Overview

Key working is one of the most important interventions available to professionals supporting children and young people in residential childcare, supported accommodation, fostering services, and other care settings. When undertaken effectively, key working provides opportunities to build trusting relationships, promote positive outcomes, support personal development, and help young people achieve meaningful progress. However, key working can sometimes become overly focused on completing records rather than creating purposeful interventions that make a genuine difference.

This practical and reflective course explores how to transform key working from a recording exercise into a purposeful and outcome-focused intervention. Participants will develop the knowledge and skills needed to plan, deliver, review, and record key work sessions that are engaging, meaningful, and tailored to the individual needs of children and young people. The course focuses on helping practitioners use key working as a powerful tool for supporting growth, resilience, independence, and positive change.

Course Content

This course explores the purpose and value of key working within children's social care and examines how effective key work contributes to positive outcomes for children and young people. Participants will consider the role of relationships, trust, consistency, and purposeful engagement in creating meaningful interventions that support progress and development. The session encourages practitioners to move beyond compliance-driven approaches and instead focus on creating opportunities for learning, reflection, problem-solving, and personal growth.

The seminar examines how to plan key working sessions that are informed by assessments, care plans, support plans, pathway plans, risk assessments, and the identified needs and aspirations of children and young people. Participants will explore how to identify meaningful objectives, select appropriate topics, and ensure that sessions remain relevant, child-centred, and outcome-focused. Particular attention will be given to ensuring that key work contributes to broader care planning and supports long-term goals rather than becoming isolated activities.

The course also explores practical techniques for engaging children and young people in key working. Participants will examine how to adapt their approach to different ages, developmental stages, communication styles, and levels of engagement. Topics such as emotional wellbeing, identity, relationships, independence, education, safeguarding, future planning, and life skills will be considered as examples of purposeful areas for intervention.

Throughout the session, participants will explore how to evaluate the effectiveness of key working and evidence progress through meaningful recording. The course encourages practitioners to move beyond descriptive records and instead demonstrate impact, reflection, learning, and outcomes, ensuring that key working contributes meaningfully to the lives of children and young people.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Explain the purpose and value of key working as a meaningful intervention within children's social care.
Plan key working sessions that are informed by assessments, care plans, support plans, and identified needs.
Develop outcome-focused objectives that support positive progress and development.
Utilise relationship-based approaches to improve engagement and participation.
Adapt key working approaches to meet the individual needs, strengths, and developmental stages of children and young people.
Deliver purposeful interventions that support wellbeing, independence, resilience, and positive outcomes.
Evaluate the effectiveness of key working sessions and identify evidence of progress.
Produce meaningful records that demonstrate impact, learning, reflection, and outcomes rather than simply describing activities.

Intended Audience

This course is designed for professionals who undertake direct work with children and young people as part of their role. It will be particularly relevant for Residential Childcare Practitioners, Supported Accommodation Staff, Foster Carers, Supervising Social Workers, Social Workers, Key Workers, Family Support Workers, Team Leaders, Deputy Managers, Registered Managers, Responsible Individuals, and other professionals responsible for planning, delivering, reviewing, or overseeing direct work and key working interventions. The course is suitable for both experienced practitioners seeking to strengthen their approach and those newer to undertaking direct work with children and young people.

Course Facilitator

Miguel Valerio is a Social Worker, trainer, consultant, and regulatory specialist with more than 20 years of professional experience across children's social care, education, leadership, and service development. Throughout his career, Miguel has worked directly with children and young people in a variety of settings while also leading Children's Homes and Supported Accommodation services as a Responsible Individual and Registered Service Manager.

His extensive experience in care planning, safeguarding, quality assurance, workforce development, and service leadership has given him a strong understanding of how purposeful interventions contribute to positive outcomes. Through Social Care Skills, Miguel supports providers through training, consultancy, audits, and service development, helping professionals strengthen their practice and deliver meaningful support that goes beyond compliance. His training combines regulatory knowledge, practical experience, and reflective approaches to support participants in developing effective and impactful key working practice.

Contact the host of Purposeful Key Working: Planning for Progress, Not Just Paperwork

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