Social World Podcast: A discussion with Lyn Romeo, Chief Social Worker for Adults

In today’s episode I speak to Lyn Romeo, the current Chief Social Worker for Adults. After 10 years Lyn is ready to move on from this role. In our discussion we talk about some of her achievements over the past 10 years, what new issues have emerged as a focus and the activity she has personally undertaken. We hear about some of the challenges facing social care and what it is really like to be in the role of Chief Social Worker for Adults. This is a fascinating conversation.

About Lyn Romeo:
Lyn Romeo took up her post as Chief Social Worker for Adults in September 2013 and I first interviewed her in February 2014 for this podcast. ( No 19 )

Previously, Lyn worked as the Director for Adult Social Care and Joint Commissioning in the London Borough of Camden. She has also worked as an inspector with the Social Services Inspectorate, as well as working in Yorkshire for over 20 years as both a field social worker and in a variety of management roles across children and adults services.

The Chief Social Worker for Adults works collaboratively with the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families. Together they work from the Office of the Chief
Social Worker to:
– support and challenge the profession to ensure that children and adults get the best possible help from social workers
– provide independent expert advice to ministers on social work reform, and the contribution of social work and social workers to policy implementation more generally
– provide leadership and work with key leaders in the profession and wider sector to drive forward the improvement and reform programme for social work
– challenge weak practice to achieve decisive improvements in the quality of social work
– provide leadership to the network of principal social workers

It’s good to have had 10 years to assess and measure change.