Social work’s key bodies and organisations are under radical transformation. If you are uncertain how this will affect your rights and requirements as a professional, this is your opportunity to have your questions answered by our expert panel comprising the top social work professional bodies.
Panel members will also be delivering a related workshop on 19 May. This will provide an opportunity to hear an evaluation of the key questions and concerns that have been raised by professionals during the Advice Clinic and to receive clarification on these.
Attending organisations of the Advice Clinic comprise:
Approved Mental Health Practitioners (AMHP)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Mental health
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW)
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CafCass)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Court Proceedings
Community Care Inform (www.ccinform.co.uk)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Using information resources to build learning and development into everyday practice
The Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Practice and Workforce Issues – Children
Croydon Council: Children, Young People and Learners (CYPL)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Children and families workforce issues
Health Professions Council (HPC)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Regulation and Inspection
Research in Practice (RIP)
The Social Care Association (SCA)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Professional Employment and Indemnity Insurance
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Adult safeguarding, Transformation, Dignity in Care and practice
Skills for Care (SfC)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Newly Qualified Social Workers
UNISON
Topic for Advice Clinic: Legal advice from Thompsons solicitors
Overview of organisations:
Approved Mental Health Practitioners (AMHP)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Mental health
Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) are trained to implement coercive elements of the Mental Health Act 1983, as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007, in conjunction with medical practitioners. Come and meet local authority and NHS Trust representatives from Barnet; South West London and St Georges hospital; Surrey; Hertforshire; Hampshire; Kensington and Chelsea; Enfield and Bexley.
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW)
BASW is a professional association for social work in the UK, which promotes the best possible social work services for all people who may need them, while also securing the well-being of social workers.
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CafCass)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Court Proceedings
Cafcass is independent of the courts, social services, education and health authorities and all similar agencies.Cafcass operates within the law set by Parliament and under the rules and directions of the family courts to:
- Safeguard and promote the welfare of children
- Give advice to the family courts
- Make provision for children to be represented
- Provide information, advice and support to children and their families
Cafcass champions the interests of children involved in family proceedings, advising the family courts in England on what it considers to be in the best interests of individual children.
Community Care Inform (www.ccinform.co.uk)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Using information resources to build learning and development into everyday practice
Community Care Inform puts a wealth of professionally-critical legal, practice and research information at the fingertips of practitioners working with children and families; enabling them to confidently make, and evidence, knowledge informed decisions and assessments.
Dedicated trainers work with subscribing organisations to ensure that individual users are fully supported and the benefits of using the site are fully exploited.
The Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Practice and Workforce Issues – Children
The CWDC leads workforce reform, improving chances for children and young people throughout the country.
CWDC joins up the way different agencies work, bringing consistency to the way children and young people are listened to and looked after. CWDC are the voice of employers, making sure their concerns, experiences and views directly influence workforce reform.
Croydon Council: Children, Young People and Learners (CYPL)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Children and families workforce issues
Health Professions Council (HPC)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Regulation and Inspection
The HPC is a regulator, set up to protect the public. To do this, The HPC keeps a register of health professionals who meet specific standards for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health.
The HPC currently regulates 15 health professions and is due to take on the regulatory functions of the social work profession from Summer 2012.
Research in Practice (RIP)
RIP builds the capacity for evidence-informed practice in children’s services supports the use of evidence-informed practice to improve the lives of children, young people and families.
RIP’s work brings together practitioner expertise with formal research evidence – creating new knowledge, new skills and a new energy to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families.
The Social Care Association (SCA)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Professional Employment and Indemnity Insurance
SCA is a UK organisation of individuals and corporate organisations involved in social care. This means all service user groups, children and adults. This means all job roles – Supporting Caring and Assisting people to live the kind of life they want with choice and independence.
The SCA:
- Develops ideas from practitioners about how they do their job and where it works best
- Shares good practice with members
- Respond to problems in practice to develop solutions and produce guidance to help social care professionals be the best that they can be
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Adult safeguarding, Transformation, Dignity in Care and practice
SCIE identifies and spreads knowledge about good practice to the large and diverse social care workforce, supporting the delivery of transformed, personalised social care services.
SCIE aims to reach and influence practitioners, managers and the sector leadership who have responsibility for service delivery in adults’ and children’s services. SCIE also recognises the central role of people who use services, children, young people, their families and their carers, and we aim to ensure their experience and expertise is reflected in all aspects of our work.
Skills for Care (SfC)
Topic for Advice Clinic: Newly Qualified Social Workers
Skills for Care is the employer led authority on the training standards and development needs of more than 1.6 million adult social care staff in England. Skills for Care provides over £25 million in funding to support improved training and qualifications for managers and staff.
Skills for Care works with over 40,600 establishments offering adult social care and training providers - both regionally and nationally - to establish standards and qualifications that will equip social care workers with the skills and knowledge needed to deliver an improved standard of care
UNISON
Topic for Advice Clinic: Legal advice from Thompsons solicitors
UNISON members are entitled to advice and support with employment-related problems.
Legal advice and representation on employment issues is provided through UNISON’s solicitors Thompsons.
UNISON membership also entitles you to a range of other legal services such as personal injury, advice on challenging clinical negligence, advice and representation if they face criminal charges arising out of their work, wills and conveyancing and immigration issues affecting employment.