Bracknell Forest - Step up to Social Work MI Workshop

An exciting taster session on Motivational Interviewing (MI) was delivered to a new cohort of Step Up children’s social work students. The 3-hour workshop was delivered to 20 students across the 4 local authorities involved in the partnership: Bracknell Forest Council, Brighter Futures for Children (Reading), Slough Children’s Services Trust and West Berkshire Council. The workshop was a skills-based session to introduce them to the role MI can play in their work with vulnerable children and families. The learning outcomes for the session were for students to:

• Understand the values and principles that underpin work with children and families

• Be able to use the MI approach to obtain the client perspective

• Understand MI traps which negatively impact on engagement in family work

• Be able to use action-based techniques to foster a collaborative atmosphere

Lots of energy was in the room. This created a training environment that open, honest and insightful, as students sought to enhance their skill development in order to practice in a more engaging way.