Services within the Initial Response Service before moving into the Safeguarding and Family Support Service. This was a great experience and provided me with a good basis for my social work career. It was also at this time I became a Practice Educator and realised that I enjoyed assisting others achieve their full potential. By enabling others, I myself, grew as a professional.
After 6 years, I then moved on to working for an independent fostering agency as a supervising social worker and then a short time in a residential parenting assessment unit as a case manager. In 2016, I returned to Walsall Childrens Services as a Practice Development Co-ordinator where I have remained until now. I love my job as it allows me the opportunity to support children’s services in developing their workforce and enabling social workers to be the best they can.
Continue reading.
Sukhvir Kaur Dhillon, Consultant Social Worker, West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership
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The West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership are working in conjunction with Prospera Tedam to deliver training on Culturally Sensitive Social Work Assessments & Intervention.
This 1-day training will focus on social work assessments and encourage practitioners to use new and contemporary frameworks in their assessments and interventions with service users and their families. It is aimed at enhancing participants understanding of cultural competence, anti- racist and anti-oppressive practice.
The session will also introduce participants to the MANDELA model and the 4D2P Framework. The MANDELA model developed in 2012, is a relationship building tool which supports anti-racist practice in social work.
Training dates
- Thursday 3 September 2020
- Thursday 12 November 2020
- Thursday 21 January 2021
Read for more information and book on.
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Have you recorded your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) at your online Social Work England account?
All social practitioners are reminded to take the opportunity to record CPD ahead of applying to renew your social work registration. This now takes place annually from 1 September to 30 November.
Social Work England have developed guidance and support on CPD through their website, to support this process.
Don't forget to include any training or development you have gained through our Teaching Partnership.
Social Work England are also holding information sessions across the region. Find out more.
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The West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership in conjunction with Siobhan Maclean are holding webinars for Practice Educators.
Supporting student learning in a virtual world (9 September 10am - 11:30am via Zoom)
This will consider the impact of current ways of working on student learning. What should a contemporary practice learning curriculum look like? Drawing on traditional learning theories we will explore how practice educators can support student social workers to learn and develop their practice when placement learning environments look so different. Issues around situated learning and arranging learning opportunities to help students demonstrate the PCF domains will be addressed. The session will include feedback from students about learning in the contemporary climate. The perennial learning issues of theory and practice and reflective practice will be considered in terms of changed ways of working.
Supervision in a virtual world (14 October 10am - 11:30am via Zoom)
Building on the first webinar, this session will consider what a good reflexive supervision looks like in contemporary practice. How do you provide emotionally supportive supervision in a virtual space? Once again, the session will draw on feedback from students. Some short clips of reflective supervision will be shared with some interactive elements. Practical hints and tips will provided to enable practice educators to add to their current supervision toolkit.
Assessment in practice education in a virtual world (3 November 10am - 11:30am via Zoom)
This webinar will explore triangulation of assessment in the virtual world. This will involve considering questions like - How do you undertake a direct observation of virtual practice? What should this look (and feel) like? How does contemporary practice link with the assessment requirements in social work practice? What are some of the barriers and enablers in terms assessment for practice educators? The specific issue about how to have a ‘courageous conversation’ and provide feedback to students in virtual spaces will be explored.
Read more information and book on.
The Social Work Apprenticeship was new to Staffordshire University in 2020 and was an exciting opportunity for individuals working in social care roles in our local partner agencies to embark on a journey to become a social worker via the apprenticeship route.
The course began in January 2020 and we have successfully recruited 29 apprentices from 4 big partner agencies onto the 3 year BA (Hons) Social Work degree (included within an apprenticeship standard). All of our apprentices have come from different educational and social care backgrounds and have embraced the challenge of academic studies alongside their job roles.
Read more.
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University of Wolverhampton are offering 4 Practice Educator refresher sessions to social work practice educators (stage 1 and stage 2).
The sessions will be online (Microsoft Teams Meeting) for a duration of 2 hours: 10am-12noon. The format for each session will be the same: delivery of content, short break, consideration of tools to support practice educators and Q&As.
Book on and view upcoming dates.
The Social Work Learning Academy (SWLA) was originally developed and implemented in July 2016 initially with a membership of 40 ‘s75’ Adult Mental Health social care colleagues. Roll out of core membership has proved hugely successful over the previous 2 years following the merger of South Staffordshire and Shropshire Foundation Trust (SSSFT) and Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership Trust (SSOTP) to become Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (MPFT). Consequently a total of 423 members/associate members including our non-professionally regulated workforce have joined the SWLA.
In real terms; since inception the SWLA has provided 356 ‘My Time’ continuing professional staff development panels, 147 specifically related to SSOTP colleagues who were prioritized in relation to information garnered from their SWLA checklist and service priorities. Additional panels, including access to the knowledge based SWLA sharepoint site are now booked throughout the year with the aim of offering accessibility to professional development, policy, practice and supportive guidance alongside Principal Social Worker discussions.
Continue reading.
Karen Nixon, Principal Social Worker, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
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 The West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership and the Art of Brilliance have teamed up to develop and share bite-sized wellbeing sessions.
The video sessions will share key messages based on the science of wellbeing, happiness and flourishing that are thought provoking, memorable and most of all, can make real difference to helping us all shine during these testing times.
The modules are:
Introduction to The Art of Being Brilliant
Introducing positive psychology and 2%ers, this session looks at why we all need a ’thinking upgrade’; what barriers can stifle personal brilliance and how making a simple yet profound choice becomes a game changer. One day... or Day One; you decide.
Business as Unusual
Accepting the goalposts just got burned and certainty feels like it evaporated, how can we adapt, cope and even dance on the shifting carpet of unprecedented change? This session includes 4 tips for effective home working and how to start your day with the Four Minute Rule.
Mental Wealth
Staying upbeat and positive just got a lot harder. This video contains top tips on how to maintain a spring in your step in a world that’s hell bent on knocking us sideways. Including mindfulness and strategies that help build mental resilience and ‘Bouncebackability’.
Sessions will be added to our YouTube channel over the next few weeks. Read more information.
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