Growth and development.pdf

StirlingThere are problems recruiting and retaining staff in home care in rural areas and in childcareteams. Measures taken to address the problem in childcare include:• recruiting family support workers to assist with low-level tasks;• introducing mixed workloads to balance the pressures of statutory work;• creating an additional tier of senior social workers/team leaders; and• introducing a professional development programme focused on the area managers andsenior social workers, to ensure quality professional leadership and practice.The Council has increased its recruitment publicity, emphasising commitment to training anddevelopment. It provides protected time for newly qualified workers to complete their MAdissertations and guarantees the chance to undertake the Certificate in Postgraduate SocialWork, paid for by the Council. A professional development co-ordinator has been appointed toimplement a training programme across both children’s services and community services,based on an extensive training needs analysis.There are particular complications in providing rural services. Rural home support and residentialunits have to be increasingly imaginative in their use of resources, using village halls and otherlocal buildings to provide day care, social care and PAMs services.7. Modernising servicesStirling Council has close links with the local Race Equality Council, and has a record oftackling racial harassment and developing cultural awareness. There is a recognised need forimprovement both in ethnic monitoring and in consultation with local ethnic minority groups.Support is available from an ethnic minority adviser. A Race Equality Scheme is being prepared,identifying specific functions to be addressed.Stirling Council is committed to a citizen focus. The Access Stirling project, funded by theModernising Government Fund, is developing a “single citizen account”, based on a propertyindex established with 14 other councils.All social work staff are online, have internet access and use electronic records. The Council islinked to the eCare project, focusing on occupational therapy services: data sharing is advancedand a protocol is in place for the exchange of information with health.Comprehensive information systems, based on recording, are available to managers in communitycare and criminal justice. Integration between social care and education information systems iswell advanced. Stirling is exploring, with three other councils, ways of improving IT facilities forlooked after children.257