We know how important it is for workers in Children and Family Services to continue to have access to high quality training and support in their roles. We consider ourselves a learning organisation and so training, learning and development is central to our service and offer.
All our workers are expected to take part in personal supervision and have an annual performance review, where you think about your successes over the year and your goals for the year ahead.
We understand that learning and growth takes place in different ways for different people and we want to work with you to find the best ways to support your personal and professional development.
Induction
We know how important it is to get the best start to your employment and so we have developed a robust induction process to make sure that all new starters get what they need to have a great start in their career. Our formal induction period ensures that new workers do not have tasks allocated before they are fully settled into teams.
Having only been employed for almost four weeks, the team I have joined are lovely and I can’t have been made to feel any more welcome than I have.
Person:Lisa, Education Service
Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) for newly qualified social workers
Here at Leicestershire County Council we are extremely proud of our ASYE programme and always strive to offer the best start to a career in social work, so that we can work to positively influence and improve the lives of children and their families.
Each ASYE cohort will receive a comprehensive and engaging induction process within a team whom we encourage to form close bonds, providing you with a good support network. There is a detailed training and induction process over the course of the year which includes meeting the senior management team, gaining an understanding of the roles of each service area from door to door through to long-term care. Alongside this, there is practical training around Section 47 processes, training in our practice model, assessment and analysis skills, alongside other key topics.
To ensure you have the maximum support and are given the smoothest introduction to the profession, you will receive monthly network meetings with all other newly qualified social workers (either an informal meet up or a formal session on a specific topic to support your practice), a reduced and protected case load over your ASYE year, co-working opportunities to learn from experienced practitioners and an offer of 1:1 additional support from the ASYE lead, should you feel it required. You will receive monthly supervision with your line manager, as well as monthly reflective supervision with your practice mentor.
All expectations are realistic, and we provide you with support every step of the way, including with our amazing resource box for direct work with children as well as theory and reflective practice cards!
ASYE testimonials
LCC provides you with so much support, guidance and help in an accessible and enthusiastic way. I feel really prepared for my ASYE portfolio and am enjoying the whole ASYE process. Sam (ASYE co-ordinator) is friendly and always offering extra help if needed which makes the whole process a lot calmer and enjoyable.
Person:Newly Qualified Social Worker
I’m super lucky as my manager, mentor and Senior Practitioner are all really helpful and available so I never feel like I’m unsure of anything. There is always support if you need it so you never feel like you have too much on your plate. LCC is a great authority to work for, I haven’t met one person who hasn’t been lovely and helpful.
Person:Newly Qualified Social Worker
I think the ASYE program with LCC is a great learning experience. I am currently on an ASYE in fostering and adoption as a supervising social worker and the team I am working in is very supportive and welcoming. The program is run by the ASYE team who provide various training opportunities for us and include many sessions with professionals that you would work alongside with as a social worker. If there is anything I’ve struggled with in the ASYE, the ASYE co-ordinator has been available to talk through worries, concerns or the work itself which has been very helpful. I feel well supported in my role and it has given me the confidence needed to be a social worker. The ASYE is a lot of work but it is worth it for the experience and learning opportunities provided.
Person:Newly Qualified Social Worker
In a time when we have started a new role working from home, the ASYE induction program has given an excellent foundation to understanding a range of important areas of being a Social Worker in Leicestershire. It has been good to share with other ASYE’s and if we ever have any questions Sam is always available and happy to help.
Person:Newly Qualified Social Worker
We had a visit from Skills for Care in November 2020 with the following feedback from the visit:
The NQSW programme was well established and robust thus an impressive well-rounded and well delivered programme. There was clear evidence of a drive to support NQSWs and a commitment to ensure NQSW’s had a good experience throughout the year. NQSW’s were supported by passionate and committed mentors/ assessors/ supervisors who were very experienced. There was clear engagement and commitment from senior team which was evident across the organisation and very much felt by the NQSWs. NQSWs felt central to the programme which spoke volumes about the quality of the programme.
The organisation should be commended for the support provide to NQSW’s during the pandemic.
Person:Skills for Care feedback, November 2020
Career progression
We want to support all of our workers to progress in their career whilst working with us. We have a robust progression pathway program for social workers which sets out specific training to be completed to help skill and equip you to progress.
We have an Aspiring Managers program to help support those interested in management to understand key areas and develop their skills and knowledge.
Social care training testimonials
I have found the Aspiring Managers course really useful. I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to be part of the course. I liked the idea of a mixture of presentations, discussions and group participations.
Person:Katie Cheung
Having so many different guest speakers was absolutely brilliant!
Person:Jason Pickett
I have worked for Leicestershire since I qualified in social work 9 year ago. I am now a Service Manager and have been supported by all of my managers over the years, and the organisation as a whole, to develop and progress in my skills and career. I would not think about working anywhere else.
Person:Hollie Martin
Our social care training
We have a comprehensive and wide-ranging training program that is open all staff.
We have strong links between our learning and development department and our Practice Excellence Team, so we can ensure that training is always the right training to meet the needs of practitioners. If there is not a course advertised that meets your needs – you can request it.
Aspiring Managers testimonials
The training was set out in an excellent way, interactive, with very friendly and knowledgeable trainers. Everyone should do this training!
Person:Social Worker
I thoroughly enjoyed this training, the trainers were very helpful and informative and drew on their own experiences which helped put the theory into practice. The training should be required for all practitioners working in this sector with our service users. I will be looking at more training available and to learn more from you all. Thank you!
Person:Social Worker
Being a learning organisation
Every year we run three annual conferences for employees to help motivate and encourage everybody to be the best they can be and to bring out their full potential.
Each month we make it a priority that all teams have an amount of time set aside for team learning and support.
Managers provide reflective supervision and we are focused on continuing to grow group supervision skills and practices across our teams.
We provide all SW England registered employees a whole three extra CPD days.
We have an explicit practice framework providing a strong foundation for our work with families – setting out the way we ‘do business in Leicestershire’ and making our values and principles absolutely clear. We have embedded the Signs of Safety approach across Children’s Social Care and our Early Help teams and all our teams are trained in this methodology.
Our Practice Excellence Team are dedicated to supporting practitioners offering training and coaching and mentoring to build practitioner confidence. The team also provides support to teams and service areas to support and help build and grow practice.
We have an established Practice Development Group which is attended by practitioners from across different teams so that practitioners at all levels can be contribute to the way that our services grow and develop. We value the views, ideas and input of practitioners thorough groups such as this, but also thorough departmental surveys and other feedback.
We know the value and importance of recognising and celebrating good practice. We hold an annual award ceremony for children’s social care and family help service for a number of categories. We also hold awards ceremony for our newly qualified social workers when they complete their ASYE year.