Social Work Service

The Social Work and Social Care service is designed to enable individuals to arrive at person-centred solutions to problems or difficulties they face in their lives. This is achieved by providing access to practical and personal care support and also via the provision of a therapeutic social work service which empowers individuals to exercise choice and control and to adapt to people’s changing circumstances.

Social Work plays a lead role in the protection of vulnerable adults from abuse. Social workers and social care assistants work in Acute Services, Children and Young People’s Services, Mental Health and Disability Services, and Older People and Primary Care Services.

Accessing the service

Referral Criteria used Southern Health and Social Services Board domiciliary care eligibility criteria
Southern Trust Care Management eligibility criteria
Regional Adult Protection criteria
Identification of social/ psychological problems which would benefit from social work input.
GP or self referral or other professional staff
Referrals are accepted from a wide range of healthcare staff or in some cases self referrals.

Signs of Safety

The Signs of Safety approach is a solution-focused, safety-oriented approach to child welfare. Created by Dr Andrew Turnell and Steve Edwards, and adopted in June 2018, by the Trust, the Signs of Safety Assessment Framework as its practice approach in Social Work Children’s Services and child care practice across Northern Ireland.

Signs of Safety is structured to allow practitioners to work collaboratively with families and children/young people to conduct balanced risk assessments and produce action plans for increasing safety, and reducing risk and danger. This is achieved by focusing on the strengths, resources and the naturally occurring networks around children/young people and families.

The Signs of Safety sharpens professional rigour, by describing the harm and future danger to children/young people using clear, plain language. Developing clear written danger statements with matching safety goals to ensure we, as professionals, can be very clear with parents about our immediate and long term worries and what changes are needed to ensure children/young people are safe.

This rigorous assessment and analysis enables professionals and families to understand each other’s perspectives and work together with greater clarity and focus.

Downloadable resources:

Signs of Safety assessment framework and principles were first introduced to NI in June 2018. The following leaflets have been developed and produced in association with; parents, carers, young people, local artists, Signs of Safety consultants, implementation leads and practitioners from the five Trusts.

There are four leaflets

Note: for an optimum printed copy – save to file, click print icon, print on both sides and select colour.

The aim was to create informative leaflets that engage the reader and provide clear information supported by visuals and text. Each leaflet explains the changes that will be experienced by those people engaging with children’s social work services. The leaflets have been designed with the reader in mind, outlining what these changes to practice approach will look like and what it will entail for them.

I am delighted that these contemporary and attractive leaflets are now available, I have no doubt they will prove invaluable to families and professionals.

Should you have any comments do not hesitate to contact me

Kate.mooney@southerntrust.hscni.net or signsofsafety@southerntrust.hscni.net

Kate Mooney

Trust Implementation Lead