Positive workplaces for social workers

A local council is struggling to retain social workers. Analysis of exit interviews shows high levels of sickness absence and negative impact on mental health and wellbeing due to the emotional pressures of the role.

A council's human resources department has raised a number of concerns about the way that absence and performance issues are being managed within social work teams. Completion of practice supervisor self-assessments by team managers has highlighted inconsistencies in the training and support they have received.

A local council is proposing to relocate locality teams to a number of health centres, as part of a new integrated support service. The team managers are aware that the proposed changes are impacting negatively on the wellbeing of many of the team. They are concerned this might undermine their professional identity.