Social work investing in people
Thursday, January 17 2008
The social care and health section of Scottish Borders Council's social work services department has been awarded the Investor in People (IiP) Standard.
This means that all three sections of the department have now achieved IiP status and join more than 55,000 organisations in the UK, which have committed to setting a level of good practice for improving business performance through their people.
The largest section in social work, social care and health provides a range of services, including care at home, day support services and residential care, to more than 7000 adults.
Executive Member for Social Work Services, Councillor David Raw, said: "Social work is a people business and we would not get very far without our skilled and dedicated workforce of more than 1500 staff. It is therefore very gratifying to have been independently validated as a good employer with good systems."
Head of social care and health, Elaine Torrance, added: "This is a great achievement for the service and reflects the excellent work undertaken by staff at all levels of the organisation. The award reflects the high level of commitment and effort made by staff to ensure that service users receive the highest standard of care and support."
Investors in People's aim is to help employers across the UK to develop their businesses by making the most of their most valuable asset - their people.
Simon Jones, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Investors in People, said: "This is a fantastic achievement for the section and it goes to show that working with Investors in People can benefit organisations of all sizes and sectors. The Investors in People Standard is practical, flexible and easy to use and we hope that more organisations in the area will be encouraged to work with us to help them get the best from their people."
The three sections within the social work services department are social care and health, children's services and criminal justice, and housing and social work strategy.
The Investors in People Standard provides a framework for improving business performance and competitiveness through good practice in human resource development.
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