A report into the findings of a pilot project involving three local authorities revealed while money was used to provide some high-cost goods and services, social workers mainly spent small sums of money on activities, meals out and home improvements.
This allowed them to build meaningful relationships with children and young people and in turn empowered social workers to develop creative ways to quickly address challenges, the report said.
The project, run by What Works for Children's Social Care and Cardiff University, saw social workers in Hillingdon, Darlington and Wigan given the autonomy to administer their own budgets.
Despite some initial reticence, the study found social workers “thrived” when given the opportunity to make purchases that would help the children and families involved and have a sustainable impact.
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