Adult social work
In Thurrock, we make sure the person is at the centre of everything we do to support them.
Each person is an individual. We listen to what they want and encourage them to make choices.
The focus of our social work is strength-based support. This means we look at what people can do rather than what they cannot do. We start with a conversation rather than an assessment, and we don't just give a menu of resources.
We believe the lead should be taken by individuals and those that know them best. We provide them with relevant information and support them to make decisions.
Our commitment to people with care and support needs in Thurrock is clear: we will, wherever possible, do everything we can to help them live independent, fulfilling, happy lives.
Community-led Support
Our relationship with local communities is integral to our service delivery.
Our social workers are familiar faces in the community. They are encouraged to spend time working at different locations around Thurrock, getting to know each area and the people who there.
'Community-led Support' enables teams to hold regular drop-in sessions, so social work is accessible to all. Within this model we work closely with a wide range of partners, providing services for a variety of complex needs. This avoids duplication and offers a holistic, integrated approach to those people who need our support.
We believe the best way to serve a community is to be a part of it. This makes our social workers more familiar to residents, which can remove some of the barriers that often exist in this kind of work. We make sure that:
- bureaucracy is kept to the absolute minimum
- people get the right support and information
- advice is provided when needed to prevent crisis
- people are empowered, building on their individual strengths and gifts
Local Area Coordination
Our Local Area Coordination team is made up of workers placed in different local communities around Thurrock. The team has been praised highly for its impact. Individual coordinators help their community to grow organically and develop its own internal support structures.
These support structures help to provide practical solutions that previously would have called for a social worker. This frees the time of social workers so they can focus on more complex needs.
The Local Area Coordination is a human way of delivering solutions required by the individual. Coordinators collaborate with others to create the right solutions for the residents.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy services in Thurrock provide support for both children's and adult social care. The service is well-established and recognised as essential in supporting residents to achieve their aspirations, and to remain independent, safe and well.
Alongside traditional assessment, provision of specialist equipment and home adaptations, our team also offers complementary 'place-based' support for individuals in their communities.
We recognise that therapists have more to offer individuals than just equipment and adaptations. Our Occupational Therapy service is actively establishing close working relationships with our Community-led Support and Primary Care Network areas. We want to people to be supported at the right time, in the right place, by the right person.
Occupational Therapy, as a profession, is about helping people to do what they want and need to do. We are enabling therapists to support people by using their full range of skills and knowledge, reducing restrictions wherever possible. We want to raise the profile of Occupational Therapy and support the next generation of Occupational Therapists.