Case Study 02: Creating a new national peer support service for the UK's social workers
2020 - 2023
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) partnered with Fox & Associates to rapidly design and implement a national peer support service for the UK’s 120,000 social workers. Underpinned by a robust digital infrastructure and utilising coach training and supervision programmes developed and supported by Fox & Associates, this online service helped many social work professionals by providing peer-led coaching and wellbeing support during the pandemic and its aftermath.
Such was the success of the service, it has now been incorporated as a permanent offering by BASW to its members.
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What the social workers had to say...
"Brilliant safe space to work with an experienced coach as a sounding board for your prevailing issues. Makes you feel valued and listened to. Helps you to focus rather than mulling things over in your head without resolution. And it gives you confidence in your abilities to make effective changes."
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"Great initiative. Helpful for me personally whilst I am going through a difficult time."
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"I would highly recommend to anyone who needs directions in their professional life. Sometimes we get stuck in our professional routines and fail to recognise our potential or change in our direction of work. Talking with someone who is objective and independent can help us to realise what else we are capable of doing and how we can do things differently."
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"I will be recommending the service as it is much needed especially in this time. Thank you."
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"What an outstanding coach. She was easy to talk to and asked very insightful questions which enabled me to reflect deeply. These sessions have been transformational for me. I can't thank you enough."
Project Overview: The BASW Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS)
The Challenge:
In March 2020, as lockdown began, BASW conducted a national survey revealing that social workers were facing unprecedented personal and professional challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There was an urgent need for a support service tailored to the pressures and emotional demands of social work.
The Solution:
BASW decided to launch a new online peer-to-peer coaching and support service across all four UK nations. The service would be designed, built and supported by a suitable partner, including provision of the underlying digital platform, management of the service, training and supervision of the volunteer peer coaches. Fox & Associates Consulting Limited (through our subsidiary, Strengthening Practice) was in the unique position of being able to provide a complete end-to-end solution, having both the social work and digital expertise to do so. The work was co-funded by BASW and the national governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Key Requirements:
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Provide peer support to social workers in real-time during the pandemic and subsequent recovery phases.
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Deliver the service online to ensure accessibility.
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Recruit, train and supervise volunteer peer coaches.
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Build a scalable, secure digital platform that provides:
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a register of coaches with bios and availability;
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a secure matching and booking service between coaches and social workers;
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an inbuilt videoconferencing solution; and
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a resource library of helpful information, training packages and tools to support social workers manage their wellbeing during Covid.
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Deliver a fully functional service within three months
How we contributed:
Team leadership & collaboration:
To design, build, deliver and support the SWPSS, Peter and Jo Fox led a multi-disciplinary team of:
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ICT specialists
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Software vendors
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Practising social workers
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Professional coaches
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Support staff
Technology & Infrastructure:
The team developed a comprehensive digital platform that included:
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Peer-to-peer coach matching system
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Appointment booking interface
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Embedded videoconferencing
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Secure record-keeping and feedback tools
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Coach forums and learning resources
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Country-specific interfaces (e.g., Welsh-language content for Wales)
Delivery & Impact:
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Service successfully rolled out across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland within three months.
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Over 800 social workers supported during Covid.
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Over 100 volunteer coaches professionally trained and equipped.
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Consistently excellent user feedback.
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Sustained success. Originally intended as a temporary service, the SWPSS is now a permanent offering to BASW members.
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Team members involved:
Joanne Fox - Project Director and Social Work SME
Peter Fox - Digital Platform Lead
Shane Brown - User Support Lead
Katy Curr - Project Administration and data analyst
Ben Curran - Cyber Security and GDPR Lead
Monalesia Earle - Lead Coach Trainer and Supervisor
Erica Gaffney - Project Support
Suzy Kitching - Development and delivery of coach training
Graham Morgan - Cloud platform Lead
Carmel Ruttledge - Coach Trainer and Supervisor
Jools Watson - Graphic Designer and Comms Lead