Contents
The Partnership
A. Partnership Summary
B. The Social Care & Workforce Development Partnership
C. Resources
D. Collaborative Working Arrangements
E. Emerging Effective Practice
F. Evaluation and Performance Management
G. Social Care & Workforce Development Partnership Governance
H. Contact Details
The Plan
I. Contents of Strategic Local needs and Priorities
J. Strategic Direction
K. Current Priorities
L. Commitment to the Bilingual Provision of Services
M. Social Work Qualifying Training Plan and Social Work Post
Qualifying Training
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A. Partnership Summary
The delivery of excellent services through a well-qualified, skilled, engaged and
motivated staff group is fundamental to the success of all public sector
organisations. In Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan Councils we have always
been fortunate with regard to the quality and commitment of our staff and the
part they play in the delivery of highly regarded and value for money services.
As we move forward we remain committed to ensuring the recruitment and
retention of excellent professionals and a working environment which allows
staff to develop and give of their best.
The next few years will require innovative approaches to training and
development as we respond to the demands of the Social Services and
Wellbeing (Wales) Act and the scale of transformation of services that it will
bring. It will be increasingly important to be able to update and replenish our
existing skill base.
Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan Social Services Directorates have a proven
record in working together to manage, develop and deliver quality services that
meet the needs of the local populations. During 2015/2016 we will work on this
positive foundation to establish a joint training and development service that
can support staff across the social care sector in the region to ensure all staff
are trained and supported to undertake their roles.
We will also work towards the early establishment of a Regional Social Care
and Workforce Development Partnership (SCWDP) that will provide strong
leadership and direction for the sector, ensuring appropriate representation and
engagement from all parts of the sector, and from users and carers. We intend
to have this in place by September 2015. With the support of the new regional
partnership we will ensure that the training plan and the implementation plan
for the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act are aligned to ensure that
the whole social care sector is ready to deliver the new duties for social care in
April 2016.
Tony Young
Regional Director
Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
2
In response to Section 10 of the Welsh Government circular we have a clear
reporting framework
IH & SC Governance Board
Third Sector/Council
Leaders/Chair Health
Board/Cabinet Members
Phil Evans
Tony Young
Director of Social Services
Vale of Glamorgan Lead
Director for Social Servies Well
Being Act
Director of Social Services
Cardiff
Nichola Poole
Interim Regional Lead
B.
The SCWDP Partnership
It is vital that everyone understands what high-quality care and support looks
like, what people should expect when using care and support, and the roles
and responsibilities of different organisations to deliver this. Clear roles and
responsibilities for those involved in the commissioning and provision of care
and support need to be set out at all levels.
People, who are at different stages of their lives, including those at the end of
their lives, use different types of care services. Good quality does not have the
same meaning for everyone, because good quality depends on the point of view
of the person using services. However, there are still some basics that
services/providers have to get right if they are going to deliver high-quality care.
A high-quality care and support service must consist of the following core
components:
The three components of safety, effectiveness and a positive experience of
care are linked. A service cannot be judged to be good quality just because it
is safe, if its effectiveness or people’s experiences are ignored.
As a SCDWP partnership in Cardiff we are aware that there are many
challenges in sustaining good quality services and in securing good outcomes
for families and citizens. Not least of these are changes to the way that services
are procured and managed in the context of significant budget savings.
In order to ensure clear alignment between our workforce strategy and the
implementation of the Social Services and Well Being Act 2014, the 2015 Welsh
Government SCDWP Circular, requires all councils to establish
regional
partnerships and agree strategic regional priorities across the whole social care
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sector in the region. Although we are at the beginning of this new journey in
terms of workforce, we already have well established regional governance
arrangements and plans in place to support implementation of the Act and we
have initiated a programme of work, supported by an independent associate,
to ensure that workforce planning is effectively aligned. We intend to report on
the development of this approach in the September 2015 submission to Welsh
Government
C. Resources
The City of Cardiff Council will make full use of the resources available under
the Social Care Workforce Development programme with a need to ensure that
we are focusing on the right activities, and that we’re not working harder but
smarter to achieve the outcomes of our Annual Training Plan at both a local,
regional and national level.
Current Team Structure
The focus of that plan will be:
 The Social Services & Well Being (Wales) Act 2014,
 The Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Bill
And embedding this in all existing training, as well as in the design and delivery
of key training and systems going forward.
Following on from 14/15 we have undertaken some key changes including the
colocation of the Qualification Team and the Workforce Development Team.
This will enable us to continue to ensure high quality learning delivery for social
care staff employed with our many partners in the City of Cardiff and will provide
a stronger platform for the regionalisation of training and workforce
development delivery.
4
D. Collaborative Working Arrangements
We have a well-established and effective working relationship with the Vale of
Glamorgan. We are increasingly undertaking more courses jointly which
enhances consistency on a more cost effective basis. We have shared needs
and increasingly, agencies and services are provided across the council
boundaries. These include a regional Local Safeguarding Children Board
(LSCB), Local Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB), Integrated Family Support
Team (IFST), Mental Health Teams, as well as services provided by the Police
and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. There are numerous courses we
plan to run jointly in 2015-16 including the following:Toxic Trio and Safeguarding Conference
We are hosting this event for 100 staff from the City of Cardiff and the Vale of
Glamorgan. This will be a progression from some of the safeguarding courses
that have run previously, as they include parental issues of substance misuse,
mental ill health and domestic abuse and the impact of all three on children,
young people and families.
Working Together to Safeguarding Children and Child Practice Review
Learning Events.
We will deliver a number of learning events in collaboration with the Vale of
Glamorgan Council and LSCB, which have been agreed at the joint LSCB
training subgroup. In 2015-16 it is planned to hold eight events. They are coordinated by both Training Centres, the venues are provided by Health and
Education, and practitioners from the LSCB agencies facilitate the training on
the agreed subjects.
Joint Fostering Induction Programme
This has been devised with the Vale of Glamorgan, which was a new initiative
for 2014-15. This programme consists of four sessions incorporating Welcome
to the Authority, Child Development and Attachment, Looked After Processes
and Safeguarding. The sessions are delivered jointly by a practitioner from each
authority to newly approved foster carers. They will continue in 2015-16.
Court Skills and Public Law Outline (PLO)/Family Justice Review
There is a regional collaboration with other South East Wales Authorities in
relation to Court Skills and PLO/Family Justice Review training. Jointly we have
commissioned Research in Practice (RiP) to train BAAF who we will then
commission individually to undertake training within the South East Wales
Authorities.
Attachment, Resilience and Brain Development
In March 2015, we held a large scale joint event with Cardiff, Vale of
Glamorgan, Newport and Caerphilly/Blaenau Gwent. This was in relation to
Attachment, Resilience and Brain Development. We plan to do a similar event
in 2015-16 on a different topic.
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Brighter Futures
There is a working group called “Brighter Futures” which has been focusing on
promoting educational outcomes for looked after young people. In 2014-15 and
into 2015-16 we held a series of large conferences for 300 Looked After
Children’s Social Workers, Foster Carers and Designated LAC Teachers. It
incorporated Personal Educational Plans, Pupil Deprivation Grant and other
aspects relating specifically to Looked After Children in Education. They have
been successful in promoting a shared aim and goal for our Looked After
Children in Cardiff.
Reablement training for people with Dementia
Following on from the work with SSIA in respect of reablement services for
people with Dementia, we have jointly commissioned 2.5 days of training from
the trainer who worked closely with Cardiff on completing the learning material,
placed on the SSIA website in the Autumn. City of Cardiff and the Vale jointly
fund this commission; it will provide training to all Social workers, Occupational
Therapists and front line care staff both in residential and domiciliary care
services. The emphasis being placed on outcome approach delivery,
recognising that a person with dementia can still complete tasks for themselves.
As has been the case in recent years, we offer and take places on courses
across South Wales that have not been taken up locally.
E. Emerging Effective Practice
 We are working together in partnership with Community Housing and the
Lift Programme to combine and promote good practice in line with key
requirements of current legislative requirements. A need to address the
retention of social care staff and managers was identified following on
from the Annual Data Collection exercise that highlighted retention
difficulties. We are encouraging providers of Care Services to offer work
experience opportunities guided and supported by Lift Mentors. The
employee will have undertaken an accredited employability skills course
and Care Options Course before embarking on specific Mandatory
Health and Social Care Training supported by SCWDP to begin the
induction process. The potential employee is offered a work placement
with continued support from the Lift project to ensure all checks and
references are completed to avoid delays in start dates and salaries
especially when benefits may be affected. Employers are able to assess
the workers commitment and suitability over a period of time without
commitment to provide a permanent contract.
 During the past year we have striven to make the best possible use of
the available funding and to use it to maximise effect. The free training
available from the Health Board has been used in a carefully planned
way and has been well received by the sector. This has led to the Local
Health Board working with individual Care Providers to deliver more
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individually tailored training in order to improve the quality of care
provision where there is a strong health element specifically Dental
Health and Stoma Care.
 Sector wide quarterly Manager forum meetings have been hugely
successful and are now bi-monthly. We have managed to engage with
approximately 70% of the managers across Cardiff from both Domiciliary
and Residential Care Services although there is a high turnover of
managers this level of engagement continues to fluctuate. At each
meeting there is a dedicated slot on the agenda for CSSIW where
Managers feel able to share experiences and informally check
understanding around regulation and inspection requirements with
Cardiff local inspectors. Other agenda items include presentations,
question and answer sessions on topics current and relevant to changes
in legislation and practice. With particular attention on the new Act and
Bill
 One of our most recent agenda items has been the on-line training
electronic booking system (Totara), which has been introduced to help
organisations book training places, plan and monitor their staff personal
development requirements more effectively and enable us capture and
report end of year training statistics.
 The Training Calendar has been hugely successful this year with an
overall increase in attendance levels, partly due to changes in
advertising time allocation and the continued effort at Manager Forums
to remind Managers about the importance in developing robust in-house
systems to manage and allocate their training bookings within their
teams. This alongside non-attendance letters is helping to raise
awareness with managers that training may be restricted if they become
a repeat offender.
 Residential Care Home quarterly Activity Coordinators forum meetings
have been held in order to provide information and advice .In order to
help activity coordinators to have a better understand of their roles, to
work in a person centred way with an individual not just put on morning
and afternoon activities. We have worked closely with Age Connects
Advocacy service to look at the issues in Residential Care Homes
around valuable and realistic roles of the Activity Coordinators and the
expectations of managers to see a rota of activities planned for the day
that do not meet the needs or wishes of individuals. We facilitated 5
meetings and have since produced a booklet of resources/telephone
numbers to support all of the activity coordinators in Cardiff. The
meetings are well attended on average by 35 people and the overall
feedback from both managers of the services and the attendees has
been positive to ensure a modern and innovative way of delivering
training and staff development.
 We have commissioned NAPA (National Association for Providers of
Activities for Older People) to deliver 16 QCF Level 2 in Supporting
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Activity Provision in Social Care. We have also planned and
commissioned a series of training workshops to help activity
coordinators develop a basic understanding of how and when to attempt
the delivery of safe and appropriate seated physical activities, and to
explore fun, meaningful, and stimulating activity sessions for older
people. The attendance numbers are increasing at each meeting
demonstrating the need for on-going support and recognition of the work
of Activity Coordinators. Continued work with the independent advocate
from Age Connects is proving to support continued and on-going
attendance at the forum meetings as well as on the job information and
advice.
 There are several examples of new practice, which began in 2014-15,
and are being consolidated in 2015-16:
 There is a Child Sexual Exploitation multi-agency forum within Cardiff
and the Vale of Glamorgan which the Training Department are involved
in. A crucial role is in disseminating information through training to
ensure staff are aware of local and national issues, and have up to date
knowledge.
 The First Year in Practice (FYIP) Programme, which has been delivered
for some years, has been revised, modified and will be updated to
include mandatory training for consolidation within the CPEL framework.
This includes safeguarding children, safeguarding adults, domestic
abuse awareness and substance misuse awareness, and consists of 12
days learning in total.
 The FYIP mentoring programme has been re-launched including the
development of a FYIP mentoring handbook. Training was offered on
Mentoring Skills all who hold this responsibility.
 We co-ordinate a Principle Social Worker Support Group which aims to
support and develop their role, discuss issues, and share best practice.
This group will develop in line with the CPEL consolidation framework.
 As a result of a review into our Looked After Children (LAC) services and
procedures, revised processes and paperwork were developed. The
Training Department worked with the service area to develop a series of
eight “LAC Best Practice” sessions that were delivered in September to
all staff working in LAC services.
 An internal volunteer and mentoring programme has been developed
with the co-ordinators of the services. This will be delivered in short
evening and weekend courses as it is recognised that most volunteers
work in the daytime. The topics to be covered will include safeguarding,
first aid, bullying, substance misuse, mental health, internet safety,
domestic abuse, self-harm, young people and relationships, lone
working. In addition, we have provided some training for volunteer
organisations upon request, either during an evening or at a weekend.
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 We have developed a series of best practice briefings on Re: BS and its
impact on care planning, and Core Groups. Practitioners within the
Council have provided these. It was a successful model and we plan to
develop these further on different subjects in 2015-16.
 We undertook a series of awareness raising sessions for staff working
within Social Care on the changes and impact of the Social Services and
Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, delivered by a lecturer at Cardiff Law
School who has a particular interest in this area. In addition, we ensured
that training materials were updated to include the changes, and any
trainers commissioned to provide training on our behalf have also
included the changes to their material.
F. Evaluation and Performance Management
A range of methods to assess and evaluate the contribution of training offered
and its effectiveness will be used in 2015-16. We recognise that this is an
integral part of all training events. Historically we have used evaluation tools at
the end of a learning event to gather the views of participants on the
effectiveness of the facilitator, materials used, venue, whether the aims and
objectives were met, and what they would have liked included. These have
always been reviewed by the Training Department and were suggestions or
complaints were made, these were followed up as appropriate. Participants
took a duplicate of the evaluation to discuss in supervision. There were
limitations to this approach. During the past year this process has been
strengthened through requesting that external service providers include
additional information about the impact of training attended when completing
the annual data collection exercise.
We are striving towards implementing a three tier approach to our evaluation
system to evaluate and appraise the outcomes and effectiveness of training
offered. The first element is a brief pre-registration proforma on why the
participant is undertaking the training. The second is a proforma at the end of
the learning event. The third element is conducted three months after the event.
A questionnaire is sent to the manager to ascertain how effective it was in terms
of staff development and whether it has been incorporated into the individuals
practice. A new computer booking system (Totara/Learning Pool) will trigger
an activity for the manager, both within the council and the independent sector.
This is a new method of evaluating for Cardiff and it is anticipated that it will
enable us to gather performance information on effectiveness of training, which
has not been gathered routinely previously. In addition, the training experience
should become more embedded for the learner, and the exercise helps them
and their manager to identify what they have learned, as well as possible gaps
in their knowledge.
As yet we do not liaise directly with service users in relation to effectiveness of
training but will endeavour to develop a method for this in the future.
9
The LSCB training subgroup plans to review what takes place in the joint areas
in relation to evaluation and impact of training, and the group will make
recommendation for the Board to consider in 2015-16.
G. SCWDP Partnership Governance
The Social Care workforce development partnership was set up in 2004 with
the key aim of promoting the Welsh Government ethos of ‘one sector-one
workforce’.
The partnership in Cardiff has lost its momentum over recent years and despite
work being undertaken during 2014/15, this now requires redevelopment. We
plan to achieve this by inviting an independent associate to work with Cardiff
and the Vale of Glamorgan to develop a regional partnership, in line with Welsh
Government Circular requirements.
It is hoped that during this process the members from the identified areas will
come together to embrace the Welsh Government ethos once again and
recognise that a qualified, skilled and knowledgeable workforce is a key
requirement to any successful business.
Social Care in Partnership (SE) has provided an information conduit for the City
of Cardiff and we continue to have strong links with the coordinator not least as
the training manager in Cardiff represents the training managers across SE
Wales on the strategic partnership.
The application for the grant, annual learning and development plan, and
associated information will be hosted on the SCDWP pages of the City of
Cardiff website. The continued promotion of the electronic booking system
(TOTARA) will aid both managers and staff in online booking of courses.
H. Contact Details
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Director of
Tony Young
Children’s
0292087380
Tony.Young@cardiff.gov.uk
3
Services
Operational
Allan Evans
Manager
Service
0292087227
A.M.Evans@cardiff.gov.uk
3
Accountancy
Training and
Joanne Finch
Development
0292078844
Jo.Finch@cardiff.gov.uk
4
Manager
I. Context of strategic local needs and priorities
The Council is committed to prioritising services that support those who are
most vulnerable, particularly children and older people. Difficult times mean that
more people need access to support and the Council has taken a number of
actions to help those in need. Supporting vulnerable people is also hugely
important if Cardiff is to effectively manage the growing demand pressures on
services, promote social justice within the city and help address inequality.
Developing a better understanding of the needs of individual service users and
communities, and reshaping services in response will be crucial, as will be
placing an increased focus on preventative action. Doing this will require joined
up working between different organisations in the public, private and third
sector. key partners, namely the South Wales Police, Cardiff and Vale
University Health Board, the Probation Service as well as a number of third
sector organisations, to commit resources to helping vulnerable people. Often
their work will complement Council activity, and at other times the Council will
collaborate directly with partners to support people and help ensure that
“Cardiff is fair, just and inclusive” and that “People are Safe and Feel
Safe”.
Source: The City of Cardiff Council Corporate Plan 2015-2017
Cardiff has a population of 351,710 (as at 2013) with 72,441 children and young
people aged 0-17 and 279,269 adults aged 18 and over. Of these, 2,950 are
in receipt of services from Children’s Services and 4,693 are in receipt of
services from Social Care at any one time. Thousands are helped to achieve
better outcomes through the provision of short term support or who, as a result
of a period of care, then go on to live independent lives.
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Children’s Services received 25,865 contacts in 2014/15, of which 4,531
became referrals. 611 children were being looked after at 31st March 2015, and
314 were included on the Child Protection Register. The number of referrals
requiring initial assessment rose by 35% during the year.
Health & Social Care received 7,387 enquiries and 480 Protection of Vulnerable
Adult referrals during 2014/15. 8,019 adults were assessed or reviewed during
the year and 4,693 were in receipt of services as at 31st March 2015 (1,052
receiving residential and nursing care and 3,641 receiving community based
services).
Overall the City of Cardiff Council provides a good range of effective social
services that promote good outcomes for adults and children. However, these
services are provided in a context of significant and continuing rises in demand
and this presents real challenges in terms of ensuring consistency in the quality
and standard of service in some key areas. Services for vulnerable adults and
children are a clear priority for the Council. We know those areas that require
additional attention to improve and our strong strategic focus on service
improvement has enabled us to create the conditions for success in those
areas.
Whole Sector Recruitment
Objective:
•To support the
Recruitment and
Retention of
appropriately skilled and
qualified Health and
Social Care Staff.
Desired Outcomes
•Staff Retention figures
remain stable.
•All Health and Social
Care staff are inducted
in line with the Care
Council Induction
Standards.
•Appropriately skilled and
qualified staff are
recruited.
•Attendance levels
increase on the SCIF
Course
Performance
Indicators:
Actions:
•Partnership working
with Community
Housing and the Lift
Programme.
•Take up of Managers
offering work
placements.
•Attendance at Manager
forum Meetings to
monitor retention.
•All Staff are able to
evidence CPD.
•To continue to raise
awareness of the Care
Council induction
framework.
•To agenda Recruitment
and retention at each
Managers Forum
Meeting.
•To increase work
placement
opportunities for Health
& Social Care Staff.
The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 aims to address these
issues and in doing so will give people greater freedom to decide which
services they need while offering consistent, high-quality services across the
City of Cardiff
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What the Act will do
The Act will transform the way social services are delivered, promoting
people’s independence to give them stronger voice and control.
Integration and simplification of the law will also provide greater consistency
and clarity to:




People who use social services
Their carers
Local authority staff and their partner organisations
The courts and the judiciary.
The Act will promote equality, improve the quality of services and enhance
access to the provision of information people receive. It will also encourage a
renewed focus on prevention and early intervention.
In line with the Action plan for Implementation devised by the Integrated Health
& Social Care Partnership for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan, there is a clearly
identified pathway of how this is going to be implemented by when and by
whom. The introduction of Care Council for Wales electronic Hub will also aid
the role out of awareness training and keeping people aware of updates and
next steps.
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J. Strategic Direction
National
•The National Outcomes Framework for
people who need care and support 2014-15
•Social Services and Well Being (Wales ) Act
2014
•Sustainable Social Service for Wales:
A Framework for Action
•WG Measures including the Children and
Families (Wales) Measure 2010
•Carers Strategy (Wales) Measure2010
•Mental Health ( Wales) Measure (2010)
•Dementia Action Plan for Wales
•The Regulation and Inspection of Social
Care (Wales) Bill
•Continuing Professional Education and
Learning Framework (CPEL)
•Regulatory frameworks and National
Minimum Standards 2014-15
•The Well-being of Future Generations
(Wales) Act 2015
•Welsh Language Impact Assessment
Housing (Wales ) Act 2014
Regional
Local
• Dementia Plan Cardiff
and Vale Dementia 3 year
plan
• Strengthening the
Connections Cardiff and
The Vale Local
Authorities and Cardiff
and the Vale UHB
• Social Services and
Wellbeing (Wales) Act
2014
• LSCB Annual Report and
Business Plan
• Health & Social Care
• Cardiff Corporate Plan
2014-2017
• Children’s Services
Business Plan 2015-16
• Health & Social Care
Business Plan 2015-16
• Annual Council reporting
Framework
• SCDWP strategic two year
plan
• Commissioning
Frameworks
S
C
W
D
P
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Qualifications
Objective:
Desired
Outcomes
Performance
Indicators:
Actions:
• Achievement of
qualifications to
ensure skilled and
appropriately
qualified
workforce.
• Staff hold
qualifications
appropriate to
roles defined in
Care Council for
Wales’
Qualification
Framework.
• Percentage of
staff holding
relevant
qualifications in
line with
nationally set
training targets.
• Continue to
increase access to
qualifying awards
utilising
alternative
methodologies to
secure individual
award funding.
Percentage Qualified
2014/15
80
74
70
61
60
49
50
41
40
30
20
• Continue to
promote essential
skills and sign
post as necessary.
10
0
Managers
Deputies
Seniors
Carers
Percentage Qualified 2014/15
15
Skills
Objective:
Desired
Outcomes
Performance
Indicators:
Actions:
•To facilitate the
development of
practice knowledge
and skills across the
sector.
•Effective
Safeguarding of
Children, young
people and
vulnerable adults.
•Services that
promote
independence,
wellbeing and
choice.
•Percentage of take
up on training
opportunities across
sector.
•Feedback from
service users
obtained through
QA frameworks.
•Feedback via
internal monitoring
systems.
•Increase access to
learning and
development
activities.
•Roll out e-learning
training packages for
Safeguarding
training.
•Develop a
framework to
promote service
user and carer
involvement in
training.
Training
Attendance
2014/15
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
3499
2916
583
Training Attendance 2014/15
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Continuing Professional Development
Objective:
Desired Outcomes
Performance
Indicators:
Actions:
•To promote induction,
supervision, appraisal
and Continuous
Professional
Development
•An understanding and
implementation of
systems to continually
professionally
developing the
workforce.
•100% of new starters
in Care to complete
Care Council for Wales
induction Framework.
•A percentage of new
starters to attend the
SCIF 6 day programme
provided in
partnership with a
local college.
•Availability of a
generic CPD portfolio
template.
•Increase opportunities
for Supervision and
Appraisal training
•Continue to promote
CPD using various
managers meetings
and forums.
•Continue to develop elearning Management
and induction training.
•To work with local
college to monitor
attendance levels and
maintain currency of
programme
Attendance at SCIF
Programme
120
117
Available Places
Actual Attendance
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Attendance at SCIF Programme
17
Workforce Development Collaboration Partnership
Objective:
Desired
Outcomes
Performance
Indicators:
Actions:
•Effective
communication
systems in place
accessible and
relevant to promote
workforce
development and
training.
•Local partners are
informed and fully
aware of
developments in the
sector and have
opportunities to
contribute and
participate in
partnership activity.
•The partnership and
subgroups act as a
conduit for
communication and
dialogue
•Updated SCWDP
Website.
•Partnership
Meetings held as
outlined in Terms of
Reference.
•Regular attendance
at Management
forum meetings.
•Take up of training
opportunities across
the sector.
•Continue to monitor
take up of training
across the sector.
•Ensure the currency
of information
published on the
SCWDP Partnership
website
Manager's Forum
300
245
250
200
190
200
150
100
50
0
Maximum
Available
Places
Bookings
Manager's Forum
18
Actual
Attendance
Performance Management
Objective:
Desired
Outcomes
Performance
Indicators:
Actions:
• To achieve a
robust data
collection process
to inform Social
Care Workforce
Planning
• Achievement of
100% returns of
completed
annual data
questionnaires
from
commissioned
providers.
• To receive a 100%
response to the
annual training
needs analysis.
• Actual
percentage
returned of data
collection.
• Training needs
analysis returned
from each
provider of
Health and Social
Care.
• Continue to
promote and
include a
requirement to
return SCWDP
data collection
questionnaires at
Manager
meetings, forums
and other
electronic
communication
media.
Data Collection
Returns
140
121
120
95
100
80
60
40
26
20
0
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K. Current Priorities
A priority for 2015-16 will be ensuring that the workforce is aware of the impact
and changes needed in accordance with the Social Services and Well-being
(Wales) Act 2014. Working in conjunction with a Plan for Implementation.
Staff training will take place throughout 2015/16 to support those staff working
with people with dementia, their carers and families in an enabling way using
SSIA materials that were developed in Cardiff.
We continue to support managers through the management development
programme that is offered as continual professional development, upskilling to
ensure a progressive pathway and part of a maintainence programme for
existing managers.
Following on from an organisational restructure within the Children’s Services
case management teams in July 2014, we will be organising dedicated training
for service area specialism. The Team Managers and Principle Social Workers
in a team are matched in terms of their specialist subjects. Each time they
attend a specialist training, they will deliver a briefing on it to teams it affects.
This system will also be rolled out across adult social care teams.
We plan to develop the Risk Assessment Framework so that robust Risk
Assessments are undertaken with families which receive intervention. This will
involve developing a Framework that meets our needs, and providing
appropriate training to complement it.
The joint LSCB training subgroup is not organising a calendar of training this
year as it is changing focus from a provider of training to a role of reviewing
what is taking place in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan in terms of ensuring
the development of the workforce in relation to safeguarding, and identifying
gaps. We were heavily involved in organising this multi-agency safeguarding
training previously. Our focus for Cardiff social care staff will now be to deliver
training creatively on safeguarding topics, for example Safeguarding and
Cultural issues which will incorporate FGM, forced marriage etc and Toxic Trio
and Safeguarding which will incorporate different parental issues and the
impact on children and young people.
As stated in section D, there is a regional collaboration with other South East
Wales Authorities in relation to Court Skills and Public Law Outline
(PLO)/Family Justice Review training. Jointly we have commissioned Research
in Practice (RiP) to training BAAF who we will then commission individually to
undertake training within the South East Wales Authorities.
Outcome focused training will continue to be rolled out and further training
identified such as Person Centred Creativity that will ensure that all staff are
aware of the importance of working in an outcome focused way with all people
who receive services.
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L. Commitment to the Bilingual Provision of Services
Partnerships should ensure that consideration is given to the workforce’s ability
to deliver services bilingually, in line with the Social Services’ Strategic
Framework for Welsh Language Services which confirmed the Government’s
commitment to strengthen Welsh language services to service users and their
families. ["More than just Words", Strategic Framework for Welsh Language
Services in Health, Social Services and Social Care].
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/publications/health/guidance/words/?lang=en
The Children’s Services and Health & Social Care Directorates in Cardiff
Council are currently working collaboratively to implement the requirements of
Mwy na Geiriau / More Than Just Words, the National Strategic Framework for
Welsh Language Services in Health, Social Services and Social Care. There
are designated roles with each directorate to enable the Health & Social Care
Welsh Language Co-ordinator to focus on the implementation of the Strategy
across the City of Cardiff Council and to support the Independent Sector to
implement the Framework. This will allow us to:
 Roll out Welsh Language awareness training across all services
 Undertake and support Welsh Language Awareness training with the
Independent Sector
 Complete the skills assessments of staff and the resulting designation of
posts as ‘Welsh Essential’.
 Develop bespoke training for social care staff within the Council and the
Independent Sector, in the provision of care services which are sensitive
to the needs of Welsh speakers.
 Ensure that welsh Language needs become an integral part of service
commissioning, and that care providers are aware of their
responsibilities.
M. Social Work Qualifying Training Plan and Social Work Post
Qualifying Training
The City of Cardiff Council continues to provide a secondment scheme to
support and develop existing staff which impacts positively on recruitment and
retention.. Those members of staff qualifying have all secured permanent
Social Work posts within their original teams. The process for selection follows
the Cardiff Metropolitan University procedure, and includes service users
(according to good practice standards) and an Operational Manager from within
the service area as well as members of the Training Team. Widened access to
the scheme for employees has resulted in strong applicants from within the
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Council being put forward to the Degree Programme. Contracts are in places
which clarify the conditions of these secondment opportunities.
The hosting of direct entry social work students during their training is also part
of the local Partnership arrangements. The Authority has Hosting Agreements
with Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University for the next 2 years,
undertaking to provide 98 placements per year. Provision of Practice Learning
Opportunities is an increasing challenge resulting from ongoing changes and
increased pressures within teams as well as a decrease in Voluntary sector
projects. The commitment of staff however, to take students continues with the
aid Off Site Practice Assessors who are employed to ease the work load of the
assessment process of students. Support and training is provided to all
practitioners undertaking work with students, this ensures ongoing quality
assurance and good practice. Teams, On Site Supervisors and Practice
Assessors are now becoming familiar with the new Rules and Requirements &
National Occupational Standards for the Qualifying Degree in Social Work. We
are encouraged that the changes reflect the current climate in Social Work and
these in combination with Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
will strengthen training to produce Social Workers who are well equipped for
future practice.
Seconded Students
5
12
2015-2016
10
2016-2017
2017-2018
The commitment remains to continue, maintain and develop a secondment
program in order to raise further the standards of the qualified workforce.
However, this can only be commensurate with financial viability. With the
SCDWP Five Year Strategic plan coming to an end next year longer term plans
cannot be guaranteed. The above table is a projection based on current
commitment to secondees remaining the same, i.e. five potential places per
year.
Approx. Cost of Social Work Qualifying Training from SCWDP Funding
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The table below identifies those costs of Social Work training which are met
from SCWDP funding which includes the £36,000 which has been specifically
ring-fenced this year.
2015-2016
£
Degree Fees
40,000
Replacement costs
26,000
Part time Training Officer post
22,600
Part time Admin. Assistant post
12,800
TOTAL
101,400
Social Work Post Qualifying Training
Continuing Professional Education and Learning (CPEL); A Framework for
Social Workers in Wales, Care Council for Wales has actively been in place for
one academic year. It has required a new infrastructure around PQ which social
workers are now becoming familiar with. The clear career pathway it has
created will hopefully encourage experienced practitioners to remain in
practice. This fits well with existing career grade arrangements which are
already in place in this authority. Part of the grant will be used to support this.
Staff have been kept informed of the changes and briefing sessions arranged
to enable informed choices regarding their personal and professional
development. The linking of CPEL with social work registration has not yet been
effected, however, following good practice standards newly qualified social
workers within Cardiff Council will be required to follow a set First Year in
Practice programme, followed by the CPEL Consolidation programme as a
matter of course. The full programme for the First Year in Practice is now well
established and includes relevant training for this level as well as the required
preparatory training for the Consolidation program. Mentoring is provided for
the duration of the Programme although provision of this has been problematic
within teams.
The Consolidation Programme has now been running for two years. The
collaborative approach between 10 authorities and 3 Higher Education
Institutions has worked effectively in ensuring practitioners adhere to good
practice. Feedback from those undertaking the course has given valuable
insight on which to adjust various aspects of the programme. Training
Managers in the region continue to work together to provide resources
necessary to sustain the programme in terms of assessment and in house
training.
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The Experienced Practitioner Programme, Senior Practitioner Programme
and the Consultant Practitioner Programme will continue in September
2015. The Care Council for Wales are funding 7 places for this Authority; part
of the grant will be used to support additional places. Post Qualifying training
outside of the CPEL framework continues with various courses, again part of
the grant will be used to fund and provide assessment and support.
The Practice Teaching modules at our Partner Universities continue to be well
supported. This course remains a valuable resource to enhance the provision
and support required for social work student placements within the Local
Authority, as well as the Independent and Voluntary sector. The required
number of quality Practice Learning Opportunities could not be met if it were
not for enthusiastic social workers undertaking these courses. Feedback from
participants has been very positive, enhancing skills and knowledge in their
practice.
There are two further programmes available at Level 7 and these are with other
Universities. Firstly there is the Approved Mental Health Professional Post
Graduate Certificate [AMHP], which is provided by a partnership between
Swansea University and local authorities in South Wales. This training is a
priority for adult social care services and we will continue to support social
workers on the programme. Secondly, there is the Team Manager
Development Programme, which is also at Post Graduate Certificate level.
The transition to the CPEL framework will remain a challenge for Social Work
staff for some time. However, they will receive encouragement and support to
embrace these new initiatives and make informed decisions regarding their
professional development.
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