Research in Practice was invited by the Welsh Assembly to conduct a consultation exercise on the Family Social Work Standards Officer, a new post included in Section 66 of Children and Families Measure (Wales) 2010. This new role is related to the wider service improvement agenda in Wales with a focus on standards of social work practice and the achievement of clear outcomes.
See full report here:
Consultation for the Wales Assembly on the Family Work Standards Officer (107.96 kB)
research in practice completed an extensive review of the Wales College in February 2010 and you can find the complete report here together with the eight appendices which set out the use made of the resources, materials and delivery days provided over the period of the last contract 2007/2010.
Final Evaluation of the Wales College contract 2007-2010 (181.5 kB)
Appendix 1 Wales College service plan 2007-2010 (68 kB)
Appendix 2 Review of Link Oficer's Annual Meeting (LOAM) 2007-2009 (39.5 kB)
Appendix 3 Wales College Link Officers (49.5 kB)
Appendix 4(i) Attendance Development Groups 2008 (83.5 kB)
Appendix 5(i) 2008 Development Group Projects (91 kB)
Appendix 6(i) 2008 Development Groups Participant's Feedback (39.5 kB)
Link Officers are the vital bridge between us and our Partner Agencies. We know that to gain greatest value for money the Link Officer needs to be a tier 2 or 3 operational officer, and ideally working with at least one other colleague who is located within planning or staff development. This combination ensures that participation in our network can be fully integrated into the agency’s work to promote and support the use of evidence in service delivery.
The key to success in being an effective change agent within the agency is to have the support of your senior managers and open channels of communication.
To provide both new and existing Link Officers with ideas they can take forward in their own authority, the following films show Link Officers in Wales talking about the approaches they have taken to promote evidence-informed practice.
Cheryl Ozbilen, Staff Development and Training Officer and Link Office for Flintshire, talks about some of the initiatives use, including integrating EIP sessions into existing training programmes and 'prompt' cards to promote the use of the our website.
Christopher Bradley, Service Manager from Blaenau Gwent talks about the lunchtime seminars offered to Elected Members, staff and partner agencies on research related topics and other issues in his authority.
Jan Bruton, Planning and Development Officer from Torfaen talks about the strategies she uses to engage staff interest in our work. She also shares how she has promoted and targeted publications in Torfaen.
Nicky Sandford, Service Development Officer from Ceredigion talks about tackling the challenges of promoting the range of services and support provided by the Wales College
The key administrative contact for the Wales College is:
Laura Roberts
Social Services Improvement Agency
Welsh Local Government Association
Local Government House
Drake Walk
Cardiff
CF10-4LG
Tel / Ffôn: 029 20468685
Fax / Ffacs: 029 20468601
Email / Eheb:
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For other queries please contact: Elizabeth Cooke at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
All 22 authorities in Wales are members of the Wales College, a partnership with research in practice which was successfully launched on 8 October 2004 at Llandrindod Wells in mid-Wales. The venture is a significant move towards embedding evidence-informed childcare practice in Wales. The Social Services Improvement Agency, part of the Wales Local Government Association, plays a supporting role for the College and the existing Heads of Children's Service Forum fulfils the role of a Steering Group for this initiative, giving direction and guidance on the development of the partnership.
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