Social work and related services

Tender description

The Department made a commitment in Adoption: A vision for change (March 2016) — available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/512826/Adoption_Policy_Paper_30_March_2016.pdf — to develop a continuous professional development programme to enable social workers to develop the knowledge and skills they need to successfully undertake the complex assessment, analysis and permanence decision making we require of them, and progress permanence plans with urgency and skill. The service is likely to focus on: — Improving the quality of permanence assessments of children and carers; — Enabling more robust and evidence-based decisions between permanence options; — Building skills to ensure that court material is well prepared and clearly argued, and developing social workers' skills in presenting and defending cases in court effectively; — Improving the direct work skills necessary to prepare children for permanence and undertake high quality life story work, and training carers in appropriate re-parenting and therapeutic strategies; — Commitment to deliver a professional and high-quality service where all parties are treated with respect; — Ensuring pragmatic and timely matching decisions, where the impact of delay is understood and there is recognition of how unconscious bias can effect decision making; — Improving the support provided to carers post placement, the diagnosis of support needs and the skills for the commissioning and/or delivery of support.