Our approach

We believe the voice of the child should be at the centre of all we do.

We support our social workers to undertake creative methods of intervention to ensure the voice of the child is at the centre of service development. Vulnerable children and families have a voice and their views will impact on how the service is shaped.

Our staff are supported by an accountable and a professional management team. They are encouraged to work creatively, within the statutory framework.

We offer highly skilled, competent social workers who are equipped with the skills they need to develop their professional practice. We support, grow and develop our staff, and ensure they are involved in the development of services.

We will provide efficient and effective services that are excellent value for money.

We offer the following range of social care services:

• Statutory assessments and care planning
• Child Protection conferencing
• Services for looked-after children
• Fostering and adoption
• Services for young people leaving care

Social Work Employer of the Year 2016

We were named Social Work Employer of the Year 2016 in the Social Worker of the Year Awards.

The judges described our company as “a new and exciting model for all those involved”. They also commented that a “clear sense of leadership and unity” was evident in the nomination. The judges were particularly impressed with our outstanding achievements in a relatively short period of time. They said that AfC has “given a clear professional framework to create coherence where a lot of areas are struggling with this. They are well organised and strong on learning and development.”

Nick Whitfield, our Chief Executive, said: “We’re delighted to be recognised by our peers as Employer of the Year. We pride ourselves on working tirelessly to give children the best possible start in life. It’s crucial that our fantastic social workers are able to access high quality training, development and supervision, and this award shows that we have listened to our staff and given them the support they need. We look forward to making ourselves an even better employer to work for in the year ahead.”