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A new mechanism which helps employees remain motivated, fulfilled, and progressing towards their career goals is rolling out to all staff in Falkirk Council's Social Work Services, making this the perfect opportunity to schedule one-to-one chats or an annual review if you haven’t planned to do so already.

The 'Good Conversations’ model should be used by all line managers and teams to discuss objectives, gather feedback about what is working well and what is not, and identify how to improve working practices across their team – including learning and development opportunities which matter to you.

The approach is being rolled out to those in Social Work Services and is already in place in several other Falkirk Council services. There are three ways the model will be used:

  • Annual conversations
  • Regular 1-2-1 check-ins
  • Team check-ins

Who is this for?

This is for everyone in Falkirk Council Social Work Services, but is particularly important for registered Social Workers and Occupational Therapists who wish to apply for the new Advanced Practitioner roles, who should complete their Annual Good Conversations Review before applying.

What are good conversations?

As a Council employee, you are entitled to protected and meaningful time with your line manager to discuss what is working well and what could be improved within your role and team.

The Good Conversations model provides a structure to gather this feedback and agree any actions to take forward. The ethos provides all employees the opportunity to talk about their job and how they can be supported to achieve their own goals.

How to take part

Review the 7-Minute Briefing to find out more about Good Conversations, and agree a date with your line manager to discuss your annual conversation. It is then best practice to carry out regular check-ins to discuss what is working well and what could be improved to help you reach your goals.

Managers should record Learning and Development Needs arising from Good Conversations, submitting these to socialservices.training@falkirk.gov.uk. This information will inform annual learning and development programmes.

Further reading