Our practices

Adult Social Care is a large department at Norfolk County Council. We are responsible for offering advice, care and support to adults who need support to remain independent and to live safe, dignified lives in their own homes or elsewhere in the community. Our services focus on people's strengths and try to prevent the need for care and support developing further. We can provide advice or support in the short term or support people for longer periods of time. Our vision is to keep people independent, resilient, and well.

Promoting Independence

Promoting Independence is our strategy for changing and improving adult social care in Norfolk. It's a positive response to a challenging set of issues. We support people to be independent, resilient and well. We are working hard to strengthen social work, increase the reach and effectiveness of prevention, integrate the way we work with our partners in the NHS and local councils, and accelerate the use of technology in our care services.

At its core, Promoting Independence is about really great social work, social work which starts by looking at people's strengths and what they can do, rather than what they can't do. It's where people can achieve their outcomes through the most independent means possible. And it's where health and wellbeing are supported by strong and inclusive communities, and where individuals are empowered to make the choices which are best for them.

This strategy encompasses an alliance between Norfolk County Council and local people for care and support, founded in people's lives and communities, not services and organisations.

The Care Act 2014 emphasises that local authorities should consider the person's own strengths and capabilities, and what support might be available from their wider support network or within the community to help.

Living Well. Changing Lives.

At the heart of Promoting Independence is the Living Well model which puts the person at the centre of our ethos.

Living Well is a 'strength based' practice approach and is key to delivering effective social work, occupational therapy, social care interventions and achieving the best outcomes for people. By supporting individuals with social care needs in the context of their own families, communities, and circle of support, we find ways to help residents to remain independent for longer, to live their lives and achieve the best possible outcomes. This prevents, reduces, and delays the need for formal services.

Norfolk social worker philosophy

Our social worker philosophy has been written by social workers for social workers to make it clear why we come to work and why we feel proud of our practice.

Our philosophy helps to guide practice, ensure reflection on what you do, how you work with others to get it right, to help others understand social work practice in Norfolk and to remind yourself to feel proud of what you do.

We have high expectations of our practice standards and will always focus on promoting the wellbeing and safety and independence of our service users.

We are committed to helping the people we work with build on their strengths and the strengths of their families and communities.