Table Of ContentReport of the 21st Century Socoiarkl WReview
changing
l ives
© Crown copyright 2006
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Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review
changing
lives
Scottish Executive, Edinburgh 2006
© Crown copyright 2006
ISBN: 0-7559-4824-6
Scottish Executive
St Andrew’s House
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
Produced for the Scottish Executive by Astron B43115 1/06
Published by the Scottish Executive
Further copies are available from
Blackwell's Bookshop
53 South Bridge
Edinburgh
EH1 1YS
The text pages of this document are printed on recycled paper and are 100% recyclable
Contents
Page
Foreword by William Roe
Chair of 21st Century Social Work Review Group 2
Introduction for users and carers to Changing Lives
from the User and Carer Panel 4
Remit, approach & definitions 6
Executive Summary 8
Chapter 1 Messages from the 21st Century Social Work Review 10
Chapter 2 Social work now and in the future 13
Chapter 3 A changing context for social work: challenges
and opportunities 17
Chapter 4 The role of the social worker 26
Chapter 5 Building capacity to deliver personalised services 32
Chapter 6 Building the capacity of the workforce 49
Chapter 7 Building capacity for sustainable change 65
Annex A Methods and evidence 77
Annex B Review group and sub group membership 84
Annex C References 91
Annex D Summary of recommendations 93
1
Changing Lives
Changing Lives
foreword
William Roe – Chair
I am delighted to present Changing
Lives. This report is the culmination of
12 months of intensive work which has
taken us across the length and breadth Our choice of Changing Lives as a title
of Scotland. The range of opinion and reflects the very strong and consistent
evidence we’ve needed to consider messages of the need for
has been vast. I would like to record transformational change. Social work is
my warmest thanks and appreciation life-changing work. But now, at the start
to everyone who helped us in our of the 21st century, social work itself
work. needs to change so that it can match our
country’s expectations for high quality,
We have listened to the views of accessible, responsive and personalised
people who use and deliver social work services. In the four decades since the
services and to many other present pattern of social work services
professionals and organisations. We was created, our society has changed
have seen examples of excellent out of all recognition. Looking forward
practice as well as much that gives us 20 years, we see a Scotland that will
cause for concern. change yet further and faster. Social
work services will need to match that
We’ve considered research, evidence pace of change, in what they do, how
of best practice and views from leading they are led, organised and delivered,
opinion makers, people who use and how they contribute to improving the
services and their carers and from the well-being of people and communities.
general public. We have debated the
big issues that affect not only social Our lives are changing: we are
work, but all public services. We have becoming increasingly well informed
considered the implications of a and demanding consumers, yet our
changing population, of changing changing lives and circumstances
expectations and of an increasingly present increasingly complex problems
fragmented society. in a fragmented and ageing society.
Throughout our work, the evidence we The lives of people who use services
have considered has been remarkably and their carers need to change,
consistent in its messages. We can giving them a stronger role in the way
therefore draw our conclusions, and services are designed and delivered.
the recommendations flowing from We will expect services which are
them, with confidence. personalised to meet our needs and
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Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review
Technology will change our lives:
Technology is not a panacea for all our
problems but it offers major opportunities
to re-think how we organise and deliver
services. 21st century social work
services will need to be at the forefront
In the summer of 2004 I was handed a of using technologies to support their
challenging brief by Scottish Ministers, to life-changing work.
chair the 21st Century Social Work Review.
In Changing Lives we set out a new
The review group was asked to take a
direction for social work services in
fundamental look at all aspects of social Scotland based on the strong core
work and make recommendations on how values of inclusiveness and meeting
services should be developed to meet the the whole needs of individuals and
future needs of Scotland’s people. families. We seek to equip social work
services to rise to the challenge of
supporting and protecting our most
vulnerable people and communities in
the early part of the 21st century.
aspirations, where solutions to our Social work has a bright and exciting
problems are co-produced with future. Changing Lives gives us a once
professional workers. in a generation opportunity to deliver
the kind of social work services
Partnerships between social work Scotland needs.
services and other public, private
and voluntary agencies need to Putting our recommendations into
change: Social work services alone practice will not be easy. It will require
cannot solve society’s problems. We long term commitment and vision from
need to harness all our resources and the Scottish Executive, from the leaders
expertise to design services around the of the profession, from all those who
needs of people, delivering the right work in or with social work services and
outcomes for the people who use from the people who use services,
them. That means finding new ways of either voluntarily or as a result of
working that position social work statutory orders. If fully implemented,
services alongside the work of their they will change the way services are
partners in the public, voluntary and designed and delivered, enabling
private sectors. Together we will need workers to make a fundamental
to shift the balance towards a much difference to the lives of the individuals,
greater focus on preventing problems families and communities they serve.
and intervening early to resolve them. They will deliver life changing services
that are fit for the future. Services we
Our workforce is changing: The can all be proud of.
workforce of the future will need to
work smarter, developing new roles
and new ways of working, if it is to
meet changing demands. Workers will
need to be supported and developed
by their employers to take on new
responsibilities, to be innovative and to
strive for excellence. We will need clear William Roe – Chair
and visionary leadership at all levels to 21st Century Social Work Review
make sure that everyone’s knowledge
and skills are used effectively.
3
Changing Lives
introduction for users and carers to
changing lives
from the User and Carer Panel
About this introduction One of the key groups that worked
This introduction, for the report on the with the review was a panel of people
social work review, is written for users who use social work services and
of social work services and family carers. carers called the User and Carer Panel.
It will explain where the review and This introduction has been written by
report came from and why it is important the Panel.
to you. This is not a summary of the
report. This introduction concentrates If you use services, or are a carer,
on some of the messages in the report this is what you can expect from
that we think are important for you. services in future:
The report says that social work
Why was there a 21st Century Social services have to be more responsible
Work Review? for the services they provide.
The review of social work happened
because people felt services weren’t The person is at the heart of
working well enough: Scotland has everything. This means that your
changed, and what people needed from service should start from where you
services has changed as well. Also, are. It means services must see
there are fewer taxpayers and more “service users” as people, and not just
people needing services, so there is not see their labels. Social workers need to
enough money to fund these services. think about what difference it makes to
the person using services or carer.
The purpose of the review was to find
better ways of working for services and
social workers, and to find ways of
using resources better.
Where does the report come from?
The report comes from the work done in
the review on how social work services
and social workers could give better
services to people. Lots of people were
asked about what they thought of social
work services and social workers.
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Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review
To make all this happen, you can expect
that social workers will have more
responsibility, and have more power to
make their own decisions. Social workers
will have less red tape: this means social
workers doing more social work, and
less paperwork. The result will be a
speedier, more efficient service.
You will have more continuity in your
service – skilled workers will get the chance
to stay on the front line. And there will be
committed support for workers to develop
existing and new skills. So there is a better
chance that you will have a more
understanding worker.
You can expect a better match between
you and your social worker. To make
this happen you will need to have more People that use services and family
say in your own assessments. That carers will have more control over the
way, you will be more likely to get the services they are getting. “Citizen
right service earlier. leadership” will become important, this
means people having more of a say
and taking more of a lead in planning
services, like:
● More say in your own assessments
● More flexible services like Local
Area Coordination
● More panels like the User and
Carer Panel!
Finally, the Panel feels that we’ve made
You can expect services to get better
a difference by being part of the
at preventing a crisis, rather than
review. We feel that our voice has been
waiting for it to happen. This means
heard and our ideas have been
services working with other agencies
included in the report. The Panel
better. There will be a quicker response
welcomes the report. However, there’s
from services. Also social work will be
still a lot to do before these changes
based more where people are, like
will happen – we’d better get started!
community centres for example.
5
Changing Lives
Remit, approach &
definitions
6
Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review
The 21st Century Social Work Review Terminology and scope
was commissioned by Ministers in the Although the review has looked across
summer of 2004. the breadth of social work services, it
has not been our remit to look in detail
Its overall aim was to take a at the full range of social care services.
fundamental look at all aspects of
social work in order to strengthen its When we refer to social work
contribution to the delivery of services, we refer to all services
integrated services. provided by local authorities and to
commissioned services provided by
It had six main objectives: the voluntary and private sectors to
● To clearly define the role and meet the identified needs of the
purpose of social workers and the communities they serve.
social work profession
● To identify improvements in the When we refer to social workers we
organisation and delivery of social refer to those people who hold a
work services recognised social work professional
● To develop a strong quality qualification and a current registration
improvement framework and culture, with the Scottish Social Services
supported by robust inspection Council.
● To strengthen leadership and
management giving clear direction When we refer to the social service
to the service workforce, we refer to the whole
● To ensure a competent and workforce of people engaged in the
confident workforce delivery of social work services,
● To review and if necessary to whoever their employer may be. The
modernise legislation. social service workforce as defined in
The review has been led and overseen legislation includes the early education
by an independent review group, and child care workers, which is subject
supported by a series of working to a separate review and excludes other
groups reporting to it: professionals such as occupational
● Role of the social worker sub group therapists. For our purposes, we
● Performance improvement sub group consider the workforce to be made up
● Leadership and management sub group of social workers, occupational
● Stakeholder group therapists and other professionals,
● Users and carers panel. social work and occupational therapy
assistants, care workers, residential
Annex C sets out the membership of care staff and support staff.
the various groups.
Annex B summarises the various
sources of evidence considered in
reaching our conclusions. The main
sources of evidence are available in full
on the accompanying CD or the 21st
Century Social Work Review website
www.21csocialwork.org.uk
7
