"I think for me the added value is building relationships between the Principal Social Workers and the learning from each other - what is good social work, what is our standard regionally, and how can we learn from and support each other. You’re not going to get that from CQC inspections"
A West Midlands PSW quoted in A Decade of Practice Reviews*
The WM ADASS Practice Review Programme is a regionally distinctive commitment to helping councils identify how they might improve their adult social care practice. It has been providing sustained momentum for regional improvement since it was introduced shortly after the introduction of the Care Act 2014.
The programme, led over the last decade by West Midlands Associate Mark Godfrey, has matured into a powerful tool for both practice reflection and organisational preparation, directly aligning with national inspection expectations, while retaining its primary focus on practice and practice improvement.
The programme demonstrates learning and sustained improvement in the key areas of:
- Workforce development and resilience
- Quality assurance and learning and development
- Collaboration, co-production and inclusion
- Cultural change and practice leadership (maturity and trust over time)
Between 2022 and 2025 practice reviews were undertaken for every council to support preparations for CQC assurance, and by the end of 2025, our 14 councils had completed a total of 46 practice reviews.
* A Decade of Practice Reviews, written by Mark Godfrey, will be published in April 2026
What happens at a practice review?
Originally carried out on site, the two-day reviews have been run online since the Covid pandemic, although in-person reviews are set to return from 2026.
In addition to the programme lead, the practice review team consists of three principal social workers (two external and one from the council under review) and one or more people with lived experience.
During the review, meetings are held with six to eight practitioners, and six to eight front line managers within the authority, 15 case records are examined by the review team.
The Principal Social Workers and people involved with lived experience will speak with a number people who draw on care and support and whose case records have been examined.
Meeting notes and audit forms are written up, identifying six areas of strength and six areas highlighted for consideration in a report (around 25pp). The report is then presented to the DASS.
Since 2024, the WM ADASS co-production advisory group has supported practice reviews to include the voice of lived experience more effectively
Value of practice reviews
Practice reviews are now embedded in the region’s DNA, enabling honest dialogue in a non-threatening setting, where local authorities do not have to show their best work, but are prepared for focus to be on areas they consider may require improvement. Discussions take place about what good practice looks like, where it may be stuck, and how policy translates into meaningful, person-centred ways of working.
Principal social workers are strong supporters of the reviews and the opportunity to learn openly and honestly with peers. The region’s Principal Social Worker Network has been active in shaping the review process and facilitating learning from it.
The Practice Review programme, along with the PSW Network, has played a central role in shaping the Principal Social Worker post, clarifying expectations, strengthening leadership and amplifying individual and collective influence.
More widely, the Reviews have contributed to building an adult social care workforce better equipped to deliver strengths based, outcome focused approaches, and a more consistent practice culture both locally and regionally.
In 2025 WMADASS commissioned Peter Hay CBE to carry out an evaluation to assess the programme’s impact and address key issues such as equality, diversity, and inclusion and consider the future role of practice reviews, particularly concerning CQC assurance.
The analysis sets out four broad areas for consideration:
- the role of the programme within WMADASS
- support from WM ADASS for the programme
- practice review and assurance
- strengthening the involvement of people with lived experience
The work will be taken forward by WM ADASS in 2026-27.