“Lambeth – a borough with social and climate justice at its heart. By harnessing the power and pride of our people and partnerships, we will proactively tackle inequalities so that children and young people can have the best start in life and so everyone can feel safe and thrive in a place of opportunity.”
Our Children’s Social Care department is delivering against a bold ambition for Lambeth’s future, focusing on achieving the best possible outcomes for our children and young people. We are dedicated to creating the right conditions for social work practice to thrive to ensure the service we offer to children and families improves their lives.
In 2022, we relaunched our relational Practice Model – “Children at the Heart of Practice” which sets out our social work vision and values. Our approach consolidates and brings together these core methodologies and theories: systemic practice, strengthening families, motivational interviewing, solution-focused brief therapy and trauma-informed practice.
Further to this, in 2023 we are launching our new Social Care Academy which will invest in social work entry-level initiatives such as the ASYE programme, Step up to Social Work and Frontline, as well as refreshing our career development framework for experienced social workers to provide a clear pathway from practitioner to social work manager or leader.
To achieve our Borough Plan objectives, Lambeth Children’s Services is also partnering with UNICEF to deliver our “Child Friendly Lambeth” borough-wide partnership programme which will see participation from the local authority, schools, community, local businesses, police, and others to put children’s rights at the heart of the agenda in Lambeth.
