northlincs.gov.uk

23 (23) HUMBER SOCIAL WORK TEACHING PARTNERSHIP – The Interim Director of Children’s Services submitted a report updating the Cabinet Member on the joint bid to develop a new Social Work Teaching Partnership and seeking approval to accept the grant offer from the Department for Education (DfE), and also to lead the shared responsibility of delivering the Humber Social Work Teaching Partnership.

Two national reviews of social work were undertaken in 2014.  Following the reviews, the reports recommended a number of changes to ensure that the supply and skills of social workers better matched the needs of social work employers, and that student social workers were better prepared for undertaking the highly skilled and important role of delivering statutory social care.

In 2016 the government embarked upon a programme of significant children’s social care reform.  A central feature of the reform agenda was the need to continue to bring the best and brightest people into social work, and to transform how those people were supported to develop the skills they needed.

Following a successful pilot of one such transformation, the government invited applications from local partnerships of employers and higher education institutions for funding to establish formal social work teaching partnerships.

In June 2016 the council submitted an application for funding to create and deliver a Humber Social Work Teaching Partnership, alongside Hull City Council, East Riding Council, North East Lincolnshire Council, University of Hull, NAVIGO, FOCUS, and the University of Lincoln.  The application made clear that the council would be the nominated lead agency, within a context of shared responsibility.

On 11 November 2016, the DfE and Chief Social Workers announced that the bid was successful.  Details of the grant offer and key features of the overarching vision for the Partnership were set out in the report.

Resolved – (a) That the grant offer be accepted, and (b) that the proposal for the council to act as lead partner within the Humber Social Work Teaching Partnership be approved.