The learning from inspections showed that a unified practice approach showed better outcomes for children and families. Ross says: “Ofsted’s judgement of good with outstanding leadership was certainly welcomed but we were already committed to this whole system change. One of the evaluations of FSH was that all team members attended motivational interviewing training from June to December 2015. Hertfordshire pioneered FSH from 2014 prior to its Ofsted inspections a year later. It makes it so much easier than having to trawl through lots of case notes.” “With this system, there is a proof of what you are doing, the outcome of the work and if there is a need to revisit aspects of that work or liaise with other agencies, identify any barriers, it is easier to identify that in the ‘workbook’. All interactions with the families, parents and children are documented in a new ‘workbook’ recording system, which acts as a single platform that managers, social workers and adult workers can access. ![]() Social workers are encouraged to analyse the questions they are asking families, ensure these questions are open and make sure they are listening to what the families, parents and children tell them. “When families feel like they have control in shaping their life, it helps to reduce conflict, which has a positive knock-on effect for the child and family and reduces the need to escalate cases and is less stressful for the social worker.” “This helps to reduce conflict and encourages families to look more objectively at their issues,” he says. ![]() We are helping to motivate the families to make changes rather than just going out and collating the information and telling people what they should do.” Motivational interviewingĪccording to Ross Williams, Deputy Programme Director for Strengthening Families Protecting Children, Family Safeguarding Hertfordshire (FSH), MI teaches social workers to be sympathetic to families and the challenges they face through an empathetic and supportive approach. “But now the process has become more collaborative. “Before FSH and MI was introduced, we would go out and see the family, write down our observations and file our reports,” she says. “It has been a massive improvement on what we had previously,” she says. Social workers liaise with staff that have expertise in domestic abuse, substance misuse and mental health, and use motivational interviewing (MI) – a communication style – to help families take the lead in changing negative behaviours in their lives.įor Lydia, who worked in Hertfordshire before and after the roll out of FSH, the transformation has been crystal clear. I could have stayed in agency longer but FSH was one of the reasons why I decided to become permanent,” she says.įSH aims to improve the quality of support social workers offer families, parents and children, and fosters partnerships with agencies, such as health (including mental health), probation and substance misuse services, to enrich how that support is delivered. ![]() “I returned to children’s services at Hertfordshire County Council as agency staff for three months after a career break. Increase your knowledge and skillset and help make a difference to the lives of children and their families in Hertfordshire.įor consultant social worker Lydia Sandiford, the introduction of the Family Safeguarding Hertfordshire (FSH) model was the trigger she needed to switch from working agency to becoming a permanent staff member.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |