Senior national figures praise People2People after fact-finding visit to Shrewsbury

 

L-R: Jenny Pitts, Stephen Chandler, Lyn Romeo, Glen Mason, Lee Chapman, Ros Adams

Two senior national figures have visited Shropshire to learn about the successful People2People project which provides adult social care across the county.

Dr. Glen Mason, Director of People, Communities and Local Government at the Department of Health, and Lyn Romeo, Chief Social Worker, visited Shrewsbury on Friday 13 June to hear the experiences of People2People. The pair met with members of the original People2People pilot scheme, Jenny Pitts and Ros Adams, alongside Stephen Chandler, Director of Adult Services at Shropshire Council, and Cllr. Lee Chapman, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for adult social care.

Cllr Chapman said:

“We had a great discussion with Glen and Lyn about the experiences we’ve had setting up, running and expanding People2People project. We’re extremely proud of the way the staff took on the job and the success they’ve had – hopefully we can pass on some of the lessons to those looking at the national picture.
“The challenges facing Adult Social care are huge, but the work done in this team is astounding and I hope it continues this way into the future.”

Lyn Romeo said:

“It was inspiring to meet with social workers who have succeeded in putting good quality social work practice at the heart of working with older people and people with disabilities. The community and relational social work approach is having a significant impact in supporting people to have the outcomes and lives they want for themselves. The work that the team are doing to work co-productively and preventatively with communities is excellent.”

Dr. Glen Mason said:

“At their best social workers can transform the lives of those they work with. I was extremely impressed by the People2People team and their commitment, passion and energy to getting positive outcomes for those they worked with. They have demonstrated that social work practices work”

People2People are a not-for-profit independent social work practice working with Shropshire Council to provide adult social care support to older people and those with disabilities. After the success of the prototype in Shrewsbury, the new model has been expanded out across the rest of Shropshire, where there are different needs and demographics to Shrewsbury. Dr. Glen Mason and Lyn Romeo were keen to learn what the People2People team had found out during the successful start-up and expansion which lead to the team being nominated for the Adult Services Social Work Team of the Year last November.

For more information on People2People, you can click here or watch an explanatory video with Stephen Chandler,