Group 1: people who work with citizens

If everyone who works in social care in Wales is familiar with strengths-based approaches, they can use them to promote positive outcomes for the people they support.

This group includes anyone who works with citizens, including people who:

• run engagement activities, such as focus groups
• deal with compliments or complaints about services
• assess needs and plan interventions
• give care and support.

They could be:

• social care workers or practitioners
• support workers
• social workers
• people who work in health, early years and childcare, education and similar services.

People in this group should be able to:

• understand the key principles of strengths-based practice and why we use them
• understand the benefits of working in a strengths-based way
• recognise the difference between strengths-based and practice that only considers risks and problems
• understand why organisations move away from deficit-based to strengths-based practice
• be aware of relevant legislation, including the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and how it promotes peoples’ voice, choice and control
• understand the policies and guidelines that support strengths-based practice in their organisation
• know when to use strengths-based practice in a specific area of work, such as child protection, safeguarding, social work or drug and alcohol interventions
• recognise what a good support network looks like for someone, starting from the individual’s family and then local community and services
• recognise the things in their organisation that make it difficult to work in a strengths-based way, and how to work with others to overcome these.

It’s helpful for everyone in this group to be able to:

• hold a ‘what matters’ conversation using skills such as ‘OARS’, which comes from motivational interviewing:
  • open questions
  • affirmations
  • reflections
  • summaries.
• build strong, trusting and respectful relationships with citizens and colleagues by:
  • engaging with the person on their level
  • focusing on what matters
  • being sensitive to their needs and lived experiences
  • respecting the person’s unique experiences
  • thinking of the possibilities for that person (also called ‘evoking’)
  • planning with the person rather than for the person.
• have difficult conversations in a compassionate way
• write reports and plans in a way that:
  • focuses on the person’s strengths
  • uses the person’s own words
  • explains the decisions clearly
  • shows how they came to a decision
  • explains how the person feels about decisions.
• do assessments that record and build on individual, family, and community strengths
• hold ‘what matters’ conversations that avoid labels, jargon and passive language
• use strengths-based practice in a specific area of work, such as child protection, safeguarding, social work or drug and alcohol interventions
• listen to – and advocate for – other people who work in a strengths-based way.

You can support people in this group by:

• working towards a positive culture in your organisation
• working to the values of strengths-based practice
• offering opportunities for regular reflective practice.