1. Introduction

With increasing pressure on services, it is vital that all those providing care and support – both employers and employees – are able to take time to think about their health and wellbeing as well as that of their colleagues, and the people and families they support.

The information in this chapter is taken from Health and Wellbeing of the Adult Social Care Workforce (Department of Health and Social Care). Whilst written during the COVID-19 pandemic, it includes relevant advice and links to other information that employers and managers can use to support their teams and address any concerns their staff may have.

2. Mental Wellbeing

The following steps can be useful when promoting the mental wellbeing of staff:

• have a structure to the day and try to develop a daily routine; writing a plan for the day or week may be helpful. It is also important that staff keep doing things they enjoy as this can give relief from anxious thoughts and feelings and can boost mood;
• physical health has a significant impact on mental wellbeing. As the body releases endorphins when exercising, this can relieve stress relief and also boost mood;
• maintaining relationships with family and / or friends is important for mental wellbeing. Staying in touch with people on the phone or via video or social media is particularly if people are feeling anxious;
• avoid continually checking the news – via 24-hour channels and social media – can people feel more worried and anxious. It may more helpful to only check the news at set times in the day;
• good-quality sleep can have a positive impact on how people feel mentally and physically. Every Mind Matters gives advice on how to get a good night’s sleep;
• people should be asked if they are ‘ok’, and always be encouraged to seek help if they are struggling. Services available include:
  • sending a message with the word FRONTLINE to 85258 to start a conversation with the Shout messaging support service;
  • Samaritans offer support NHS and social care workers in England. They can be contact for free, day or night, on 116 123;
  • Every Mind Matters provides comprehensive support, tips and ideas on mental health and wellbeing.
  • link to local employee support scheme if available.

2.1 How managers can help

During supervision, managers should check in with their staff and ask about their wellbeing (although staff should be clear they can ask for help in between supervision if they are struggling).  Mind recommend developing Wellness Action Plans  with staff as a practical well of supporting their mental health and wellbeing.

See also Wellbeing Resource Finder (Skills for Care)

3. Building Resilience and Managing Stress and Anxiety

It is important that staff are helped to find ways of coping with increased pressure. Skills for Care has a guide on How to Build Personal Resilience. The guide includes tasks for staff to complete that help to recognise pressure and stress. It provides advice on developing resilience through emotional intelligence, accurate thinking and realistic optimism.

MindEd provides free educational resources on mental health and has a coronavirus staff resilience hub to help manage the mental health and wellbeing of frontline staff.

The Every Mind Matters page on managing anxiety provides good advice on managing worries that people may have.

Other information and support includes:

• Less stressful workplaces: what we can all do (Mental Health Foundation);
• How to be Mentally Healthy at Work (Mind);
• Every Mind Matters (NHS).

4. Physical Wellbeing

Staff should try to keep active, where and when possible. This can include walking outside or running or riding a bike once a day, as fresh air is extremely beneficial for mental health.

For those who are not able to exercise outdoors, there are several online workouts that can be done at home. The NHS provides free, easy 10-minute workouts and the NHS Fitness Studio has a collection of accessible exercise videos.

Staff should ensure they get rest and respite during work or between shifts, eat healthily, engage in physical activity and stay in contact with family and friends. People should avoid unhelpful coping strategies such as tobacco, alcohol or other drugs. In the long term, these can worsen mental and physical health.

Advice on what to do if a person has Covid-19 can be found on the NHS website COVID-19 (NHS).

5. Financial Wellbeing

Financial wellbeing is about people having a sense of security and having enough money to meet their needs; it is about being in control of day-to-day finances and having the financial freedom to make choices that allow people to enjoy their life.

There are a number of organisations to help staff with financial problems they may have:

• Money and Mental Health (Mind);
• Citizen’s Advice – information for people are struggling to pay their bills. It is important that bills are not ignored as this can make the situation worse;
• National Debtline provides free, confidential and independent advice on dealing with debt problems.

• The Moneyhelper Service works to improve people’s financial wellbeing. It gives free, impartial money advice and also has a useful tool and calculator.

There is also information on:

• your rights if your hours are cut or you’re laid off;
• what to do if you cannot pay your tax bill on time.

6. Concerns about Work

It is important that people’s rights as workers are protected, especially during times of increased pressure. Similarly, staff have a professional duty to act if they are concerned that the safety of those they care for is at risk. If any member of staff has any concerns about employment practices, it is important that they feel able to raise them.

Any concerns should be raised with the senior management team in the first instance. There will be internal procedures in the workplace about what to do.

Staff can also contact their union or professional body, if they have one, for advice about what to do if they have concerns. They can play a helpful role in trying to resolve any problems staff may be facing and improve workplace practice.

Finally, if staff want to report a serious case of bad practice or have been unsuccessful in resolving any issues with their organisation, they can contact CQC and the local council safeguarding adult team (see also Whistleblowing chapter).

7. Further Reading

7.1 Relevant chapter

Supervision

7.2 Relevant information

Health and Wellbeing of the Adult Social Care Workforce (Department of Health and Social Care)

Taking Care of your Staff’s Mental Health (Mind) 

Social Worker Wellbeing and Working Conditions Toolkit (BASW) 

Looking After Yourself (Skills for Care)

1. Introduction

Harassment and violence towards staff can have a direct effect on their health and safety. It can also affect standards of work, performance, confidence and morale of all staff.

Staff in roles most at risk are those who:

• give a service;
• are carers;
• are in education;
• are involved in cash transactions;
• make deliveries / collections;
• work with people who may exhibit controlling behaviour towards others;
• represent authority.

Those committing acts of harassment and / or violence to staff may be adults with care and support needs, their family or friends or other members of the public. A person who commits such acts may be subject to a police investigation and criminal prosecution or other organisational sanctions, such as loss of service.

Managers and staff have a responsibility to abide by the policies and procedures of the service to:

• limit incidents of harassment and violence;
• respond to them appropriately;
• protect themselves and their colleagues;
• report the incident to the police with a view to prosecution, where appropriate.

2. What is Violence and Harassment?

2.1 Violence

Violence to staff is defined as abuse, threats or assaults in circumstances relating to their work. This includes:

• verbal abuse;
• offensive language;
• discriminatory or derogatory remarks, for example those which are racist, sexist or homophobic in nature;
• obscene gestures;
• threatening behaviour;
• stalking;
• physical attacks;
• spitting; and
• throwing objects.

2.2 Harassment

Harassment is when a person causes alarm or distress to a member of staff; which can result in the victim being put in fear of violence. It can include repeated attempts to communicate with the member of staff, which are clearly unwanted and contact them in a way that the perpetrator expects to cause them distress or fear.

3. Assessing Risk from Violence and Aggression

The main factors that can create risk are:

• mental health disorders;
• impatience;
• frustration;
• anxiety;
• resentment;
• drink and / or drugs;
• inherent aggression.

3.1 Violence risk assessments: staff responsibilities

Every adult who has a history of aggression / violence must have a care and support plan risk assessment. This should identify the risks and state the actions to be taken to minimise these risks. This should include family or friends who have such a known history, even if the adult themselves does not present a risk.

Information should be shared with other concerned organisations.

Systems in place to flag high risk cases should be activated.

Risk assessments should be regularly reviewed, care plans updated and actions taken to minimise risks.

Senior managers should be informed of risks and decisions documented and signed on case files.

3.2 Violence risk assessments: managers responsibilities

When carrying out a potential violence risk assessment, the following factors should be considered.

In the workplace:

• work activities;
• working conditions;
• design of the work activities and surrounding environment;
• frequency of situations that present a risk of workplace violence;
• severity of the potential consequences to the member of staff who may be exposed to a risk;
• information on workplace violence based on historical evidence and accurate information;
• measures already in place to prevent workplace violence.

The wider working environment:

• description of the department or area the manager or supervisor is in charge of;
• history of violence in the department / service area;
• activities in the department / service area that could expose workers to violence;
• circumstances that might increase the risk of violence in the department / service area;
• measures in place to address violence and the resources needed to implement them.

3.3  Recording

See Case Recording Standards and Information Sharing chapter

It is crucial for the safety and wellbeing of staff, adults and the protection of the organisation and wider community that risk assessments are fully documented. This includes clearly documented management oversight and decision making.

4. Management Responsibilities

Managers must assess the risk of both physical and non-physical assault to staff and take appropriate action to deal with it.

These steps may include:

• providing suitable training and information;
• improving the design of the working environment (such as physical security measures);
• making changes to aspects of staff roles;
• following the escalation policy of the organisation including reporting high risk cases of potential risk of violence and all incidents of actual physical and non-physical assault so that preventative action can be taken to ensure it is not repeated.

This will also help managers to check for patterns and so help predict the types of incidents that could occur.

Findings from all risk assessments should be communicated to all staff as appropriate, and arrangements put in place to monitor and review such assessments.

Mechanisms should be in place to share learning with staff and across the service.

4.1 Staff support

Depending on the seriousness of the incident, staff who have been the victim of harassment and / or violence should receive robust support from managers and the organisation’s human resources department as appropriate.

This may include:

• debriefing by the line manager, as soon as possible following the incident;
• supervision with the line manager for a more in-depth examination of the incident and any learning points that arise or further discussion with other colleagues including senior managers;
• team discussion regarding the incident where appropriate to share learning and any change in practice required;
• referral for counselling for the member of staff, where required;
• support for the member of staff and the line manager, as required, in the case of any ongoing police investigation and subsequent prosecution or other internal organisational sanctions taken against the person perpetrating the harassment or violence.

Managers should also ensure that where the perpetrator is an adult who still uses the service, that steps are taken to discuss the situation with them, their behaviour, how they could have responded differently and referral to other agencies for support / interventions regarding behaviour management as appropriate.

5. Further Reading

5.1 Relevant chapter

Lone Working

5.2 Relevant information

Work Related Violence (Health and Safety Executive) 

Managing Online Abuse and Harassment of Staff (Local Government Association)

1. Introduction

This chapter is a summary of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) guidance, which is the structure of social work skills professional development in England.

The Framework includes:

• alignment between PCF and the Knowledge and Skills Statements (KSS) in the British Association of Social Work (BASW), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Education (DfE);
• definition of the PCF;
• capabilities;
• PCF graphic;
• super domains – purpose, practice, impact;
• domain descriptors;
• level descriptors.

2. Alignment with Knowledge and Skills Statements

The PCF outlines the framework of capabilities and professional development. It is linked to the structure of Knowledge and Skills Statements (KSS) so that the two frameworks can be used in conjunction with each other.

‘The KSS set out what a social worker should know, and be able to do, in specific practice settings, in specific roles and at different levels of seniority. The KSS map onto the Practice domains of the PCF (Knowledge, Critical Reflection and Analysis, Interventions and Skills) and should help guide everyday practice’.

See What is the Relationship between the PCF and KSS? (BASW)

3. Definition of the PCF

The PCF is the framework for social work practice and learning in England and performs the following functions:

• sets out nine common domains of capability for social workers;
• promotes and underpins social work for all social workers across all specialisms and roles;
• supports social workers to meet requirements of the professional regulator;
• describes the range of roles within the social work professions;
• supports employers, workforce leads, managers and supervisors as well as individual social worker, sin developing social work careers and ongoing professional learning;
• is aligned with the International Federation of Social Workers’ (IFSW) global definition of social work through the BASW Code of Ethics for social workers across the UK.

Specialist knowledge, skills or learning content that may be needed in particular work contexts or roles is not described by the PCF.

4. Capabilities

Capabilities are an integration of knowledge, skills, personal qualities, behaviour, understanding and values used appropriately, effectively and confidently, not just in familiar and highly focused specialist contexts but in response to new, complex and changing circumstances.

The capabilities described in the PCF provide the basis and rationale for social work practice.

The nine levels of capability outlined in the PCF guides social workers to develop their skills to deal with situations of increasing risk, ambiguity and complexity.

See also the PCF Fan Graphic

5. Super Domains

There are three super, overarching domains which cut across all other areas. These are:

• purpose – why we do what we do as social workers, our values, ethics and how we approach our work;
• practice – what we do – specific skills, knowledge, interventions and critical analytical abilities we develop;
• impact – ow we make a difference and how we know we make a difference. Ability to bring about change through practice, leadership, and professionalism.

5.1 Domain descriptors

The domain descriptors describe key areas of social work practice. These are:

• professionalism;
• values and ethics;
• diversity and equality;
• rights, justice and economic wellbeing;
• knowledge;
• critical reflection and analysis;
• intervention and skills;
• contexts and organisations;
• professional leadership.

5.2 Level descriptors

Level descriptor describe the levels of post within social work. These are:

• pre-qualifying levels:
• point of entry training;
• readiness for practice;
• end of first placement;
• end of second placement;
• newly qualified social worker (ASYE);
• social worker;
• experienced social worker;
• advanced social worker;
• advanced social work practitioner;
• advanced social work educator;
• social work managers/team or practice leads;
• strategic social worker;
• strategic social work practitioner;
• strategic social work educator;
• strategic social work managers / leaders.

6. Further Reading

6.1 Relevant chapters

Social Workers Supervision Policy

Workplanning and Appraisal

6.2 Relevant information

About the Professional Capabilities Framework (BASW) 

Professional Standards (Social Work England)

Professional Standards Guidance (Social Work England)

1. Introduction

Employers need to ensure, to the best of their ability, that the people who they employ – as paid staff, volunteers or contractors – are committed to providing good quality care and support to adults, their carers and other family members, including children.

Carrying out robust criminal records checks is part of a number of safer recruitment measures which can help to prevent unsuitable people being employed to work with vulnerable groups. Thorough recruitment processes and ongoing training, supervision and appraisal programmes are also key to ensuring safer working practices.

2. Disclosure and Barring Service

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions. It is responsible for:

• processing requests from organisations for criminal records checks (known as DBS checks) on individuals;
• deciding whether it is right that a person is put on, or removed, from a barred list;
• placing or removing people from the DBS children’s barred list and adults’ barred list.

As well as processing requests and making decisions, the DBS maintains the adults’ and children’s Barred Lists (see Section 4, Barred Lists and Duty to Refer) which bar someone from working in a job that involves regulated activity.

3. Disclosure and Barring Service Checks

The minimum age at which someone can be asked to apply for a criminal record check from the DBS is 16 years old.

Before an organisation requires a standard or enhanced check through the Disclosure and Barring Service, it is legally responsible for ensuring the job is eligible (see Eligibility, DBS).

The DBS eligibility tool can be used to determine what type of check a particular role could be eligible for – This is the Find out which DBS Check is Right for your Employee tool.

3.1 Types of Disclosures

There are four different types of disclosure:

• a basic check, which shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions;
• a standard check, which shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings;
• an enhanced check, which shows the same as a standard check plus any information held by local police that’s considered relevant to the role;
• an enhanced check with a check of the barred lists, which shows the same as an enhanced check plus whether the applicant is on the adults’ barred list, children’s barred list or both.

Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, many convictions or cautions become ‘spent’ after a specified length of time, known as the ‘rehabilitation period’. This means that once the rehabilitation period has been completed, they will not show on a basic DBS check. Applicants do not need to tell anyone about a spent conviction unless they are applying for a job where a standard, enhanced, or enhanced with barred lists DBS check is needed.

3.2 Adult first check

See Types of DBS Checks and How to Apply (DBS)

DBS adult first is a service available to organisations who can request a check of the DBS adults’ barred list. Depending on the result, a person can be permitted to start work, under supervision, with adults before a DBS certificate has been obtained.

There are strict criteria:

• the role must require a criminal record check by law;
• it must be eligible for access to the DBS adults’ barred list;
• the organisation must have requested a check of the DBS adults’ barred list on the DBS application form.

The DBS’ reply to an adult first check request will state either:

• option 1: ‘Registered body must wait for the DBS certificate’; or
• option 2: ‘no match exists for this person on the current adults’ barred list’

It will also state that it is only the first part of the criminal record check application process and that further information will follow.

If the adult first check indicates that the registered body must wait for the DBS certificate, it may indicate there is a match on the DBS adults’ barred list. However, further investigation will be required to confirm this and the organisation should wait to receive the certificate.

3.3 Update Service

The DBS also provides an online Update Service, to which staff or volunteers can subscribe and renew annually for a small fee (free for volunteers). This helps them keep their DBS certificate up to date, so it can be taken with them from one job to another, as long as they remain within the same workforce (adults, for example) unless:

• an employer asks them to get a new certificate;
• they need a certificate for a different type of ‘workforce’ (for example, they have an ‘adult workforce’ certificate and need a ‘child workforce’ certificate);
• they need a different level of certificate (for example, they have a standard DBS certificate and need an enhanced one).

Employers can do immediate online checks of people who have registered with the Update Service. The Update Service is for standard and enhanced DBS checks only (see Section 3.1 Types of Disclosure).

A new DBS check will only be required if the Update Service check indicates there has been a change in the person’s status, due to new information added.

3.4 If someone does not disclose their conviction/s as part of the application process

See also Disclosing your Criminal Record (Ministry of Justice)

Staff, including volunteers, who apply for posts that require a standard, enhanced or enhanced with barred lists DBS check must legally disclose a criminal conviction if the employer asks- even it if is ‘spent’. It is vital, therefore, that this is a standard question on application forms for such posts. If the employer asks the applicant and they do not disclose their conviction/s, the employer could later revoke the job offer or the employee could be dismissed if they have already commenced their employment. They could face a further conviction if they are found to have worked, or attempted to work, whilst barred from such positions (see Section 4, Barred Lists and Duty to Refer).

If an applicant discloses previous convictions, they can still be considered for the post They should be asked to meet with members of the interviewing panel to discuss the offences (with dates) for which they were convicted and any other relevant information that will help the panel make a decision their suitability for the post.

5. Regulated Activity with Adults

See Regulated activity: Adults (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are six categories of activity which fall within the definition of regulated activity (including providing day to day management or supervision of  people carrying out these roles):

1. Providing health care;
2. Providing personal care (for example providing / training / instructing / or offering advice or guidance on physical assistance with eating or drinking, going to the toilet, washing or bathing, dressing, oral care or care of the skin, hair or nails because of an adult’s age, illness or disability; or prompting and supervising an adult to undertake such activities where necessary because of their age, illness or disability);
3. Providing social work;
4. Providing assistance with cash, bills and / or shopping;
5. Providing assistance in the conduct of a person’s own affairs, for example by virtue of an enduring power of attorney;
6. Conveying/transporting an adult (because of their age, illness or disability) either to or from their place of residence and a place where they have received, or will be receiving, health care, personal care or social care; or between places where they have received or will be receiving health care, personal care or social care. This will not include family and friends or taxi drivers.

There is a duty on a ‘regulated activity provider’ to find out whether a person is barred before allowing them to carry out regulated activity tasks in their work.

It is a criminal offence for a person on one of the barred lists to carry out regulated activity tasks, or for an employer/voluntary organisation knowingly to employ a barred person in a regulated activity role.

6. Further Reading

6.1 Relevant information

Disclosure and Barring Service

Criminal Record Support Service (NACRO)

Check Someone’s Criminal Record as an Employer (UK Government)

DBS Checks for Adult Social Care Roles (gov.uk)