Testimonials
Hardeep Sandhu
Team Manager (Strengthening Families)
I commenced my role in Wolverhampton as a newly qualified social worker however, I had a great deal of pre-qualifying experience that was greatly appreciated when I joined one of the child protection teams. I can confidently say that Wolverhampton has a true learning culture and they create a safe environment whereby practitioners are supported and confident to work with areas of uncertainty. I feel privileged to work for Wolverhampton and extremely grateful for the opportunities offered.
Marie Fields
Social Worker (Adoption Support)
Social workers are people who care about people, who want to make things better, who want to relieve suffering, and who want their work to make a difference.
Two decades into my social care career with experience in the public , charitable and private sectors the employer that has supported me most to fulfil my role has certainly been Adoption at Heart. As an employee of City of Wolverhampton Council, I have been supported to access ongoing and relevant professional development and the support particularly through the pandemic has been the best I have ever experienced in my social work career. It is no wonder City of Wolverhampton Council are among the very few local authorities who have pleased Ofsted.
Rebecca Workman
Social Worker (Court Team)
Throughout my time within Wolverhampton, I have realised that everyone here genuinely strives to achieve the best outcomes for our families and are supported to do so by managers.
This includes being given manageable workloads that enable us to have the time to undertake good work with families to achieve positive changes.
It is a privilege to work with our children, young people and families and, for those who are either not in social work, or are looking to get back into the profession, I would urge them to come and work with us here in Wolverhampton.
Emma Kirkland
Senior Social Worker (Children and Young People in Care):
I thoroughly enjoy being a part of Wolverhampton where everyone is out to support one another and our teams are like a family unit where we all strive to do the best for the children and families we work with.
It is a true learning origination where they support the learning and development of their staff through various opportunities.
Over the 10 years employed I can honestly say Wolverhampton have invested me and given me various opportunities to enhance my career and further my learning and knowledge. I am proud to work for such an Authority.
Rachel Wilde
Social Worker (Mental Health):
I first worked for Wolverhampton Council in 2015 when I was a Social Work Student; my placement was in the Mental Health Team and I really enjoyed the experience and how compassionate the team were with regards to helping people and critically reflecting on their own practice. Since I qualified as a Social Worker I have worked for a number of different authorities but always wanted to return to the Mental Health Team so when a job became available I applied straight away.
I have been back in the team since December 2020 and can see how the implementation of the 3 conversations approach has really helped to develop the way in which the team works with people in our community. 3 conversations has helped to strengthen core Social Work values and ensure that humanity and a non-judgemental approach remains at the centre of our practice as a team. I enjoy the fact that in my role I get to spend a lot of time doing face to face work with people which hasn’t always been the case in other roles I have worked in. There are also lots of opportunities for professional development and the team will support you to be the best Social Worker you can.
Sonia Mahay
Service Manager (Safeguarding and Exploitation)
Since joining Wolverhampton, I have been supported to grow and develop my practice and have really benefited from having a supportive leadership team. I am proud to work for Wolverhampton and be a part of a learning organisation, I work in an environment where the children and families we work with are at the centre of decision making.
Achievements
Advanced Social Work Practitioners Doreen Dove and Satvir Panesar were nominated by colleagues at the City of Wolverhampton Council to be named Amazing Social Workers by the British Association of Social Workers.
Doreen, who works in Adult Services with the Mental Health Social Care Team, was nominated by Principal Social Worker Jennifer Rogers. She said: "Doreen is my definition of an amazing social worker. "She lives and breathes the values of the social work profession and is committed to challenging the structural oppression faced by the Gypsy Roma Traveller community.
Satvir, who works in Children’s Services, was nominated by Student Social Worker Laura Geal. She said: "Satvir is my practice educator – she has honestly inspired me throughout my placement and been there for me throughout some difficult moments. The families we support speak so highly of Satvir and you can see how lives are changed with her support. Satvir always sees the good in everyone, she promotes the strengths of every family and encourages them to build on their strengths. Satvir puts her trust in me as a student and in families too, and has an amazing ability to motivate but remain understanding, kind and thoughtful."
Two members of Wolverhampton's Youth Offending Team (YOT) have also been recognised as Amazing Social Workers by a national organisation and received the accolade from the British Association of Social Workers. YOT’s Team Manager nominated Kimberley, saying: "Our team has completed considerable training around trauma informed practice and Kim has fully embraced this approach; she committed a great deal of time to fully understanding how early childhood trauma impacts upon the development of children and can affect their behaviour and decision-making in later life.
Brian’s manager stated "Restorative justice is a means of bringing the person harmed and the person responsible for the harm into communication, and Brian is a real champion of this. He regularly goes above and beyond for both parties involved; he is meticulous and adaptable in the preparatory work to bring about the best outcomes for all and passionately believes in the positive possibilities attainable through restorative justice "He is an amazing social worker and his work within restorative practice absolutely adheres to fundamental social work values and practice. In a recent inspection our restorative justice unit was described by inspectors as 'impressive' and, in my opinion, Brian is instrumental to this. A colleague commented that this isn’t just a role for Brian – it's who he is; caring, compassionate, empathetic and brilliantly clever, and I absolutely concur!"
