The role of Chief Social Work Officer Social Work Scotland The role of Chief Social Work Officer

The context of social work services Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and subsequent legislation Social work is essential to the delivery of good outcomes for the most vulnerable in communities and, through partnership working, helps people achieve change Local authorities have significant statutory duties in relation to supporting people Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 The 1968 Act requires local authorities to appoint a chief social work officer for the purpose of listed social work functions Social work is legislated in section 3 of the above 1968 Act It is not a universal service, there is no one-size fits all approach Social workers work with people to understand and assess what is happening in their lives. Social workers apply learning from research and practice to make professional judgments about how best to help people achieve change in their life This can be straightforward if agreement is reached about what the issues are, or This can be challenging if there is no agreement, or if social work intervention must occur as a statutory response, i.e. issues of protection or deprivation of liberty The integration of health and social care also places additional responsibilities on local authorities and partners to work together, and provides for the delegation of certain social work functions to integration authorities (duty placed on adult services but not on services for children – each integration authority has interpreted this locally) The 1968 Act placed a duty on local authorities to appoint a chief social work officer

The chief social work officer The core aim of the chief social work officer is the provision of effective, professional social work advice and leadership to local authorities in relation to the authority’s provision of ALL social work services; and, in the context of integration, provision of the same to partnerships to which certain social work services are delegated CSWO The chief social work officer operates across social work services for adults, children and justice services, regardless of his/her operational management remit.

The chief social work officer: criteria Is a role for which the local authority retains statutory responsibility and cannot be delegated The chief social work officer must be: A qualified social worker, registered with the Scottish Social Services Council Designated as a ‘proper officer’ of the local authority, and Of sufficient seniority and experience in the operational and strategic management of social work services In practice, the role is held by a Director or Head of Service who holds operational management responsibilities for either children’s services and/or justice services; OR adult social care The chief social work officer role is distinct from operational responsibilities It is important that colleagues are clear about the role and function of the chief social work officer, as distinct from the post holder’s service management responsibilities.

The chief social work officer: overarching objectives As leader of the social care and social work profession within the local authority and integration authority, the chief social work officer role involves: The provision of professional advice in the discharge of the local authority’s statutory functions as outlined in the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 The provision of strategic and professional leadership in the delivery of social work services The assistance to local authorities and their partners in understanding the complexities and cross-cutting nature of social work services and the key role social work plays in contributing to a wide range of local and national outcomes The support of overall performance management and the management of corporate risk

The chief social work officer: specific functions (1) Promote values and standards of professional practice, ensuring these are communicated and understood Ensure all social service workers practice in line with, and meet the requirements of, the Scottish Social Services Council’s codes of practice Establish a practice governance group, or link with the clinical and care governance group, to advise and ensure maintenance of high standards in practice and supervision Provide professional advice and contribute to decision-making Ensure professional standards are achieved in governance arrangements for the management of balancing need, risk and civil liberties

The chief social work officer: specific functions (2) Ensure appropriate systems are in place to support: Continuous improvement and to address poor practice Learning from critical incidents Only registered social workers in undertaking designated social work functions Quality assurance Safe recruitment and workforce planning Provision and quality of practice learning experiences for social work students

The chief social work officer: specific functions (3) Implement areas of decision-making which are conferred directly by legislation onto the chief social work officer. These include: Deciding whether to authorise the secure accommodation of a child, reviewing arrangements and removing the child from secure accommodation if appropriate Making a decision about the transfer of a child subject to a Supervision Order in cases of urgent necessity Acting as guardian to an adult with incapacity where the guardianship functions relate to the personal welfare of the adult and no other suitable individual has consented to be appointed Making decisions associated with the management of drug treatment and testing orders Carrying out functions as the appropriate authority in relation to a breach of a supervised release order, or to appoint someone to carry out these functions Such decisions must be made either by the CSWO or by a professionally qualified social worker, at an appropriate level of seniority, to whom the responsibility has been formally delegated and set out within local authority arrangements. Even where responsibility has been delegated, the CSWO retains overall responsibility for ensuring quality and oversight of the decisions. In addition to these specific areas where legislation confers functions on all CSWOs, there will be a much larger number of areas of decision-making which have been assigned by individual local authorities to Chief Social Work Officers. These areas may include responsibilities assigned through guidance or other routes. For example: the 2014 guidance on Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) makes explicit reference to the role of the CSWO in responsibility for joint arrangements, in co-operation with other authorities. although mental health services are delegated to Integration Joint Boards, some of these functions require to be carried out by local authority officers with a social work qualification (Mental Health Officers). Local authorities will want to be reassured via the CSWO that these functions are discharged in accordance with professional standards and statutory requirements It is for each local authority to make transparent which additional specific areas of responsibility in regard to their social work functions they have assigned to their CSWO.

The chief social work officer in integration authorities The chief social work officer has a role as: A non-voting member of the Integration Joint Board or the Integration Joint Monitoring Committee (regardless of operational service responsibilities) A professional leader in clinical and care governance arrangements A member of strategic fora which provide direct access to the chief executive and elected members These roles involve: Providing comment on areas of risk for vulnerable individuals and communities Providing advice on the impact of issues on the provision of effective social work services Providing comment on findings of service quality and performance reports Producing and publishing an annual report on the chief social work officer role and on social work services In providing comment, the CSWO should highlight: implications for the local authority, for the IJB, for services, for people who use services and support and carers, for individual teams/members of staff/partners as appropriate; implications for delivery of national and local outcomes; proposals for remedial action; means for sharing good practice and learning; monitoring and reporting arrangements for identified improvement activity.

Challenges of discharging the chief social work officer role Tensions between ensuring professional advice-giving at ‘arms-length’ (as chief social work officer) and taking operational decisions (as operational manager) Unclear local governance structures and lines of accountability Concerns regarding the effective delivery of integrated and single agency services within the current economic climate - ‘what can we afford to provide?’, rather than ‘what does our community need?’ Budgetary constraints which direct a focus on statutory service provision rather than promote a culture of early intervention and prevention Service transformation which necessitates disaggregation of previous successful partnerships For example, operational decisions can be taken on the basis of budgets and performance expediency, and consequently, professional advice may be given on the basis of risk, ensuring quality and maintaining professional standards. Reference: Audit Scotland report 2016

Working in partnership Undertaking the role of chief social work officer requires a strong partnership approach Raising the profile of social work services locally and nationally Maintaining a transparent dialogue with communities in relation to local social work service planning and provision Understanding that chief social work officers are key to discussions about maintaining services which are safe, effective and minimise risk to individuals and communities Senior leaders should ensure effective access for chief social work officers in relevant decision-making and governance fora

In Summary The chief social work officer is a role and function, rather than a job description The chief social work officer role extends beyond the operational management responsibilities The chief social work officer role applies to the professional leadership of, and accountability for, all aspects of local social care and social work services Improved understanding of the chief social work officer role is beneficial to all leaders in discharging their own responsibilities effectively in local authorities and in local integrated arrangements The Audit Scotland report (2016) will be of interest and assistance in supporting the delivery of sustainable social care and social work services and in ensuring councils and integration authorities discharge their statutory responsibilities Partnership working is an essential component of the effective delivery of shared responsibilities in delivering effective and sustainable social care and social work services

Further information Social Work Scotland: www.socialworkscotland.org ‘Undertaking the role of chief social work officer: sharing knowledge from practice 2016’ report The chief social work officer standard The role of chief social work officer: guidance issued by Scottish Ministers, revised 2016