Trauma Responsive Social Work Services Partnership Delivery Group: minutes: January 2024

Attendees and apologies

Representatives from the following:

• Care Inspectorate (CI)
• Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS)
• Children and Young Peoples Centre for Justice (CYCJ)
• Community Justice Scotland (CJS)
• Heads of Social Work Higher Education Institutions (HEI)
• NHS Education for Scotland (NES)
• Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW)
• Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
• Social Work Education Partnership (SWEP) Programme Office
• Social Work Scotland Learning and Development Sub-Group
• Who Cares? Scotland

Items and actions

Overview

This was the sixth meeting of the Trauma Responsive Social Work Services (TRSWS) Partnership Delivery Group. The purpose of this meeting was to give partners a forum to provide updates on their specific actions within the work plan, and to discuss how best we can work together with our partners/stakeholders.

Introductions

The meeting began by the Chair noting apologies from members. All members in attendance provided brief introductions. Apologises noted from Improvement Service and Social Work Scotland.

Note of previous meeting

The group approved the meeting note from the fifth Partnership Delivery Group meeting on 23 October 2023.

Update from Trauma Responsive Social Work Services Team

Scottish Government (SG) colleagues provided various updates on progress on actions:

• TRSWS team delivered trauma skilled training to over 200 newly qualified and early career social workers. Follow up coaching sessions are currently being delivered
  • the team will evaluation and share learning from this work with key stakeholders before deciding next steps
• Programme Lead provided a brief update on work that is currently underway with the four early implementation sites
• consideration is being given as to what support the team can offer to areas that are not engaged in early implementation
• the team are working closely with Resilience Learning Partnership to co-produce a lived experience training session that will be delivered to social work leaders
• working with CYCJ to ensure the views of children and young people are embedded into training sessions
  • a TRSWS colleague is currently attending sessions within schools to hear views from children and young people who have experience of trauma and statutory social work
• TRSWS team working closely with SSSC to develop a survey on reflective practice supervision. Intended learning outcomes are currently being developed and the team will reach out to partners for feedback
• delivered Trauma Informed Leadership Training to social workers on the Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) course at Glasgow Caledonian University
• the team are working with Glasgow Caledonian University to support the development of trauma skilled practice within their undergraduate social work course.
• the team are also engaged in early discussions with other Universities to see how they can support the work involved to help them become a trauma informed organisation

Feedback and reflections on the Trauma Responsive Social Work Services team update:

• the Chair noted interest in meeting with TRSWS Programme Lead to hear more about the breadth of ongoing work and how this may be aligned with the Advanced Practice Framework
• representative from Falkirk council noted interest in helping the TRSWS team with ongoing work on supervision

• TRSWS Programme Lead acknowledged this offer and agreed to meet to hear more about ongoing work in Falkirk

• acknowledgement from partners that the lack of consistency across higher education institutes continues to be a challenge
  • TRSWS Programme Lead recognised that whilst universities work independently there is a need for a consistent breadth and depth of knowledge. It is important that the social work curriculum links in with the learning outcomes of the NQSW training

• HEI colleague commented on the challenges of sharing work that is going on across the universities. A suggested solution was that the SSSC could organise an event where HEIs could present updates on their work and share good practice
• SSSC representative will raise this request at the next HEI meeting

Discussion and updates from Partners

Scottish Social Services Council

• currently supporting the TRSWS team to develop a supervision survey
• highlighted current work on future proofing for their programme which will bring about improvements to Continuous Professional Learning (CPL). Work is underway to develop a new CPL module which will include a new provision that will point staff to mandatory training
• the codes of practice are currently being reviewed and a revised version will be launched later this year
• considering how to support those in leadership roles to develop trauma informed learning

NHS Education for Scotland

• currently developing a document detailing potential approach to alternative caregivers work for the SG Trauma, ACES and Resilience Unit to consider
  • assessing the research currently available and thinking about how we could support alternative caregivers trauma training roll out nationally
  • CELCIS colleagued enquired about the kind of research involved in the alternative caregivers research
  • NES colleague explained that they are developing a survey to try and understand what is currently being offered. They had hoped to connect with people with lived experienced but due to a lack of capacity this has not been possible
• highlighted recent publication of Trauma-Informed Substance Use and Maternity Pathfinders Learning Reports
• delivered Trauma Informed Leadership training to 260 staff in leadership roles. The team will share feedback from this work with interested partners
• working closely with SSSC around the use of QR codes to ensure that the linkages between SSSC and Turas resources are more seamless SWEP Programme Office
• National Strategic Partnership group are considering membership and have revisited their terms of reference to try to create more robust headline asks for the group.
• SWEP looking to run engagement sessions to continue their dialogue with a wide range of participants on how regional infrastructure could operate in the future

COSLA

• COSLA and the Improvement Service are hosting an online awareness session for elected members on Monday 19th February. This event will consider the Scottish Government and COSLA’s ambition for a trauma-informed and responsive services, systems and workforces across Scotland

SG Trauma, ACES and Resilience Unit, Scottish Government

• provided a brief update on the previous National Trauma Transformation Programme National Steering Group on 30 November 2023.  This was the first meeting co-chaired by the COSLA President and the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport
• acknowledged the group had received information regarding the rebranding to the National Trauma Transformation Programme with updated website and the recently published 4 research reports which may be of interest to partner

Next steps and actions

• TRSWS team to link in with representative from Falkirk council to discuss local activity on supervision