Our vision and principles

Strengths-based social care: your conversation, your life

We want Barnet to be an even better place to live where wellbeing and independence are promoted.

We will help to deliver this by applying a strengths-based approach to social care, and in doing so, aim to prevent, reduce or delay an adult’s social care and health needs from either developing or escalating.

Principles

To do this, we need to apply 10 principles, set out below:

  1. We will support people to maintain their health, wellbeing and independence by providing easy access to accurate information, good advice, useful tools and preventative services.
  2. We will share responsibility across the council, with residents, the voluntary community sector and providers to build strong and resilient communities.
  3. We will ensure that Carers are valued and supported in their caring roles.
  4. Where someone has emerging needs and contacts us, our response will be proportionate, either resolving the issue, facilitating access to early support services or offering a further discussion.
  5. Where urgent support is required, because someone is in crisis or at risk, we will respond quickly and proportionately to keep them safe whilst putting the individual at the centre.
  6. In our interactions with people, we will apply a strengths-based approach meaning that practitioners will work with people to identify their outcomes and the resources they have to achieve these outcomes.
  7. We will be creative in how we meet an individual’s care and support needs through how we commission, support plan and broker, leading to better outcomes at lower costs.
  8. We will work towards greater integration with colleagues in health services
  9. We will ensure we use the resources we have in the most effective way possible to make the biggest difference.
  10. We will have a positive thinking, creative and caring workforce that delivers our vision for local residents by drawing on the unique strengths of individuals in the workforce and working in a strengths-based way. 

Competent, confident, creative, and caring workforce

To deliver this, alongside partners, we will draw on our “competent, confident, creative, and caring” workforce.

Supportive and visible leadership will demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering our vision as well as consistent decision making.

Tools, processes, and investment in excellent learning and development will enable staff to be efficient and effective. Individuals and teams will be given greater autonomy to apply their professional judgement and develop better ways of working.

Alongside this, there will be clear standards and expectations of all staff and managers. This will be with everyone taking responsibility for high quality, effective practice and their own professional development. We are also enabling staff to talk about opportunities and concerns.