Managing Unseen Risk - negotiating complex & unpredictable contexts training for NQSW's
Part of BASW's 2025-26 NQSW CPD Programme
Delivered by BASW’s accredited training partner DCC-i via MS Teams.
Managing Risk Training for Students/NQSWs negotiating complex and unpredictable contexts supports the Following National Requirements:
England: PCF7 – Interventions and Skills, Adult PQS6 – Effective Assessment and Outcome-Based Support Planning, Childrens PQS7 – Analysis, Decision-Making, Planning and Review.
Scotland: CLE2 – Communication, engagement and relationship-based practice/ CLE3 – Critical Thinking, Professional Judgement and Decision-Making / CLE4 – Working with complexity in unpredictable and ambiguous contexts
Wales and Northern Ireland: NOS2 – Practise Professional Social Work, NOS3 – Promote Engagement and Participation, NOS5 – Plan for Person Centred Outcomes
Course Outline:
A particular anxiety for newly qualified frontline practitioners is the assessment of risk, this workshop gives frontline practitioners in both Children and Adults settings some frameworks for conceptualising and assessing risks; ideas to consider for triangulating information effectively and methods of analysing and articulating risk.
This session is an opportunity for professionals to share ideas and experiences from their own practice and engage in valuable peer support which can increase professional confidence and resilience. The course will explore the impact of our own values, bias and beliefs on understanding, assessing and managing risk including an exploration of whether this makes our practice risk adverse or conversely prompts unsafe risk-taking. The principles of safe accountable positive risk-taking will be explored. Recording decision-making around risk in a defensible manner will also be covered.
Learning Methods:
This training is delivered using an online interactive classroom approach and all delegates will be expected to take part to ensure an effective adult learning experience. Using whiteboards and breakout rooms, a combination of learning methods will be used throughout the day, including trainer presentation and group work in the form of case studies and reflection dilemmas to support application to practice. Local templates and expectations will be embedded in the programme where required and appropriate.
Learning Outcomes:
This course will provide participants with the following learning outcomes:
- Explore the impact of our personal and professional values on how we view and respond to risk. - Be able to identify possible risks - Be able to conceptualise risk to help assess the likelihood of a negative outcome and evaluate the options for managing the risks effectively. - Explore ways of assessing risk and triangulating information. - Explore the principles of positive risk-taking. - Know how to seek support and/or escalate concerns. - Know how to record risk in an accountable manner.
Programme Outline:
9.00 Log-in – Check your connection, camera & mic (then get a cuppa) 9.30 Introduction to the session and the tech 9.45 Defining Risk: 10.15 Understanding our Perceptions of Risk:
Beliefs & values Experience & Knowledge Role and Remit. 11.00 COFFEE 11.20 Conceptualising Risk
Static & Dynamic Risk. Assessing Likelihood and seriousness. Safe uncertainty. 12.30 LUNCH 1.15 Understanding capacity, choice & the right to make unwise decisions:
The relationship between Capacity, Risk and Safeguarding Duties Can Children and Parents make unwise decisions? Risk assessment & management in relation to unwise decisions 2.30 COFFEE
2.50 Positive Risk-Taking Principles:
Why, When and How to take positive risks. Barriers to Service User Engagement. Collaborative Risk Management Plans. Assessing when positive risk-taking is not appropriate. Knowing how, when and why to review risk management 3.50 Recording risk in an accountable and defensible manner:
Recording the assessment of risk. Articulating whose risk it is to take. Being clear on actions to prevent, manage or respond to risk. 4.15 Reflection and Review – learning points and next steps. 4.30 CLOSE
The Trainer:
Gavin Rogers, Principal Consultant & Inclusion Lead. Gavin has worked in Health and Social Care for over two decades, as a practitioner, manager, and trainer. He considers himself fortunate to have had a varied career path, which has included coordinating countywide harm reduction strategies and services, through to holding CQC Registered manager posts within residential therapeutic community provisions. Gavin has worked as a national training lead and within national risk and assurance/clinical compliance teams, as well as in business development, and he believes passionately in person-centred approaches, having spent many years designing and delivering therapeutic interventions to help people find their own understandings, agency, and self-efficacy. Gavin holds formal qualifications in training and therapeutic approaches, and he says that through his career so far, of all the things he has learnt, the most important thing is that he knows that he hasn’t learned enough. Every day is a school day!
Corporate multi booking rates available - contact ProfDE@basw.co.uk for details