Innovation and social work. These are words on policy makers’ lips everywhere – particularly since the Department of Education has given £300m in funding over the past six years to encourage it in many different areas.
But what does it look like on the frontline? How can you be an innovative social worker? How can you encourage and support innovation as a manager or leader?
All these questions, and more, are discussed in Community Care’s latest Employer Zone podcast, sponsored by Hampshire County Council.
Hampshire’s innovation journey
Judy Cooper, associate editor with Community Care, is joined by Katy Burch, assistant director at the Institute for Public Care at Oxford Brookes University. She and her team have undertaken numerous evaluations of projects and approaches funded by the government’s social care innovation fund (and the transformation fund in Wales).
Joining them is Emily Hassan, team manager of a children’s assessment and safeguarding team in Hampshire and Mhairi Macdonald, a social worker with one of Hampshire’s children in care teams.
Using Katy’s evaluation of Hampshire’s transformational programme as the starting point for the discussion, the group explore what it means to think and practise innovatively, how Hampshire introduced and supported innovation across an entire system and how much innovation is possible within the confines of the current coronavirus epidemic restrictions.
Listen to the podcast here or find it on spotify, itunes or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Alternatively you can read the transcript.
NB Did you know podcasts count towards your CPD for Social Work England registration?
Interested in finding out more about Hampshire’s children’s services? Then check out Hampshire’s Employer Profile detailing all you need to know about working and living in this beautiful county.
Other articles and learning from Hampshire
Supporting social work teams through a pandemic
Building relationships with children when you can’t visit
How a flexible working culture has transformed the lives of social workers in Hampshire
Interested in working with Hampshire? Register your interest
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