Keith: Team Manager
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Lewisham has a high number of referrals coming through. So to manage that kind of volume we need to rotate services to ensure that timelines that are given from the statutory bodies, the government, are adhered to. And that's the reason why we rotate, to ensure that timelines for each of the pieces of work are met.
I think the Social Workers within the teams are able to give their viewpoints. It's not just the managers saying, "this is what you need to do", it's the Social Workers also having an input into the decision-making processes that affect children and families lives. And if we don't agree on things, we take it to someone else who can actually looks at whether or not the manager has it right or whether or not the social worker is more clear. So there's that kind of negotiation and working together to ensure that there's a positive outcome for the children that we work with.
How it works at Lewisham is that we have tiers of management and I have a Service Manager above me who I'm able to go to every four weeks or so to discuss cases and supervision and get a feel for where I may be having difficulties within my role - because I'm a Team Manager but I don't have the answers to all the questions. Any referral coming through the door is something different to me, so there's complex cases that do come through that I do need to discuss with those above me and I do get regular supervision from my Service Manager, so it's quite positive in that respect.
I think I'm quite fortunate really, I've worked in different boroughs as a Social Worker for a year or two and then progressed quite quickly to the management field and I think that here at Lewisham if you have something that you really want to do you can be supported in that and so for me I'm doing an MBA in business as well as managing Social Workers out here and I'm able to look at strategic planning and the wider picture. But that process is managed through supervision developmental plans, and what you want a Social Worker to do will be looked at and supported.