Memorandum submitted by the NSPCC
SUMMARY
1. There has been investment in education
and generic training around the "Every Child Matters"
agenda but insufficient attention has been given to two things:
(a) the depth and detail of knowledge required for child protection
work, and (b) the practical skills development needed to fully
equip practitioners and managers to make sound professional judgements,
especially when it comes to safeguarding.
2. To create and maintain a workforce that is
experienced and skilled, interventions are needed at all levels.
This means:
— Increasing the diversity of the pool
from which applicants can be drawn and this requires a range of
routes into social work;
— Social workers need to emerge from courses
with a minimum skill set and some experience of statutory work;
— Attention needs to be given to the provision
of quality practice placements and practice teachers provided
the time to ensure the placement provides a suitable experience
for the student, and
— A clear framework of training and support
is needed to enable a student to progress to a competent practitioner
over the first few years of employment.
INTRODUCTION
3. Our evidence is drawn from the NSPCC's
experience as an employer of social workers and other children's
services practitioners involved in children's services, and as
a provider of training and consultancy to a diverse range of statutory
and voluntary sector organisations.
4. The Government announced a number of measures1
to transform the social work profession as part of its action
plan for implementing Lord Laming's recommendations for improving
the child protection system. These, and the work of the Social
Work Taskforce are welcome, and will help address some of the
issues we raise in our evidence.
5. A recent study2 found that a doctor is
likely to remain a doctor for about 25 years; while a social worker
is likely to stay in their profession for only 7.7 years. Explanations
for this can be found in a study by Coffey et al,3 who
noted that the highest levels of organisational constraints, sickness
levels and mental distress were amongst child-care social workers
compared with social workers working with other user groups.
6. The questions asked by the Committee
are very relevant in the context of what is known about stress
in the profession and how it can be managed. Collins in his study
of stress in social work4 noted the need to assess hardiness [resilience]
as part of recruitment into courses, ensuring that courses facilitate
the understanding of stress and the promotion of an environment
which supports and empowers practitioners in the workplace.
ENTRY ROUTES
TO THE
PROFESSION
7. There has been a recent focus on ensuring
that young people understand social care and social work as a
potential career choice. This is welcome but should be one element
of a wider strategy. Our experience has demonstrated that there
are many people who would like to work in child and family social
work but they need flexible and adequately funded routes to do
so.
8. A diverse workforce which reflects the communities
it works with is important if children and families are to receive
good quality services. To achieve this, more flexible routes into
social work are required with much greater use of Accreditation
of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) being encouraged and facilitated
by educational establishments. In our experience the majority
of universities are not receptive to the accreditation of prior
learning and do not give due value to qualifications such as National
Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). In introducing an NVQ route
to a social work qualification the NSPCC faced a number of hurdles:
academic elitism, the extra work involved for universities, and
less revenue from courses, if students are exempted from some
elements of the course. We have now developed a very successful
traineeship scheme which attracted over 3,000 applicants from
a diverse range of backgrounds in its first year.
9. More could be done by central government
to support such approaches by arranging for a mapping of relevant
qualifications against the social work degree and making clear
what exemptions could be awarded. There is also a need to provide
incentives for universities to introduce flexible routes into
training, which meet the needs of students, including mature students
and those with caring responsibilities who cannot afford to study
full time or on a grant. As Parker and Whitfield note, "Without
attention to finance and bursary issues, it is likely that the
composition of the workforce will change over time, having implications
for the sector. If mature students with responsibilities are precluded
from study, social work agencies must consider how to deal with
a younger qualified workforce, or workforce planning initiatives
must develop along the lines of work-based routes, secondments
and traineeships".5
10. The Children's Workforce Development
Council (CWDC) is investigating a fast-track employment-based
route to attract graduates into social work. This is an encouraging
development, but focusing solely on graduates will not open up
access to able, experienced and mature applicants without a degree.
Alternative routes, such as that described above, also need to
be considered.
11. Alongside flexibility of entry routes,
funding is required, especially for mature students who may be
changing careers. This is especially important for enabling applicants
from black and minority ethnic communities to enter social work.
12. Suitability for social work is the other
issue. Currer's study assessing student social work suitability
identified a wide variation in practice by universities and notes
that there is "little consistency in the procedures followed
by the different HEIs [Higher Education Institutions] in
England, and that the professional body might take a lead by offering
examples of good practice and some more detailed guidelines for
universities."6
13. The NSPCC has developed an approach
to interviewing that helps organisations to recruit more effectively,
to probe in more depth in order to really understand not just
what people do but how they do it, and importantly why they do
it, thereby giving a more rounded and complete picture of a candidate.
We have found this approach, known as Values Based Interviewing
(VBI)7 effective in predicting an individual's behaviour at work
once recruited into post. VBI was shown to be widely acceptable
to managers, interviewers and candidates as a selection method
that increases confidence in recruitment decision-making, greatly
reducing or eliminating the "gut feel" element of decision-making
in interviews.
14. Both interpersonal and intellectual
skills are essential to effective children and families social
work. The NSPCC welcomes the measures taken to raise the academic
standards and intellectual rigour of those entering the profession,
however this must be combined with selecting people with strong
inter-personal skills and emotional resilience.
STRUCTURE OF
TRAINING
15. Becoming an effective social worker
who is able to work with complex and challenging family situations
cannot be achieved in two or three years. Qualifying is only the
first step. Support and opportunities for continuing professional
development are needed to learn, apply, test and build on the
foundation provided by the qualification programme. We recommend
a minimum degree-level qualification of three years, plus a protected
and assessed "probationary year in practice". We endorse
the Newly Qualified Social Worker pilot programme; this is a good
starting point and should be built on and extended so that it
is available to all newly qualified social workers.
16. The Scottish government-funded programme
for teachers is also worth considering.8 Teachers are on probation
for one year, but are guaranteed a maximum of 70% teaching time
with the rest available for development; they also have access
to an experienced teacher for support. The NQSW has some of these
elements. A key issue however is that social workers must be able
to demonstrate competencies at an appropriate level to be able
to progress—for example, being able to develop relationships
with children, being comfortable preparing a court report and
being able to respond appropriately to a child protection issue
arising within their caseload.
17. A distinction needs to be drawn between
what a social work qualification should be, and the level of skill
and experience needed to deal with a situation as complex and
serious as Baby Peter's case. It is not appropriate for someone
who is just qualified to be expected to deal with that level of
complexity. A career path for social workers needs to map out
how to take people from initial qualification to the level of
expertise to cope with such cases. A structured framework of continued
professional development and required competencies for undertaking
particular responsibilities for protecting children is required,
with social workers needing to demonstrate competence before being
able to move onto the next level. This would be akin to the model
used for doctors and would ensure that complex cases are led by
those with demonstrable skills and experience. Such a framework
may assist in lengthening the time that someone chooses to stay
in social work. The NSPCC has developed a process for assessing
the competence of all newly appointed practitioners, linked to
the provision of development opportunities. Only those who demonstrate
essential competencies are confirmed in post.
CONTENT OF
INITIAL TRAINING
18. There are a range of views on whether
and to what extent the degree course should be generic. Social
workers do need to have a breadth of knowledge and we recommend
that students should be expected to spend a third of their degree
on generic/other areas and two thirds on their chosen specialism,
such as children and families, mental health or older people.
The breadth of what is currently expected to be covered does not
leave enough time for key specialist skills to be developed. For
example, the NSPCC is aware that a very valuable component on
the observation of children has had to be dropped at Nottingham
University because of a lack of available time in the curriculum.
Such components should be essential elements for any student wanting
to work with children and families, so that they are skilled in
recognising concerns about a child's developmental progress or
in their interaction with a parent or carer.
19. The NSPCC believes that knowledge and understanding
of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child has to be an integral
element of any work relating to children. It is thus important
that a rights-based approach is embedded in social worker training.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has recently expressed
concern "that there is no systematic awareness raising
of the convention and the level of knowledge of it among children,
parents and professionals is low".9
20. Irrespective of specialisms, there need
to be clear mandatory elements in all social work qualifying programmes
around child protection and safeguarding. There needs to be a
stronger emphasis for those specialising in children and families
on:
— An understanding of the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child and an ability to demonstrate how they
put them into practice;
— Statutory duties, all the regulations,
child protection procedures, and the Working Together to Safeguard
Children guidance. Social workers need a sound knowledge of core
legislation, namely the Children Acts of 1989 and 2004, the Adoption
and Children Act 2002 and the Children and Adoption Act 2006.
This knowledge base needs to be a central core of the course that
is tested through placement experience and examination;
— Working directly with children and communicating
with them effectively. This includes assessing a child's developmental
needs and progress and knowing when to be concerned about developmental
delays, which could indicate abuse or neglect or the need for
additional support and services;
— Integrated working and information sharing.
Students need this knowledge, and must know what it means and
how to put it into practice on the front line;
— The lead professional role they may have
on the front line and during inter-agency working;
— The skills and ability to write reports
(early on) both for formal meetings such as child protection conferences
and also for court, to understand the welfare checklist and how
to take a lead role in court, and
— Being equipped to analyse and critically
evaluate information in order to be able to make sound evidence-based
judgments in situations of risk to children.
QUALITY
21. The NSPCC is aware that a lack of practice
placements has meant that some social workers are currently qualifying
without necessarily having had any experience of statutory work.
An increase in students undertaking social work has also placed
burdens on the numbers and types of placements available.
This is of major concern and puts an added burden
on the team they join on qualifying, many of which are already
under resourced and over stretched. As an employer, we cannot
be confident about the abilities and knowledge of new social workers.
We therefore assess the competence of each new member of staff
and provide a range of in-service training for our recruits (for
example on communicating with children and therapeutic skills).
We have to date been in the fortunate position of being able to
do so but this should not be necessary.
22. The experience of having to make sense
of legislation, understand the guidance and then apply it in writing
a report for a court or a foster panel is one that should not
be left until someone is qualified; this is too late.
23. There was a move in the 1990s to raise
the quality and consistency of practice placements and to work
towards ensuring that all practice teachers had undergone a recognised
programme of training and some form of accreditation in order
to set out some minimum expectations for placements.
24. However this emphasis on quality has
been lost because of the difficulty meeting the increased demand
for placements, the move to the new degree, vacancy rates and
increased workloads. The quality of the practice teacher therefore
becomes more variable and work pressures mean practice teachers
may not have the same time to focus on enabling and enhancing
a students learning.10
25. Our experience tells us that there are
also issues about courses not being prepared to fail students.
Our practice teachers have on occasion advocated that a student
should not be allowed to progress but have come under pressure
to pass them. It has been suggested that the NSPCC expects too
much.
26. A separate issue is the use of social
workers qualified from overseas. We welcome the proposals set
out by the Secretary of State in the Action Plan for ensuring
that overseas workers meet basic skill requirements and to be
able to participate in the Newly Qualified Social Workers.
POST-QUALIFYING
TRAINING AND
CAREER PATHS
27. Collins in his study on stress commented
that "statutory social work organisations obviously need
to care for, value and recognise workers also by providing regular,
well informed, sensitive supervision emphasising care and appropriate
autonomy, rather than an excessive focus on standard setting,
or `inquisition', whilst also providing appropriate advice and
clear information about agency procedures, policies and practices
... All these elements combine together to enhance support opportunities
and better coping strategies for social workers. It is in such
circumstances, along with the absolutely prerequisite provision
of essential resources and manageable workloads, that social workers
can thrive and develop positively".
The provision of good quality supervision that addresses
the above issues is essential. In an in house survey of NSPCC
representatives on LSCBs a number commented that supervision of
front line staff was often found to be inadequate:
— "Quality of supervision, analysis
and professional judgement is variable across agencies but [of
a] markedly poor standard at frontline social worker level."
— "... above all, reflective professional
supervision on a regular basis, and consultation with other skilled,
knowledgeable professionals [is required to safeguard children].
Very few local authority social workers, in my experience,
have access to these."
28. CWDC are running a pilot on supervision
as part of the NQSW programme and this is welcome. Early indications
suggest it is proving to be beneficial.
29. The post-qualifying (PQ) framework for
social workers has been reshaped in recent years with new qualifications
being introduced and universities given lead responsibility for
provision. However, the take-up of these programmes is variable,
with employers struggling to release and support staff to attend
and funds not always being available to enable participation.
30. The PQ framework needs strengthening,
and without funding it cannot operate effectively. To maintain
registration, social workers are required to undertake 15 days
of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) over three years;
yet there is no process for assuring the quality or relevance
of the training undertaken. The NSPCC would like to see a requirement
for social workers to demonstrate that they have refreshed and
updated their knowledge of child protection as a condition of
maintaining their registration.
31. Learning on the job is one key element
of staff development. The NSPCC is therefore concerned about the
actual spend on training and learning. Recent findings from the
"Learn to Care" survey11 on social care workforce expenditure
found that, "There is a clear mis-match between last year's
expectations and this year's reality for the retention of workforce
grants in both adult and children's sectors. In last year's [2007]
survey, about 7 in 10 `Learn to Care' members estimated they
would be able to retain all of their workforce development grants.
In this year's survey, just 2 in 10 members actually secured all
the National Training Strategy and Human Resources Development
grants ..." The actual figures for 2007-08 show that,
"the children's sector was able to retain an average of
just 30% of their National Training Strategy Grant and 30% of
the Human Resources Development Strategy Grant for workforce development
in social care". The allocated funding needs to be used
for its original purpose.
32. There has to date been little in the
way of a career pathway that encourages social workers to stay
at the front line. We therefore welcome the creation of the Advanced
Social Work Professional role, announced by the Government on
March 12, 2009.1
REFERENCES
1 The
Protection of Children in England: action plan The Governments
response to Lord Laming DCSF April 2009: available at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0085
2 Curtis, Moriarty and Netten (2009) The Expected
Working Life of a Social Worker. British Journal of Social
Work pp 1-16.
3 Coffey, M, Dugdill, L and Tattersall, A (2004)
"Research note: Stress in social services: Mental well-being,
constraints and job satisfaction", British Journal of
Social Work, 34(5), pp 735-47.
4 Collins Statutory Social Workers: Stress, Job
Satisfaction, Coping, Social Support and Individual Differences
British Journal of Social Work (2008) 38, 1173-1193.
5 Parker, J & Whitfield, J (2006) Linking
Practice Learning and the Recruitment and Retention of Staff,
unpublished research report, University of Hull.
6 Currer C (2008) Assessing Student Social Workers'
Professional Suitability: Comparing University Procedures in
England. British Journal of Social Work (p 1-18).
7 Cleary (2008) Value Based Interviewing: Report
into the development and evaluation of the effectiveness of a
value based interviewing method used in recruitment and selection
of individuals to work with children and young people, NSPCC.
8 http://www.gtcs.org.uk/Probation/probation.aspx
9 Committee on the Rights of the Child 49th Session
Concluding Observations UK Oct 2008 CRC/C/GBR/CO/4.
10 Parker J Developing Effective Practice Learning
for Tomorrow's Social Workers. Social Work Education Vol
26, No 8, December 2007.
11 Local government social care workforce development
expenditure: a survey of trends and
funding (2008)—Learn to Care 2009.
May 2009
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