When newly qualified social worker Sophie Mirembe joined Barking and Dagenham council’s assessment team in 2014, she initially did so because it was conveniently close to her home. Now, almost two years on, she realises the London borough has a lot more to offer than a short commute.
“If there is somebody out there who is looking for an opportunity to learn and to be challenged and to discover who they really are as a social worker, then Barking and Dagenham is excellent,” she explains. Mirembe adds that the diverse, multicultural nature of the area means cases are often complex and challenging but fulfilling.
It’s a view shared by many of her peers. An independent staff survey commissioned by the council and run by people management consultancy Penna found that “complexity and challenge” was the predominant theme throughout the results. That test of skills and training means there is never a dull moment on the job and plenty of opportunities to learn and develop professionally.
“One of the best learning experiences you’ll ever have,” says one anonymous respondent. “It’ll stand you in good stead. There’s nothing we don’t do … it’s a valid and valuable experience.”
Others explain they feel professionally rewarded by what they are able to achieve under pressure.
No one, however, is required to face these challenges alone and there is ample support across the team. Mirembe says that as well as feeling able to ask for help and advice from other experienced social workers, management are also there to answer questions or address any concerns.
She says: “My manager has an open door policy, you can always ask questions. That helps with dealing with the caseload. You don’t feel like you have been left in the deep end at all. It is very supportive.
“It is up to the individual as well though. I always consider myself as somebody who loves to learn and it is not about sitting quietly, suffering in silence, it is about not being afraid to ask questions.”
Carolyn Greenaway, group manager for the care management service, explains that Barking and Dagenham has been able to provide a high level of support thanks to the recruitment of more managers. As a result, there is more time for regular supervision and assistance. The team is also able to better support social workers in difficult child protection situations, and are “visible and available” to frontline staff.
Greenaway says one of the key areas she is focusing on is reducing historically high caseloads. There is close collaboration with early help services to identify whether some cases could be moved on to other teams instead, such as universal services.
Less experienced social workers (one and two years post-qualification) are helped by a strict cap on the number of cases they can hold. Greenaway adds that the department also tries to ensure that experienced social workers have a balanced, varied caseload and are not overwhelmed by the number of demanding and time consuming cases in the court arena.
Innovative training opportunities with experts such as Prof David Shemmings also mean social workers at Barking and Dagenham are learning the latest skills needed to deal with demanding cases.
Shemmings – professor of child protection research at the University of Kent – is an expert on attachment in families and is working with social workers, managers and foster carers in the borough to help them develop their skills in work with children and families. Shemmings uses a video simulation of real-life scenarios to help professionals think about what they need to know before they meet with families, such as what they might find at the home, and prepare for the situations that they might face.
“Our social workers absolutely love [the simulation] and so do our managers,” explains Ann Graham, divisional director for complex needs and social care at Barking and Dagenham’s children’s services. “Prof Shemmings engages directly with social workers and he supports them after he has left the site and is available for consultation.”
The council understands the high cost of housing for people living and working in London. It therefore offers social workers who live and work in the borough the opportunity to apply for housing at a reduced rent.
The council’s transformation programme, led by chief executive Chris Naylor, is looking at how Barking and Dagenham can run services more efficiently and cost effectively. Greenaway believes it is an exciting time for experienced social workers to join the borough and help “redesign and reconfigure” services with the intention of raising practice standards.
“As a group manager, my thinking has always been that any changes we are making in the service and any developments have got to be owned by the staff,” she says. “So I really want practitioners who are able to get involved in helping to reshape our service and to put us in a really good place to move forward.”
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