The easiest way for Social Services to guide you towards the change you’re looking for, is to really understand what you need. We want our staff to “put themselves in your shoes” so they understand what it’s like for you, and what’s going on in your life.
By improving this understanding, we can come up with care plans that will make a difference.
There are some very useful techniques that our staff can use, such as “Outcome based planning” and “motivational interviewing”, and we’ve been busy training staff in children and families services in how to use these methods.
Outcome based planning and Motivational Interviewing
Background
The basic idea behind Outcome based planning, is that following an assessment of a person or family’s needs, there will be a clear sense of what needs to change. If everybody is clear about what needs to change (the “outcomes” that you want to achieve), it becomes much easier to plan how to get there, and it will be easy to recognise when the outcome has been achieved.
Motivational Interviewing helps staff to really understand the issues a person is facing, and to help them towards making positive decisions for themselves about how they can move forward.
What’s changed?
Outcome based planning training has been delivered to 11 managers who oversee the quality of outcome based care plans. Integrated Family Support Service (IFSS) has now been set up in Conwy, and 15 staff have been trained in the use of Motivational Interviewing.
10 social workers have taken part in a pilot project run by SSIA (Social Services Improvement Agency) to improve communication skills with clients. This has involved monthly follow-on sessions to develop their learning.
What difference has it made?
Through this training, social workers have:
• Better understanding of the barriers that some people experience to getting help. They’ll be able to help lower these barriers and engage service users.
• Improved understanding of where people’s motivation comes from, and how to help people to find their own motivation.
• Additional skills to help service users to build on their own strengths and resources
Further Motivational Interviewing Training is being delivered to staff in June 2014
An evaluation of the effectiveness of the SSIA project will be conducted in August 2014.
Developing Care and Treatment plans
Background
The Care and Treatment plan is a new way of working with young people with mental health and/or emotional care needs. Under the mental health measures and continuum health care, the child care social workers have a lead role to play, and the aim is to make sure each child has an up to date Care and Treatment plan that is reviewed when their needs change.
What’s changed?
Joint training was provided to senior practitioners and managers. This new model was then shared with team members who were supporting a child with a Care and Treatment plan.
All Care and treatment plans are monitored through strategic multi-agency meetings.
What difference has it made?
Children and young people receiving CAMHS services have a Care and Treatment plan in place.