Assessing yourself: The Role of the Social Worker in undertaking Equitable Assessments

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children and family social workers, foster carers and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

The You Can Adopt campaigns have yielded some success but as a sector, our recruitment has not solved the matching needs of the children who wait the longest, or now simply are not considered for adoption, as we assume no adopter can be found. We expect a lot of prospective adopters but it is important to remember that, in essence, all applicants are volunteers, often with little or no experience of the needs of the children who wait, so how do we bridge this divide?

Through innovative approaches and a deep dive into various perspectives, this training session will enhance assessment practitioners’s confidence and skills, providing a better understanding of their pivotal role and its impact on assessment outcomes.

Our commitment extends beyond the assessor to the heart of adoption itself. You will discover strategies to elevate the experience for prospective adopters, allowing them to authentically showcase their potential. You will learn how to implement actionable steps that pave the way for them to realise their true capabilities.

Above all, our collective goal is to contribute to the welfare of children awaiting adoption, with a focus on those in priority groups. By participating in this practice session, you will be equipped to deliver higher-quality, more robust assessments that serve the unique needs of every child.

Learning 0utcomes

• Think about the role of an assessing social worker in adoption assessments
• Explore ways of gathering relevant information during an assessment
• Enhance their analytical skills so we can utilise these in future reports
• Explore ways to prepare applicants for the reality of adoption
• Build confidence in their abilities to work with applicants and panels
• Understand the relational aspects of everyone involved in adoption assessments
• Gather knowledge that can be put to use and shared in teams

About the trainer

Satwinder Sandhu

Satwinder is a leader in the adoption sector, influencing national and international practice and policy. He is a qualified social worker with almost thirty-years of work experience in adoption, fostering and children in public care. Satwinder is passionate about how adoption needs to modernise and focussing this evolution on the needs, and experiences, of adopted people. At Changing Script he is also involved in driving change in organisations through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion. Satwinder is a TEDx speaker and a member of numerous sector Boards, including the Rees Centre, University of Oxford. Satwinder took up the role of CEO at CVAA UK in October 2023.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.