Secure base
Making sure social care practitioners have a secure base from which to operate is critical to organisational resilience and is the first Key Foundational Principle. A secure base provides:
- A sense of protection, belonging, safety and feeling valued and cared for. It also fosters a culture of trust and mutual support, whether practitioners are on-site or working remotely.
- A constructive challenge for practitioners to explore fears and threats relating to their role and area of practice and organisational change.
- A ‘safe space’ that provides support, gives renewed energy and provides resources for wellbeing and improved practice.
Reflective questions:
- Are there strategies in place in your organisation – such as reflective supervision to support practitioners managing the emotional demands of their roles?
- Are there shared values, principles and expected behaviours that practitioners are aware of and understand?
For further information you can view and download the SWORD workbook KFP 1 here: Secure base
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Emotionally intelligent practice supervision | Developing excellent practitioners | Support effective decision-making | Quality assurance and improvement | Developing excellent practitioners | Relationship-based practice supervision | Developing confident and capable social workers | Performance management and improvement
PCF - Professional leadership
RCOT - Health and safety | Support development | Communication