Social Care Academy
Your personal development and learning journey with us is an ongoing process. We believe in giving our employees a supportive environment. Our excellent learning and development pathways mean you always have the correct tools and support you need to strive and progress professionally and personally.
The Social Care Academy has been developed as part of our Improvement journey as a council. We are rolling out best practice training within Solihull Children’s and Young People’s services. Our aim is to further enhance the skills and knowledge needed for our workers so we always have a consistent approach to working with families.
Training and development
We offer academic accreditation of the Practice Education Award which is delivered in-house and awarded by Bournemouth University. This can be completed at either Honours or Masters Level, and is a great learning experience that provides a positive base for supervision skills.
The Practice Education qualification is made up of two units, both of which are taught twice a year. Unit 1 is Enabling Work Based Learning and Unit 2 is Supervising a Learner in Practice. Workers will be responsible for students whilst on placements of either 70 or 100 days. There will be an opportunity to complete a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Module before completing this which enables reflection and research into a particular related subject such as Child Development.
To be eligible for the Practice Education Award you must hold a social work qualification, and at least two years post qualifying experience, and will be required to take full responsibility for the teaching and assessment of a social work student for each unit.
Early Professional Development Support for Social Workers
If you are in your first 2-3 years of practice, a dedicated Advanced Practitioner offers further supervision and development opportunities. This can include group supervision and bespoke learning opportunities, as well as mandatory training that covers key topics.
Experienced social workers have the opportunity to progress onto job roles such as Senior Social Workers, Team Managers and Assistant Managers or specialist roles within the Service.
Leadership Roles including Principal Social Workers
We very much value those in leadership positions and provide learning opportunities relevant for these roles. Leaders can access the Corporate Management course run in Solihull called Apex. There are also leadership training and development opportunities from the Corporate Learning and Development team on offer as well as those run by the Solihull Safeguarding Children Partnership.
There is also the opportunity to access the Coaching Scheme and access a Coach who works in Children’s Social Care or a leader from another area of a local authority to discuss and reflect on leadership practice.
Ongoing developments and achievements
We very much value those in leadership positions and provide learning opportunities relevant for these roles. Leaders can access the Corporate Management course run in Solihull called Apex. There are also leadership training and development opportunities from the Corporate Learning and Development team on offer as well as those run by the Solihull Safeguarding Children Partnership.
There is also the opportunity to access the Coaching Scheme and access a Coach who works in Children’s Social Care or a leader from another area of a local authority to discuss and reflect on leadership practice.