Adult Social Care

A chance to grow at Bexley

Hayley has worked for Bexley Adult Social Care since 2014 as a Senior Social Worker. Recently she has been working on the ‘One Bexley’ project.

One Bexley is a partnership of eight local charities commissioned by the Council’s Adult Social Care department to provide services to local residents. Some of these people may be experiencing difficult times in their lives and the partnership supports them to maintain good health and wellbeing.

Hayley says:

“I have always enjoyed working with adults, especially older people with mental health issues and hospital social work. My work on the One Bexley project has been something very different from my usual role. I strongly believe that One Bexley offers people personalised services and the chance for us to work in a preventative way.

“It has been great seeing how far the Trusted Partners involved in One Bexley have picked up their new roles. They are now providing a quality service for our residents on our behalf and I’m extremely proud of the part that I have played in that process.

“I enjoyed it so much I decided to undertake the second part of the Practice Education Professional Standards (PEPS) qualification, which I passed this summer. I am now able to sign off final year social worker students as fit to practice for Bexley.

“Working for Adult Social Care in Bexley I have been able to take on a new role that felt out of my comfort zone at first, but gave me the confidence to know that I have transferrable skills. I have really enjoyed managing the challenges I’ve faced.”

To find out more about One Bexley call BVSC on 020 4530 6580 or email onebexleypathways@bvsc.co.uk.

Working together for children and families

Corné Van Staden is Bexley’s Peripatetic Head of the Referral and Assessment and Staying Together Teams.

It was a career chat at school that first got Corne interested in social work. She has been a social worker for 28 years.

Corné told us:

“Bexley provides excellent training and supervision with dedicated leaders, but above all, people who care not just about the children and families we support but also each other. We celebrate success together and hold each other to account even if we have to have more difficult conversations.

“Being part of a team of likeminded people, working towards the same goals and achieving good outcomes for the children and families are most certainly the best bits of this job. There are not many ‘worst bits’ I can think of. All the other difficult things I face as part of my job are made easier by the people around me.

“Social work is not for everyone. This job shows you the best and worst, but you are never alone. I have never looked back and am forever grateful to a fantastic teacher who saw a skill in me. I cannot think of any better job for me.”