"I have learnt that self-care is
important in order for us to
complete our role effectively and to
the best of our ability"".
"I feel well supported and the
group has opened up more doors
in terms of who I can and
should seek support".
The South Eastern Trust hosted the 8th Regional
Social Work Awards in November 2019. Ryan Maguire
won Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year.
Ryan completed his Assessed Year in Employment
within Glenmore Cottage Children's Home. Ryan was
praised for being child focused and keeping the young
person central to all decision making.
Ryan's strong social work values were evidenced in
how he promoted choice in young person's daily life. 141
Goal 5: Integrating the Care - Social Care
Assessed Year in Employment
Newly qualified social workers spend their first year in an 'Assessed Year in Employment
(AYE)'.
The 2020 AYE audit of the AYEs experience of the Trust illustrated a high satisfaction rate
amongst AYE staff. The audit considered supervision, continuous professional development
and support of line management.
The survey found an 18% increase in the compliance in the requirement to provide regular
supervision to AYE staff.
A quality improvement project focussed on confidence in role and resilience of staff in their
assessed year in employment. The initiative demonstrated improvements for staff in their
confidence in role. Across the improvement period there was an upward trend in self-reported
confidence by the AYE staff.
This work has directly informed the support provided to newly qualified staff who graduated
early from university as social workers during COVID.
Some of the qualitative feedback underlined the importance of self-care and peer support: