Judy Cooper

Posts by Judy Cooper

Sarah Plummer and Steph How, Hampshire children's services

‘We will always challenge ourselves to transform our services to improve outcomes for children and families’

Hampshire’s successful journey to transform its children’s services has been the result of close collaboration with frontline social workers to design change

Rachael Wardell (Picture credit: Phil Adams)

'It feels like we’re really flying now'

Surrey’s plan for children’s services is working as it receives an improved rating from Ofsted

From l to r: Lori Goossen, Gemma Winspear, Kelly Cogger

Home-grown social work careers

Medway’s Children’s Services is building on its strengths when it comes to career progression pathways in the council

Celebrating a mindset, not a model, of social work

Hampshire Children’s Services has developed its own bespoke approach to helping families that is strengths based and family focused

Unions say social workers and senior leaders are all pulling in the same direction

'Meaningful change means doing something about pay and culture'

Kev Standishday is the Unison rep for Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (NCT) and he’s been impressed at the actions taken to improve working lives for social workers.

Photo credit: Adobe Stock

Leaders, social workers and children in care working closer together

Social workers at Northamptonshire Children’s Trust say they value the close relationships they have with senior leaders and the positive culture created

From l to r: Social workers Emily Stacey and Emily Furner

The stories of parents and children kept together through the family safeguarding model

Social workers in Surrey’s children’s services are getting more positive feedback from families than ever before following the introduction of the family safeguarding model. Here are just some of...

Gemma Anders and Scarlett Matthews

Trusting instincts and the evidence: NQSWs reflect on the past year

Newly qualified social workers in Hampshire talk through the highs and lows of undertaking their ASYE during a pandemic and the support that has helped them through

Credit: mjowra/AdobeStock

Podcast: How do you help children who cannot speak?

Surrey’s children with disabilities team demystify their role and explain some of the skills needed to work in this specialist field of children’s social work

Craig Nkomo and Jo Denny

Peeling back the red tape and freeing up social workers

Northamptonshire Children’s Trust wants practice to lead policy so that social workers are able to do their best work

Sharon Davidson, Surrey's Principal Social Worker for Children

Developing career pathways: "It’s legitimate to want new experiences”

Sharon Davidson, Surrey's principal social worker and co-chair of the national network, talks about her vision for the role in the county