Social Work with Adults – the National

Perspective

Lyn Romeo
Chief Social Worker for Adults
Twitter: @LynRomeo_CSW
chiefsocialworkerforadults@dh.gsi.gov.uk
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 As Chief Social Worker for Adults, my role is to:
• Provide an expert voice for social work in government;
advising/influencing national policy and legislation

• Continue the reform of social work education, training and

practice

• Challenge practice to achieve decisive improvements in the

quality of social work

• Improve the profile of social work with adults and understanding

of the role and value of social work in improving people’s lives

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 A challenging environment

• Unprecedented financial challenges & demographic pressures

• Increased expectations- social work excellence

• Technological Change

• Systems failure, e.g. statutory child & family SW; hospital/care

sector issues

• A drive to integrate responses to health and care needs

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 Practice Culture Change
From To

“Paternal” “Personal”
The State makes decisions on care and the Support is built around the needs and outcomes of
services people receive. the person, to fit with their life.

“Repair” “Prevention”
Focusing only on response after a crisis, when Acting earlier to prevent or reduce needs, to help
needs are greater and options fewer. people stay well for longer.

“Fragmentation” “Integration”
Isolated services focused internally, with little Joined-up services working as partners across local
consistency and people lost between the gaps of communities, and benefitting the whole
organisations. population.

“Exclusive” “Inclusive”
The focus is on services and institutions, and Working with people and communities to develop
people are passive recipients of care. shared solutions.
Doing to/for Doing with

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 Repositioning of social work in adult social care

Promote social workers as lead • Prevention – promoting independence

and resilience
professionals ensuring
• Assessment or review of an individual
personalised, integrated care or carer with complex social care needs
and support: • Supervising safeguarding enquiries
• Transition to adulthood

- with complexity, risk and conflict

Social workers have the
qualifications, - within a legal framework
knowledge and skills to - With individuals & their families &
work: communities

- with capacity and mental health needs

Working with asset based community responses

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 Vision for Social
Work
• Rights and strengths based practice
• Personalised responses
Social Work with Adults - the
• Empower as well as protect
• Encourage individual control
• Independent lives as ‘active
citizens;’ 
• Least restrictive, least institutional
settings
• Regular reviews of outcomes, more
inclusive options
• Achieving social justice & reducing
inequality
• Realise the contribution of social
work to improving efficiency and
productivity of our services

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 How the social work career journey has changed
• Graduate profession
• Move from generic social work practice to specialisation
• Regulation, responsibility and accountability as professionals.
• Supervisory roles – Practice educators; practice supervisors
• BIA and AMHP roles
• Multi-Disciplinary approaches and social work role
• Advanced/lead/consultant social work roles
• Entrepreneurial social work
• Casework/group work/community development methods  

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 Opportunities for Social Work with Adults
• Learning disabilities
• Mental Health
• Older people and Dementia
• People with physical disabilities
• Substance misuse
• Domestic abuse
• Transition from children to adulthood
• Family approach to transitions across the life course
• Palliative care/end of life
• Primary care and other health settings + specialisms
• Working with place + shaping opportunities (community work)

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 Social work reform: What’s in place
• PCF
• Knowledge and Skills Statement
• Assessed Supported Year in Employment (ASYE)
• Role of PSW in Care Act guidance
• Good practice guidance resources
• Promoting BIA/AMHP roles
• ThinkAhead
• Teaching Partnerships
• Leadership Development
Programme for PSWs

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 …and where are we going?
1. Focus on Strengths Based Practice Approaches
2. KSS for supervisors and PSWs
3. New Regulatory Body
4. Accreditation proposals and Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
5. Legislative and policy implementation
-Consultation on Adult Social Care
- DoLS- Law Commission's Report
- MH Act Review
6. Come Back to Social Work
7. Named Social Worker Pilots
8. Recruitment and Retention Campaign

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 Social Work and Integration

• Social Work is essential to integration

• The key contributions that social workers make:

- Improve outcomes for people;
- Protect people appropriately;
- undertake a rights, strengths, and co-production approach to
creative and innovative ways of improving people’s lives.

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-work-
essential-to-integration

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 Social Work Resources
What we have:
•Knowledge and Skills Statement for Adults
•Social Work with Adults with Autism
•Social Work with Adults with Dementia
•Social Work and the Mental Capacity Act
•Social Work Practice with carers and older people
•Social Work for Better Mental Heath tool
•Forensic Mental Health Social Work- Capabilities Framework
•Controlling and Coercive Behaviour
•Integration Advice Note
•Strengths Based Social Work Practice with Adults- Roundtable Report
•Capabilities and a CPD pathway for Social work with Older People
In Development:
•Practice Supervisor Knowledge, Skills, Capabilities
•Framework for Strengths Based Practice
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 Thank you and any questions?

Lyn Romeo
Chiefsocialworkerforadults@dh.gsi.gov.uk

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