New partnership develops adult social work staff in Southampton

Solent University and Southampton City Council have recently become part of an adult care sharing and learning community project, which is benefiting both council staff and university students alike.

Adult care social workers at Southampton City Council will now have the opportunity to refresh their knowledge by attending a range of lectures and skills days at Solent University, focused on certain aspects of social work such as law and policy, risk assessment, models of practice and current societal issues such as gang culture or county lines.

Solent students will also be able to develop networks and links with Southampton City Council staff that attend the sessions and together they will be able to share ideas and discuss best practice. The students will also benefit from social workers being in the room to help them to put theory into context before they themselves go out and practice.

In return, Karen Biddle Principal Social Worker for Adults at Southampton City Council will lecture at the University on various topics relevant to adult social care.

Jan Parker Head of Health and Social Care at Solent University said: “Developing a shared learning culture will provide a joint vision for the ethos of social work practice across the region.

“Students have fed back the benefits of learning alongside practitioners, this partnership is unique in that they are learning from practitioners in a classroom where the pressure is off, opposed to a placement setting.”

Karen Biddle, Principal Social Worker for Adults at Southampton City Council, added: “The ‘Community, Learning and Sharing’ partnership provides staff with a terrific opportunity to reflect on their case work, update and refresh their knowledge base and share experiences and ideas with students, with the aim of improving social work practice across the city, for the benefit of residents and their families.”

Following attendance Council staff will receive a certificate of attendance from Solent University as evidence of their Continuing Professional Development (CPD).