I'm sorry, you've made the wrong decision.
Here are some points that you need to consider. You should have included these in your reflective activity.
- Pointing out the issue to Ruth and reminding her about the importance of keeping records up to date is not the right thing to do. Doing this before did not work and the situation has worsened as a result.
- As a new member of staff, Ruth needs guidance and for her initial concerns to be addressed fully. The right thing to do for Ruth now would be to meet formally with her to discuss the difficulties she is experiencing and to develop a plan to support her to learn necessary skills and manage her workload. As a complaint was made, this meeting needs to be formally recorded.
- When Ruth first approached you with her concerns, advising her to speak to colleagues to find out how they manage their workloads was not the right thing to do. It is your role to support Ruth and to give her more detailed guidance. By not responding appropriately when she first approached you, you were not meeting the standards expected of a social services manager.
- Ruth has possibly learned incorrect procedures from colleagues. This might mean that other members of the team need additional training. You might need to formally work with the whole team to ensure high standards in record keeping procedures. It would also be useful to increase the frequency of audits of records until standards are consistently high. You should have meetings with individual team members to identify and plan how to meet their professional development needs.
- You need to recognise the impact of inadequate workforce development on organisational performance and retention. An effective approach to training and retaining staff is important for the maintenance and development of your service, and for the continuity of care for people.
- You need to be aware that a key part of your role as a manager is to respond appropriately to workers who seek your assistance when they do not feel able or adequately prepared to carry out any aspects of their work.
- You should re-familiarise yourself with the expectations of managers in developing the social service workforce. These expectations include providing regular supervision, personal development plans and records of training.
When Ruth first approached you with concerns, the right thing to do would have been to meet Ruth to discuss the areas with which she was struggling and to develop a plan to support her training needs. Find out why this was the correct option here.
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