Has the principal social worker role made a difference?

CC Live will feature a panel discussion on the development of the PSW role so far, and a roundtable on the leadership skills required in the job

August 1, 2017 in Community Care

Principal social workers will discuss the impact their role has had and how to develop the right leadership skills for the job at a special forum at Community Care Live London.

The half-day forum on the first day of the conference (26 September), which is free to attend, will give PSWs the opportunity to join in high level strategic discussions, share best practice, and network with other PSWs from across England.

It will open with a panel discussion on whether the promise of the PSW role in children’s services is being fulfilled.

This follows a recent speech in which Birmingham Council’s chief social worker, Tony Stanley, highlighted the lack of clarity that exists around the PSW role in children and family services.

The discussion will revisit the vision for the PSW role outlined by Professor Eileen Munro in her 2011 review of child protection; assess how deeply the role has become embedded and the difference it is making to the quality of practice; and investigate how to balance the tensions in the PSW role.

Confirmed speakers for the discussion are Lee Pardy-McLaughlin, principal child and family social worker at Coventry Council and co-chair of the National Children’s PSW Network; Mandy Hope, principal social worker at Birmingham Council; and Marion Russell, principal child and family social worker at Cornwall Council.

The panel will be followed by a roundtable discussion on ‘cultivating the right leadership style to influence up, down and across’.

This will focus on how to gain senior management buy-in when changing policy and practice, communicating effectively with people in a variety of positions, and the personal skills required for leadership and influencing.

Registering for Community Care Live London automatically gives you access to the Principal Social Workers Forum, and no separate registration is needed. You will also be able to attend the entire Community Care Live event, two full days of conference sessions taking place at London’s Business Design Centre on 26–27 September.

To take part, register for free at https://www.communitycare.co.uk/live/