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Social Work Team Keep their Fingers on the Pulse

Social workers from the duty and assessment hospitals team based at Birmingham Children’s Hospital took a step towards achieving one of their BEST actions when they gave a presentation to the hospital’s medical staff.

One of the team’s BEST actions was to develop more effective collaboration with partners and they felt that the hospital staff could be made better aware of the procedures carried out by the social work team when children were referred to them through the hospital.

Information packs were given to the professionals as well as a short presentation by Sonia Powell, Senior Social Worker, in conjunction with safeguarding lead nurse, Pam Rees. The social work team wanted to enhance participants’ knowledge and understanding of the role of health professionals and other agencies in safeguarding children and young people. They also felt that it was very important to understand the processes involved when a child protection referral also involved health professionals and other agencies’ roles.

A leaflet has been produced as a reference for medical staff that outlines contact numbers within the child protection support service and informs users of the Birmingham Safeguarding children board.

Other outcomes from the team’s BEST workshop were to empower teams to take responsibility for achieving real outcomes and to support the council plan objectives by identifying and delivering improvement in services and ways of working.

With their ethos of “together everyone achieves more”, the team have clearly demonstrated a joint partnership that works, and may the successes continue.