What do you think about the process of making small changes?
I’ve enjoyed the process. It’s a privilege to be part of a project making changes within the service, and having gone through the processes I think it’s doable and realistic. I have a team of social workers who are really into it, and working together on it makes it easier.
What small changes are you interested in that your local authority is focusing on?
One of the first changes my team identified is creating a shared drive providing access to resources across teams. There has been no uniformity of resources, and at times we use exhausted or outdated forms to make referrals – when you send them to the services you will get turned down. So, we need a uniform template wherein the process will be universal, and this will save us a lot of time.
Another small change my team is passionate about is developing ways to provide feedback to each other and celebrate successes together. During team meetings, we take turns giving each other feedback, and it’s been refreshing to hear comments about my practice. As a manager, I also collect and share positive feedback from service users, and this motivates and empowers them to do more. From this small exercise, there are big impacts.
What has your journey with Crescendo been like?
On World Social Work Day one of my social workers was involved in organising ways to celebrate. We had a tree and wrote celebratory notes about team members which we then placed on it. We then had a meeting where the Director read out the names and stories on them, which was really motivating.
We’re now starting to implement small changes, for example celebrating each other. On World Social Work Day one of my social workers was involved in organising ways to celebrate. We had a tree and wrote celebratory notes about team members which we then placed on it. We then had a meeting where the Director read out the names and stories on them, which was really motivating.