Our Figurative Bookshelf

As a professional, I love having a bookshelf full of useful resources and books. Some I’ve read once, some I’ve read a heap of times and some I plan to read when I have a spare moment. I find comfort in knowing I have these books and resources there if the relevant issue arises before I have a chance to read them just for fun. I love the physical bookshelf and often get a little nudge from my partner about having too many books but I also have a virtual bookshelf with folders of resources I can turn to and effectively pull down when I need.

At a recent strategic planning meeting we were talking about having a figurative bookshelf of training products and it got me thinking. I love this idea but thought to myself …. we actually already have a bookshelf within Social Care Solutions - The staff, the consultants, the management team, the colleagues. We have people as the ‘books’ on our bookshelf already. One of the things I believe sets us apart is the wealth of internal knowledge, skills and experiences we have amongst the team. I know if I’m looking for a resource or struggling with a case, I can send out a group email and will have colleagues respond promptly and supportively with useful resources, ideas and offers for case discussion.

Side note: we even loan out our human ‘books’ through peer support and mentoring, family group meeting convening, training and external supervision 😊

Jacinda Trimble – IPS Program Supervisor and SCS team member for almost a decade!