The Prince s Trust: inspiring young lives The Working for Wellbeing Initiative on the Team programme: Impact evaluation Overview This paper provides a summary of key findings from an evaluation of the Working for Wellbeing Initiative on the Team programme ; an initiative funded by the Zurich Community Trust providing placements for student social workers (SSWs) on this existing programme. The Team Programme Team is a 12-week personal development programme for 16-25 year olds the majority of whom are unemployed. Young people join a Team of up to 15 participants. A Team usually comprises of 12 unemployed young people and one or two employed people sponsored by their employer. During the 12 week programme, Team members: Spend a week away at a residential activity centre Undertake a project based in their local community Complete a work placement Participate in a team challenge, involving caring for others Stage a team presentation, during which they recount their experiences The programme aims to develop their confidence, motivation and skills through teamwork in the community. The SSWs are there to enhance the emotional support available to young people during their time on Team. This paper was written by The Prince s Trust Evaluation Team, based on data collected by the University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University during two cohorts (2010-11 and 2011-12). The paper concludes with The Trust responding to the recommendations made through this evaluation. The evaluation found that the Working for Wellbeing initiative is effectively embedded within Team and is strongly valued by all parties. Young people report very positively about the impact of the SSW on their lives; SSWs see the wellbeing role as valuable and one which supports their professional development; and Team Leaders report real enhancement to the Team programme and are able to recruit young people from more challenging backgrounds due to the additional support provided. Student social work placements The Team programme aims to provide practice placements (typically between 60-100 days) for students undertaking social work degrees. The Trust implemented this initiative to enable social work students (SSWs) to provide additional support to young people on Team, through: Recognising wellbeing needs and provide support (be it referring to specialist services, delivering one to one sessions or building relationships with young people) Educating and raising awareness of wellbeing issues within the Team programme Potentially providing progression support after the Team has finished. The impetus of this initiative was to encourage retention on Team and to enable young people with emotional issues to have their needs met. Mental Health First Aid training Team Leaders and SSWs are also provided mental health first aid training to raise awareness, understanding and confidence of dealing with mental health/wellbeing issues that may be presented by young people on Team. Methodology The evaluation set out to: Examine the effectiveness of the SSW initiative o The effectiveness of embedding the initiative in the process and structures of the Team programme. o The effectiveness of the initiative as a provider of high quality placements for social work students.
Capture young people s experiences of the initiative and the potential benefits for young people on the Team programme Investigate in what ways the initiative benefits SSWs and listening to their recommendations on how the initiative can be improved and what issues should be addressed for future continuation. Table One: Total sample over two cohorts SSW Initial Survey SSW follow up survey SSW Focus gorups SSW interview YP s groups YP s interviews 3 months YP s interviews 9 months Team Leader survey Team Leader interview HEI surveys HEI interviews Cohort Cohort Total 1 2 94 77 171 115 n/a 115 14 8 22 9 n/a 9 26 20 46 3 10 13 3 3 6 58 81 139 5 5 10 n/a 12 12 n/a 5 5 SSW = student social worker YP = young people HEI = Higher Education Institution This comprehensive study used a mixed methods approach, capturing data from a number of individuals. Over the two year evaluation, in total: Initial and follow up electronic surveys of SSWs baseline (2010/11) and follow-up (2011/12) surveys. Responses were obtained from 171 to the initial survey and 115 to the follow-up survey. Electronic surveys of Team Leaders 139 in total (58 cohort 1 and 81 cohort 2) Electronic surveys of 12 stakeholders from higher education institutions (HEI) during cohort 2. Four focus groups with 22 SSWs (14 in cohort 1 and 8 in cohort 2) Five focus groups with 46 young people (26 in cohort 1 and 20 in cohort 2) Telephone interviews with nine SSWs Telephone interviews 10 Team Leaders Telephone interviews with 13 young people Telephone interviews with five HEI staff.
Benefit to social work students This placement has significantly improved my skills and awareness of [the] social work role. I have gained an awareness of the types of problems young people can face today and [about] identifying the causes and solutions. Thank you very much. (SSW) In my final placement (in a child protection setting) I was working with a 16 year old young man who had been left to his own devices since he was 14 If I had not had the experience of working individually with young people on Team I could not have got into the depth with him or seen things from his perspective. (SSW) Overall, the Working for Wellbeing Initiative is working well and is delivering significant benefits for SSWs. SSWs were asked to rate their confidence in the learning opportunities on Team at the end of the programme across six Key Roles relating to National Occupational Standards for Social Work, conveyed below: Table Two: Confidence in learning opportunities on Team to meet Key Roles (NB: Rating Score 1:Low 10:High) SSWs average ratings (1-10) Key roles Final survey 1.Prepare for and work with service users to assess their 8.92 needs and circumstances 2.Plan, carry out, review and evaluate social work practice 8.46 with service users and other professionals 3.Support individuals to represent their needs, views and 8.87 circumstances 4.Manage risk to service users, self and colleagues 9.29 5.Manage and be accountable with supervision and support 8.74 for your own social work practice within your organisation 6.Demonstrate professional competence in social work 8.57 practice SSW (total number surveyed 101) As conveyed, SSWs were highly confident that all six key roles were met during their placement. Focus groups and telephone interviews with SSWs uncovered the impact that working so closely with young people had on the SSWs, particularly concerning communication and relationship building, group work and identifying and engaging with other services relevant to the needs of young people. When asked to comment on what they most enjoyed about the placements, 67 out of 95 respondents to the final survey mentioning some aspect of the direct involvement they had had with Team members (young people, suggesting that the majority of SSWs had enjoyed this aspect of their placement. SSWs were asked to comment on whether their experience on the placement had changed their career aspirations. Of the 50 respondents, eight stated that the experience had reinforced their intentions to work with young people, 19 said that they now wished to do so, two stated that the experience had led them to revising career plans to work with young people in different contexts (teaching and youth work) and five commented that they would like to work in an organisation where they would be able to work intensely with young people. When investigating the student s sense of social work purpose and identity, students suggested that they had found themselves examining or re-examining their understanding of social work due to their part on the Team programme. This included understanding vulnerability, disadvantage and structural and individual barriers; developing the skills and knowledge to support people to make effective changes in their lives. Such findings highlight the professional development the Team programme provides for SSWs.
Benefits to young people Young people were overwhelmingly positive about the role of the SSW, identifying a number of issues that the SSW may help them with including problems at home and emotional support. Some young people discussed how they were hesitant about the role of the SSW due to previous experiences of social workers, but identified a shift in their understanding as the relationships developed; an important barrier breakdown. The young people considered the SSW a problem solver or having a more counselling approach than the Team Leader; demonstrating that the SSWs are able to offer another dimension of support to the Team Leaders and add value to the programme. Team Leaders were asked to estimate the number of young people helped by the presence of the SSW, their estimates are detailed below: Table Three: Team Leaders estimates of the number of young people helped by SSWs The best thing about having a student social worker is having someone to talk to a one to one. It calms me down when I need it. She notices when I come in and have problems at home. (Young Person: Focus Group Cohort 1) None 1-3 4+ To stay on Team Coh 1 20.5% (9) 63.6% (27) 15.9% (7) Coh 2 31.3% (20) 56.3% (36) 12.5% (11 To engage with Team activities Coh 1 6.8% (3) 22.7% (10) 70.4% (31) Coh 2 9.4% (6) 23.4% (15) 67.2% (43) To improve young people s emotional wellbeing Coh 1 9.1% (4) 34.1% (15) 56.8% (25) Coh 2 10.9% (7) 48.4% (31) 40.7% (26) To improve young people s general wellbeing Coh 1 12.3% (8) 40.0% (26) 47.7% (31) Coh 2 6.8% (3) 34.1% (15) 59.1% (26) To access relevant services Coh 1 21.5% (14) 49.2% (32) 29.3% (19) Coh 2 7.0% (3) 60.5% (26) 32.6% (14) Cohort 1 n=44 Cohort 2 n=64 Attendance and retention It is evident from the above table that the majority of Team Leaders (79.5% and 68.8% cohorts 1 and 2 respectively) believed that SSWs contributed to at least one young person staying on Team, this was further supported by findings from young people who gave numerous examples of how the SSW had intervened to help them stay on Team, including addressing emotional problems and substance misuse: She [the SSW] helped one who was going to walk out; he went and she ran after him and convinced him to come back. She went to his house and convinced him to come back to the residential. I don t think he felt part of Team until that. (Young Person) Whilst the Trust s attendance data did not show any difference in attendance rates of Teams with SSWs and without, this may not be a fair comparison as Team Leaders have been found to be more willing to recruit young people with more complex needs if they have a placement SSW; resulting in The Trust reaching more disadvantaged young people when utilising SSWs.
Wellbeing Young people were asked to reflect on the support provided by the SSW and provided the following examples of how the SSW had improved their wellbeing: The student was a lot of help my problems were through probation so I had to attend. I had problems with my family and some ups and downs so one-to-one time with her was useful. She was a lot of help when I spoke to her better than talking to my probation officer. The whole group went to her with their problems. She helped others with their housing problems and found them somewhere to live. (Young Person s Case Study: Danny) to change my views on substance misuse. to explore emotional problems from my childhood to stay on Team despite emotional problems how the student social worker helped me to read and understand as I am dyslexic increase my self esteem and gain confidence to apply for jobs to get on with the others despite conflicts to feel better about my body image and healthy eating Figure One: How the student helped young people. Source: 46 young people in five focus groups The survey responses from Team Leaders further support the finding that the role of the SSW is to assess the young people s wellbeing needs (98% of Team Leaders across both cohorts viewing the role as this), the provision of emotional support (92% of Team Leaders) and signposting to relevant services (92% of Team Leaders). Mental health support Young people with mental health needs were also found to receive appropriate interventions, with Team members discussing how the SSW helped them with a variety of issues including: Family conflict Pregnancy advice Self-harm Acute lack of confidence Homelessness due to family breakdown Anger management strategies Alcohol and/or drug misuse.
The effectiveness of the initiative It has been a fantastic experience for myself and my assistant. It has clearly shown me that we would definitely benefit from having a social work experience on board to support Team members. (Team Leader cohort 1) Placement process Overall, the Team Leaders were very positive about having SSWs. Of the Team Leaders responding to the two cohort surveys 56.6% were having their first experience of working with a SSW. Team Leaders, SSWs, HEIs and young people did highlight the benefit of placements starting at the recruitment stage, enabling the SSW to build a relationship with the Team from the start. This did not always happen as 70.9% of SSWs in cohort 1 and 59% in cohort 2 started at this stage, with the number of placements starting after five days of Team increased from 3.6% in cohort 1 to 20.5% in cohort 2. Pre-placement process Whilst the majority of SSWs had an informal visit to the Team Leader prior to their placement, for 11.6% and 14.7% (cohorts 1 and 2) there was no visit. It is important to encourage such visits as 97.8% and 90.6% (cohorts 1 and 2) of Team Leaders who had an informal visit from an SSW prior to placement found this useful. This is an opportunity for the Team Leader to convey the dynamics and purpose of the programme. In cohort 1 66% of pre-placement meetings (establishing the contract for the placement) occurred before the placement, reducing to 59% in cohort 2. These meetings should involve the SSW, Team Leader, off-sit Practice Educator and/or university tutor, though Team Leaders were found to have attended only 83.7% and 74.6% of these meetings (cohort 1 and 2 respectively). It is integral that Team Leaders attend these meeting to discuss the expectations and responsibilities of the SSW from The Trust s perspective. Support to Team Leaders In both cohorts the Team Leaders reported being primarily supported by the offsite Practice Educator (70.7% in cohort 1 and 63.5% in cohort 2), followed by the Delivery Partner (46.3% and 57.1% respectively). The Prince s Trust provides a Delivery Partner Student Handbook to outline the role of the student. Of those who received this, 82% found it either very useful or useful. With the evident usefulness of the Handbook, it is important to encourage Delivery Partners to access the relevant pages on The Trust s website; just 67.3% and 62.7% of Team Leaders (cohorts 1 and 2) had accessed it before the placement and 17.3% had not accessed it at all. The Wellbeing Support Worker Role In cohort 1 56.5% of Team Leaders were aware of The Prince s Trust job description for Wellbeing Support Workers, rising to 74.8% in cohort 2, The Trust believes that such a document, along with the pre-placement meeting, ensures that the Team Leaders get the most out of the SSW and encourage their development. When the Team Leaders were asked to consider 10 potential aspects of the SSW s role on Team, 98% of Team Leaders in cohort 1 and 97.1% in cohort 2 regarded identifying young people s wellbeing needs as the most significant for the SSW role, echoing the impetus of this initiative. Challenges of SSW placements Team Leaders were asked to identify the challenges of hosting social work placements. Sixteen out of the 74 respondents said that there were not any challenges. Of those that did identify a challenge the most common reason was time with 23 Team Leaders citing this. This included managing the time for the formal meetings, paperwork and reviews.
Several times following the training I discussed with different Team members their mental health status and felt comfortable to ask direct questions about self-harming or suicide attempts. (SSW Final Survey) Mental Health First Aid Training Between cohorts 1 and 2 there was an increase from 45.5% to 54.0% in the percentage of Team Leaders completing the training, whilst the rate for SSWs remained at 78% over both cohorts. There was an overall opinion among Team Leaders that this training should take place at the start of the student placement. Of those who had completed the training, most of them found it valuable with 67.7% of SSW attendees responding to the survey agreeing that they had applied the learning from the course on at least one occasion during Team, and 40.4% doing so three times or more.
The changing Social Work Education landscape Continuation of the initiative is considered valuable for young people and SSWs. However, from 2013 a series of changes will be required by all social work programmes in order to meet the requirements of the new regulatory body, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which will impact on The Trust s placements: All social work programmes will now include two assessed placements, one of 70 days and a final placement of 100 days. The criteria for the final 100 day placement require students to gain experience of statutory social work tasks and work alongside registered social workers; this is difficult for The Trust to guarantee. However, The Trust can provide valuable opportunities for the first placement at 70 days, and this is where the focus for placement will be. All Practice Educators will need to be registered social workers. Whilst The Trust employs some social workers, this is not a current requirement, meaning that where Team Leaders have undertaken training and are performing the Practice Educator role new arrangements will have to be developed. The funding of placements is subject to a Government review, meaning that The Trust, Delivery Partners and Practice Educators may not be able to guarantee funding for the placements, an obstacle for all placement providers. What Next? Based on the findings of the evaluation, the researchers made a number of recommendations. As a result of this, The Prince s Trust has taken or is due to take a number of actions to ensure that the Working for Wellbeing Initiative achieves the greatest outcome. The Working for Wellbeing initiative has been a success and should be continued. The Trust wishes to continue this initiative. Clarity on the role of SSWs in promoting the wellbeing of the young people on Team. The Trust will produce communication to promote the Delivery Partner Handbook and the need for initial meetings with HEIs, SSWs, Delivery Partners and Practice Educators. The Handbook has been adapted to include information on the role of the SSW on Team and a check list outlining the role and responsibilities. Promote one to one work to complement the group work on the Team programme. Where possible, The Trust will continue to encourage one to ones between SSWs and young people where appropriate. Timing of SSWs starting their placement on Team. The Trust would like the SSWs to start the placement before the start of the Team, placing great emphasis on the necessity of attending the residential and the recruitment process, if time allows. However, this is reliant on universities releasing SSWs for the start of the Team programme, which may not always be possible.
Regular reviews of the initiative. The Trust will pull together a group of Trust staff every quarter to discuss best practice and review the structure of the initiative. The Trust to work with Delivery Partners to ensure Team Leaders and SSWs access the Student Handbook prior to Team commencing. The Trust will continue to promote the Handbook to Delivery Partners when inducting a SSW. Supporting Team Leaders with SSW placements. The Trust will encourage the existence of pre-meetings. The Trust will also issue communication on the roles and responsibilities of the SSWs and the Mental Health training when appropriate. Changes to the Practice Educator requirements, their impact on Team and to develop an action plan to the changes occurring in 2015. The Trust is currently reviewing the Student Handbook to reflect the changes to the social work landscape. Further to this, The Trust s Public Affairs Team will consider undertaking necessary lobbying following the perceived barriers created due to the amendments.