Masterclass: Evolving systemic practice within adult social care

Systemic practice is familiar to many social work professionals, but almost always within a children and families setting.

In adult social care in Essex, senior leaders challenged the service to become and own systemic practice. Using specific models of theory and practice we want to continue to improve our understanding of the adults who we work with, and who in their lives is important, or challenging to them.

We fully believe this will result in less invasive, more person-centred work. We want to embed systemic practices in every part of the service, and we would like to bring you on the journey we are currently on, to develop the conditions for all staff to be practicing in a systemic way. We will be delivering this session with Collective Space, our partners in the work we are undertaking.

Learning outcomes:

• Dispelling the myths that systemic practice is only for children’s social workers
• Translating systemic practice into adult social care – slowing down to speed up
• Creating the right conditions: systemic, not systems and the challenges for creating the conditions of success
• Questions as interventions: the skill of reflexivity and being curious

Brid Boraks, service manager, adult social care, Essex County Council

Liz Bosanquet, director, Collective Space

Helen MacIsaac, service manager, adult social care, Essex County Council