What lies ahead? The future of Adult Social Care. Lyn Romeo (Chief Social Worker).

1. 1
Future of Social Work
with Adults – Challenges and Opportunities
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.
• Improve the wider public’s perceptions and understanding of
the role and value of social work in improving people’s lives.
Future of Social Work with Adults – Challenges and Opportunities

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Changing landscape in health and social care
Policy Drivers – Integration, Personalisation, Outcomes-focused
Care Act 2014
Mental Capacity Act / DOLS
Mental Health Act - Code of Practice
Future of Social Work with Adults – Challenges and Opportunities
Dementia strategy,
Autism strategy,
Transitions to adulthood
Winterbourne view
Service DE – approaches to local authority commissioning
Integrated health and social care providers (Better Care Fund)
Integrated Mental Health Services
Integrated responses with primary care
Social enterprises /
community interest
companies (CICs)
Standards and Regulation
Chief Social Workers for Children
& Adults, education reform, AYSE, CPD
Refreshed employer standards
Principle Social Workers
HCPC regulations
TCSW/BASW
Research & Evidence
Care Act regulations & guidance

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The Care Act is built around people
Ensures that people’s well-being
and the outcomes which matter to them,
will be at the heart of every
decision that is made.
Puts personal budgets on
a legislative footing for the
first time.
Independent
Advocacy.
Future of Social Work with Adults – Challenges and Opportunities
Creates a new focus
on preventing
and delaying
needs for care
and support,
rather than only
intervening at crisis
point.
Puts carers on
the same footing as
those they care for.

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Repositioning of social work
in adult social care
Promote social workers as the
lead professional
responsible for personalised,
integrated care and supports
– especially:
• Prevention – promoting independence
and resilience
• Assessment or review of an individual
or carer with complex social care needs
• Supervising safeguarding enquiries
• Transition to adulthood
Social workers have
the qualifications,
knowledge and
skills to work:
- with complexity, risk and conflict
- Operate within a legal framework
- therapeutically and in the community
- with capacity and mental health needs
- to shape the social care market
Future of Social Work with Adults – Challenges and Opportunities

6. 6
Opportunities for innovative social work
practice
Task-centred/problem-solving
Inter-disciplinary team
approaches
Strengths and
community-based
approaches
Family
systemic
approaches
Person-centred interventions
which make a real difference
Future of Social Work with Adults – Challenges and Opportunities
to people’s lives
Making safeguarding
personal approach
Micro-providers/
innovative use of
personal budgets
Attachment based
strategies with adults
Motivational
approaches

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Ability to make a difference
Social Worker
“Working with a man living in squalor, eating
out of bins and very unkempt and neglecting
all personal and nutritional care....the work
done with this man has made a vast difference
to his life. He was shunned and discriminated
against by neighbours, schoolchildren and
others in the community. It seems he has lost
all self-respect, however this is gradually
coming back in very small stages...”
Future of Social Work with Adults – Challenges and Opportunities
Carer
“It was the social worker who was the greatest
professional support and put me in touch with a
wonderful independent carer who helped to look
after mum at home for the last few months before
she needed residential care. Of all the
professionals, she had the most hands-on
understanding”

8. 8
Challenges for Social Work Practice
Renewed focus on
•Maximising independence and
choice
•Strong legal literacy
•Positive risk-taking
•Working with other professionals
•Leadership at all levels
Away from
•Procedure and process-driven approaches to
assessment and care planning
Will mean
•Professional responsibility for continuous professional
development
•Common values, ethics and models of interventions
across adults’ and children’s services
Social work must deepen its knowledge and skills if it is to
respond to the transformation of health and social care
•Changing expectations of care and support – user of services
as equal partner; strengths/asset-based approaches
•Responding to meet the challenges arising from demographic
changes – aging population, dementia, long-term conditions,
mental health, financial constraints
Requires: Workforce planning, organisational commitment to
social work and access to quality assured CPD
Future of Social Work with Adults – Challenges and Opportunities