The North East London Teaching Partnership recently celebrated the achievements of social workers who completed a short professional course at the University.
Date: 21 November 2023
The North East London Teaching Partnership brings together local authorities and London Met University to improve the standards in the Social Work workforce. The University recently organised a celebration day to reflect on and share achievements since completing the course.
Funded by the Department for Education, the course equips social workers with the knowledge and skills to set up and facilitate Action Learning Sets (ALS) and embed the principles of ALS in their work to support strengths-based practice.
The unique structure and aims of the training were co-designed with social work professionals, such as workforce leads who work on behalf of local authorities from the Partnership. This collaboration led to the training comprising of group exercises, work-based practice, along with self-reflection that aided individual and organisational learning.
The training was led by Belinda Pratten, Course Leader for BSc Leadership in Communities, who is delighted with the way the course has taken off. “Feedback has been very positive – although not without its challenges, people have shown real commitment and creativity in how they have put these principles into practice.”
At the beginning of November, last year’s participants met to celebrate their achievements and reflect on their practice. It was also an opportunity to share their learnings, and the different ways they had put this into practice since completing the course. Reflecting on the celebration day, Lucy Bristow, ASC Practice Lead from Tower Hamlets, said:
“It was a really helpful session, a chance to catch up with others and share the learning. I found it really motivating, a good reminder of the benefits Action Learning Sets can bring to the organisation. I have left with lots of practical ideas I am taking back to my workplace.”
Jijoy Mathew, Practice Manager from Newham, highlighted how training positively impacted both their professional and personal lives: “It was very motivational session and has given me a lot to reflect on. It's helped me to motivate my colleagues, especially my direct line reports. This training has changed both my work and personal life, and it has had a truly positibe impact. I'm now less stressed, mainly because I started to reflect before I respond and ask the right questions for the other person to reflect upon and find solutions. This training was very informative and enabled me to think and work differently.”
On the day, many spoke passionately about the impact they have made on individuals and communities through their social work practice as a result of the training. They celebrated not only individual achievements, but also collective growth as they continue to strive towards improving outcomes for the people they work with. This celebration of achievements serves as a reminder of the importance of ongoing learning and collaboration between the University and its partners.
