General Social Care Council Submission to the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee inquiry into training of Children and Families Social Workers.

 

Introduction

 

About the General Social Care Council (GSCC)

 

1. The General Social Care Council is the social care workforce regulator for England. The GSCC is a Non Departmental Public Body established in October 2001 under the Care Standards Act 2000. It is sponsored by the Department of Health (DH) but also works closely with the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in delivering the children's and young people's care agenda.

 

2. The GSCC works to improve the quality of social care services for the benefit of people who use services through regulation of the workforce and through its contribution to social work education. It has three main functions:

 

· It issues and distributes codes of practice for social care workers and their employers;

· It maintains the register of social care workers; and

· It regulates social work education and training.

 

Entry routes to the profession:

 

Are entry routes to social work sufficiently flexible to encourage mature entrants, re-entrants and people considering a career change?

 

3. In order to practise as social worker it is a legal requirement to be registered with the GSCC. The GSCC, therefore, operates a gateway to the profession and has been tasked with doing so in order to ensure that quality standards are consistent across the workforce. It sets the minimum level entry requirements for practising social workers, including a requirement to hold a recognised qualification.

 

4. The vast majority of those registered with the GSCC have a social work qualification which pre-dates the introduction of the Social Work Degree. Any previously qualified social worker who is no longer practising will be required to register with the GSCC before returning to work. However, it is not necessary for previously qualified social workers to re-qualify before registering with the GSCC. The GSCC registers those social workers who have attained any of the predecessor social work qualifications dating back to 1971 when the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW) started to regulate social work training.

 

5. Given the concerns about the retention of experienced social workers the GSCC welcomes the recent initiatives announced by the Local Government Association and the DCSF to encourage experienced social workers to return to the profession.[1] It will be important for employers to ensure that any returning social worker is familiar with the significant changes in policy and practice in children's and families social work.

 

6. In terms of encouraging people who wish to change their career to become a social worker, it is possible for those holding an undergraduate degree or equivalent level qualification to enter onto the two year social work masters degree. As with undergraduate students, a bursary is available to assist with the cost of studying. This provides flexibility for graduates from other backgrounds who wish to switch to social work and currently 24 per cent of social work students are enrolled on the masters degree in England.[2] Within this group of students there is a very low withdrawal and failure rate.[3]

 

7. Mature students are also well represented on the current degree and those over the age of 25 accounted for 61 per cent of the total intake into the social work degree in 2007-08.[4]

 

8. Employers currently provide a number of schemes to support those already working in social care to qualify as social workers. These include providing employment based routes to a social work qualification, where employers support students through the payment of fees and/or fund their study time. In 2006-07 10 per cent of students who registered on the social work degree entered through an employment based route.[5] Funding is provided to local authorities by central government to support these schemes; this allocation is split between adults and children's social workers although it is not currently ring fenced.

 

9. There is some evidence that the number of people entering the Social Work Degree through flexible study routes, including those studying part time, - which is currently 8 per cent of Social Work students - has declined since the Degree was introduced.[6] This is likely to be because of the recent changes to the funding allocations for social work training to local authorities. The recent DCSF initiative to fund local authorities to provide 200 social work qualifying training places will, however, help to improve access to the degree.

 

10. The GSCC is working closely with the Children's Workforce Development Council, which is looking at employment-based routes to achieve the social work degree. It will be particularly important that new routes deliver the same standard of academic and practice preparation as the university-based degree.

 

Structure of training

 

Is a three year bachelor's degree/two year master's degree the right format and level for initial social work training?

 

11. Before the introduction of the bachelor degree the previous professional qualification in social work was the Diploma in Social Work (DipSW) which was a two year qualification at sub-degree level. The introduction of a degree level qualification in 2003-4 was accompanied by the introduction of mandatory professional registration with the GSCC in 2005 and has substantially improved the status of the profession. The number of enrolments on the degree has increased substantially (up 38 per cent over the past decade) compared to the DipSW.[7] The degree entry requirements which stipulate numeracy and literacy standards have also meant that the proportion of people training to be social workers who have A-levels has also increased.[8]

 

Content of initial training:

 

Is the generic social work degree fit for the purpose of training children and families social workers?

 

The structure and content of the Social Work Degree:

 

12. The current Social Work Degree is not underpinned by an agreed curriculum. Instead course providers are asked to demonstrate to the GSCC that their curriculum meets a set of outcomes and standards which are derived from three main sources - the Department of Health's requirement for the degree; the National Occupational Standards, developed by the Sector Skills Council; and the Quality Assurance Agency Benchmark Statement for Social Work. Taken together these documents establish, amongst other things, the entry requirements for students entering onto the degree, the requirement for all social work students to undertake 200 days of practice learning, as well as the training, learning and assessment requirements for all courses.

 

13. The content of the social work degree is, therefore, the responsibility of a number of different bodies. The GSCC is responsible for approving social work courses on the basis that they meet these requirements and it provides a further function by assessing HEIs' (Higher Education Institution) own quality assurance systems.

 

Evidence on performance of the social work degree

 

14. The Social Work Degree is still relatively new and it has only recently been possible to gain an understanding of the impact that it has had on the quality of training received by social work students and whether it can be considered fit for purpose.

 

15. In seeking to establish the efficacy of the generic degree in terms of training children and families social workers, it is important for the Committee to understand the government's original intention. From its inception, it was intended that the introduction of a degree level generic qualification for social work would assess students according to the following attributes^[9]:

 

· The practical application of skills, knowledge, research and analytical abilities to deliver services which create opportunities for users;

· The ability to reflect social work values in their practice;

· The ability to manage change and deliver required outcomes;

· The ability to communicate with users and carers of all ages and from all sections of the community;

· The practical application of social work theory;

· The ability to function effectively and confidently in multi-disciplinary and multi-agency teams.

 

16. The Department of Health funded an evaluation of the degree which was undertaken by Kings College, London and this was published in 2008^[10]. In broad terms the evaluation reported that the degree is delivering according to the national standards and requirements. Course providers were found to be producing graduates ready to practice at the minimum level of competence with a perception from programme staff of an increase in the academic and practice standards of students compared to those who took the DipSW. The results of the evaluation indicate that the degree has produced more analytical and critical students who have acquired these skills from both the classroom-based and practice learning elements of the course^[11].

 

17. The DH evaluation also found that employers welcomed the fact that the initial training for social workers was set at degree level. However, the study concluded that that it was too early to assess whether the needs and expectations of employers were being met through initial training as the first cohort of degree qualified social workers had only been in the workforce for a short time.

 

18. In 2008, the GSCC published its own audit of the degree to establish whether social work education for children's social work was fit for purpose. ^[12] The study covered six universities and their employer partners and found that the teaching of children's social work was being adequately addressed in the curriculum offered by assessed universities. However, the study also revealed that the depth of understanding attained by Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) was variable and that most respondents thought that additional training through a Post Qualifying award was necessary to provide the social worker with the full skill-set. A key finding of the report was that some of the concerns about the content and quality of children's social work teaching were unfounded.

 

19. In 2007, Bournemouth University published research which tracked NQSWs over a year^[13]. Eight local authorities and 35 NQSWs participated in the study. Three-quarters of the NQSWs and their managers felt the degree had prepared them with the right skills, knowledge and understanding for their current post. For those who did not feel prepared this was mainly in the area of assessment, report writing, record keeping, time and case management. Nearly all the NQSWs questioned felt that their practice placements during their initial training had been the element of their course that had prepared them most for the social work tasks in their first role.

 

20. The Children's Workforce Development Council has also conducted a consultation with employers and NQSWs to ascertain their views of the degree. Around two-thirds of the 291 NQSW respondents had social work degrees and over a third had two or more practice placements in children's social work while on the degree. The survey showed that those NQSWs with more experience of children's social care practice, either before, during or post qualification, scored themselves as having higher levels of effectiveness. NQSWs with an undergraduate degree rated themselves marginally more confident in practice than postgraduates.

 

21. In the light of this evidence it is possible to conclude that the Social Work Degree has achieved its initial objectives in terms of the goals established by Government. However, the GSCC recognises that there is increasing concern amongst some employers and NQSWs about whether the degree is equipping students with the right levels of initial training to meet the current demands placed on them in the workplace.

 

22. Whilst it is wrong to expect that any form of initial training for any profession will equip an individual with the skills to undertake highly complex tasks from day one, the GSCC would support a review of the current requirements of the degree to assess whether they match the current expectations of government and employers. The GSCC also considers that an agreed core curriculum for social work training should be developed to give greater clarity to universities, employers and students about what will be taught. A common curriculum would provide a clearer standard against which to judge the performance of Higher Education Institutions. It would also provide greater assurance to employers about the types of knowledge and skills attained by Newly Qualified Social Workers.

 

Specialisation within the Social Work Degree:

 

23. The original intention behind the degree was that it should provide all social workers with a generic understanding of the legal and theoretical approach to social work practice and that it should encompass aspects of working with both children and adults. From the perspective of this inquiry such broad level training is critical for future children's social workers, as a central component of child neglect and abuse is often family breakdown or alcohol or drug abuse amongst parents and family members. Conversely, it is also essential that social workers in adult services should have a basic understanding of social work with children and families if they are to contribute to the outcomes set out in "Every Child Matters".

 

24. The current degree framework was established in order to provide opportunities for specialisation at post qualifying level. However, whilst it is possible for student social workers to develop a level of specialisation through the settings in which they undertake their practice placements, there is no requirement on HEIs to tailor their course structure to cater for those who wish to work with particular groups of people or in specific settings.

 

25. While the GSCC supports the continuation of generic training for all social workers, any review of the requirements of the social work degree or the development of a common national curriculum should, therefore, look at providing greater opportunities for specialisation so that both future adults and children's social workers can begin to gain the skills and experience appropriate to their roles earlier in their initial training.

 

26. These pathways for specialisation should be available for those wishing to work specifically with children and families, as well as those who wish to work in mental health settings or with older or disabled people. The final year assessment of student social workers should be linked to their displayed competencies whilst working with specific groups. This would give the current degree a greater focus on professional and vocational training and would provide employers with a better understanding of the skills, experience and training of NQSWs when they enter the workplace. It is important, however, that any moves towards greater specialisation during the degree programme are not seen as a substitute for providing NQSWs with additional specialist training and supervision during their first years in work.

 

Quality of Training

 

How effectively does the GSCC regulate the quality of training?

 

27. The GSCC currently employs a delegated model of regulation which gives responsibility for monitoring quality standards to universities. This approach was agreed with government when the Social Work Degree was introduced in 2003. There are two key aspects to our regulatory function in this area:

 

· initial approval and re-approval of the degree and;

· annual monitoring of the quality assurance function of HEIs

 

28. The GSCC initially approves Higher Education Institutions to deliver the Social Work Degree. Before granting programme approval, which relates to individual courses, the GSCC assesses the proposals against the Department of Health requirements for the Degree, the National Occupational Standards and the QAA benchmark statement. Each provider is assessed every five years to determine whether the course should again be approved by the GSCC. These approval assessments may involve visits to the university by GSCC inspectors and by people who use services who are recruited by the GSCC.

 

29. This re-approval cycle allows GSCC to intervene to identify HEIs which are not delivering the degree to the appropriate standard. In 2007-08 conditions for re-approval were set in 70 per cent of cases, either requiring action to be taken before the courses could be re-approved or asking for evidence of improvements to be provided to the GSCC through annual monitoring. In most cases, action to address issues of quality was taken promptly by universities working with the GSCC and re-approval was granted to all but one HEI. In this particular instance the HEI agreed to suspend its undergraduate intake for 2008-09. The key concern here related to the partnership with the local employers and the inadequacy of practice learning places.

 

30. Under the annual monitoring programme, the GSCC examines the HEI's own quality assurance systems to establish how they are performing. HEIs are required to report annually to the GSCC to demonstrate that they are continuing to meet the criteria against which they were approved to deliver the Social Work degree. These reports also ask for information on the number of students enrolled on the degree, the sufficiency and quality of practice learning and the evaluation that they have received from students. In making judgments on the annual performance of HEIs the GSCC also takes into account the reports of external examiners and any concerns raised by stakeholders. Inspections are only carried out where serious concerns arise that requirements and standards of education and training are not being met.

 

31. In 2007-08, 75 per cent of HEIs were judged by the GSCC to be providing evidence of well-run courses, managing resources satisfactorily against the criteria and requirements and providing confidence that the institution's own quality assurance and monitoring processes are working effectively. Of the remainder, 15 per cent (12) of courses were considered satisfactory in most respects but there was concern that at least one area of provision needed attention. A GSCC inspector worked with each of the 12 universities over 2008-09 to ensure that these areas were addressed. In the other 10 per cent (nine) of courses an assessment of the annual monitoring reports led to the conclusion that at least one or more requirement was not being met in some way. In each case the HEI has been required to set out a satisfactory action plan to deliver improvements. This will be monitored and delivered according to agreed timescales.

 

32. Where concerns are identified the GSCC's approach is to work collaboratively with the HEI to assist them in addressing the identified concerns. While the GSCC retains the right to withdraw approval to provide the degree and we would take that action where necessary, our approach is designed to support improvement to meet the required standards to ensure the impact of quality concerns on existing students is minimized.

 

33. The GSCC considers that the current regulatory framework for Social Work Education and Training should be reviewed in order to ensure that high quality training is delivered to all social work students. We commenced work on this in March 2008 and provided initial advice to government in November last year about the changes we could make to strengthen the regulation of the degree. Before moving forward on these issues it will be important to learn more about the government's intentions in relation to Social Work Education following the final report of the Social Work Taskforce.

 

34. There are a number of weaknesses with the current system which we have identified and would like to address. These are:

 

· The current arrangements for the delegation of the assessment of quality to HEIs means that there is little opportunity to assess fully the extent to which HEIs are preparing social workers for professional practice;

 

· The fact that little information about the assessed quality of a course is provided to prospective students or to local employers means that there are no 'market' based incentives to drive up quality; and

 

· The fact that the provision of the Social Work Degree is assessed against a set of high level output statements means that the benchmark against which quality is measured is poorly defined.

 

35. In addition to recommending to government that a common curriculum for social work training is developed we have also considered introducing the following measures:

 

· Introducing targeted and sample visits to courses to meet the programme management board, lecturers, students, people who use services and employers involved in the partnership should take place as agreed. This may include observation of teaching and visits to placements as necessary;

 

· Introducing mechanisms to gain feedback from NQSWs and their employers one year into employment on how their training prepared them for practice; and

 

· Publishing annual monitoring reports from universities to ensure that students are better informed.

 

How can the quality, suitability and supply of practice placements be assured?

 

36. The DH requirements for the Social Work Degree state that each student must:

 

· Undertake a minimum of 200 days practice learning during their course;

· Have experience in at least two practice settings, working with at least two different types of people who use services and carers;

· Have experience of statutory social work tasks involving legal interventions; and

^· Be assessed as competent and safe to practise by a qualified and experienced social worker. ^[14]

 

37. Practice placements account for 50 per cent of student time on the degree and are essential in preparing students to be ready to enter the workforce. It is the responsibility of HEIs to ensure that practice learning opportunities are of a good quality and that there are sufficient numbers of appropriate practice educators to support and assess students in their placements. In addition to the GSCC's criteria, rules and requirements, HEIs must comply with the QAA's best practice guidance on the provision and monitoring of work-based learning.

 

38. The GSCC administers DH funding to HEIs to support practice learning. In 2007-08 this amounted to £20.5m which was passed on to HEIs. In 2006-07 there were 12,698 practice learning opportunities undertaken by social work students which indicates the scale of the task in ensuring the right supply of suitable, high quality placements. The majority of placements take place in local authorities (48.4 per cent); 24.4 per cent in a voluntary agency; 5 per cent in a private agency; 3.7 per cent in health and 2.8 per cent in education.

 

39. The GSCC has received anecdotal evidence that the availability of statutory placement settings is reducing and that this is affecting both the quality of placement experience and students' learning. The DCSF and CWDC are concerned about both the supply and quality of placement provision, especially statutory placements, which are seen as an important element in ensuring students are 'fit for practice'. Recently concerns have been raised from the sector that since the removal of a Key Performance Indicator (KPI), for local authorities which measured the availability and quality of practice learning it has become increasingly difficult to find good quality statutory placements. However, the GSCC has no evidence to establish a correlation between this KPI being withdrawn and reduced numbers of appropriate placements.

 

40. In response to these concerns the GSCC in partnership with SfC/CWDC Partnership Board facilitated three national workshops with HEIs and employers on statutory placements in 2008. The key findings from these events were:

 

· The need for a clearer definition of what constitutes a 'statutory placement';

· The need for the statutory placement to be a prescribed number of days; and;

· A decision to be taken as to whether the statutory placement should be the final placement.

 

41. The DH commissioned evaluation of the SWD presents evidence that 78 per cent of students in the survey rated their placement as excellent, very good or good. This independent research is consistent with the GSCC's findings over several years of annual monitoring of HEIs. However the research also reported the following negative findings:

 

· That not all agencies could offer a useful range of work experience;

· That the quality of assessment was variable; and

· That some students felt they received inadequate support and supervision during their placement.

 

42. The GSCC's annual monitoring of HEIs in 2006-07 revealed that a large majority of programmes were judged by universities to be adequate in meeting practice learning quality standards. However, these judgments of quality are primarily based on HEIs' own monitoring of their placement provision, taking into account the views of students. Only 82 placements were reported by HEIs as not meeting their own quality standards, a remarkably small number out of the 11,500 placements provided that year.

 

43. This evidence reveals a need to introduce consistency in terms of how the quality of placements is assessed. The GSCC has been involved in developing a national benchmark tool the Quality Assurance of Practice Learning (QAPL), which can be used to audit the quality of all placements against a set of common standards. An electronic audit and evaluation tool has been piloted and distributed to all HEIs. Depending on how useful this tool is seen to be, the GSCC will consider requiring HEIs to use this as a measure when they report on the quality of practice placements.

 

44. The availability of practice placements can also be managed better through the greater use of IT data management systems. Skills for Care is currently developing a web-based system (LeaRNS) which will allow HEIs and employers to plan better the availability of practice placements. It is intended that this system should be rolled out in September 2009.

 

45. The most important factor in developing high quality practice placements is the relationship between HEIs and employers. The GSCC would, therefore, like to see a formal requirement introduced for local partnerships to be established between HEIs and employers to ensure that appropriate and high quality placements are available for all students.

 

How can the quality, suitability and take-up of post-qualifying training be assured?

 

Post-Qualifying Framework

 

46. The GSCC is responsible for regulating the structure of Post Qualifying Courses for Social Workers. This is known as the 'Post-Qualification (PQ) framework'. The PQ framework is the structure through which the GSCC sets the standards and requirements for post qualification training for social workers, sets criteria for such courses, endorses those that meet the GSCC's requirements and regulates HEIs' delivery of these courses. Inter-Professional Education is a key principle within the framework and joint courses are likely to take place between professional groups. This framework consists of three academic levels:

 

· the post-qualifying award in specialist social work (Hons degree or Graduate Diploma - H level).

· the post-qualifying award in higher specialist social work (Post Graduate Diploma - M level).

· the post-qualifying award in advanced social work (Minimum Level M - Masters).

 

47. Courses can be in five different areas of practice. These are:

 

· Children and young people, their families and carers;

· Leadership and management;

· Practice education;

· Social work in mental health services; and

· Social work with adults.

 

48. The process through which the GSCC quality assures courses under the PQ framework broadly replicates that for the social work degree, although there are some differences.

 

49. PQ programmes are required to appoint at least one external examiner who has a GSCC recognised social work qualification. Annual monitoring of programmes includes scrutiny of reports by these external examiners, which universities must provide to the GSCC together with copies of university responses and, where appropriate, information on subsequent actions. The GSCC will publish these reports in summary form.

 

50. On an annual basis, universities responsible for approved courses are required to supply copies of any internal evaluations of course quality. They are also required to monitor stakeholder views about programme quality and to make the results of these stakeholder monitoring exercises available to the GSCC if asked for.

 

51. All PQ programmes are to be reviewed on a five-year cycle and reviews will formally confirm re-approval of programmes. These reviews will involve visits by officers of the GSCC and/or independent visitors appointed by the GSCC for this purpose. Reviews will always involve opportunities for stakeholders to provide their views on the quality and fitness for purpose of PQ programmes.

 

52. Courses may be inspected at any time if there is evidence that indicates that an inspection process should be triggered. The specific triggers for inspection are those laid down in the regulations governing the degree in social work. Inspection visits are to be carried out by a panel consisting of officers of the GSCC and independent visitors

 

53. Two hundred and forty-two PQ courses have been approved at 53 universities under the new framework since 2007. By far the most popular provision of courses is in the children and young people specialism, with courses in this specialism representing 36.8 per cent of the total available. Our most up to date figures show that 4,747 students have enrolled on the new PQ courses, with 2,296 (48 per cent) enrolling on the Children, Young People, their Families and their Carers award. The intake balance correlates well with the provision of available courses, demonstrating that universities are reacting well to employer demand in this area.

 

54. In terms of ensuring that children and families social workers have access to PQ training the issue of resources is key. Available evidence indicates that funds notionally allocated to local authorities to support training for social workers is often not spent on the intended purpose but is utilised to meet other spending pressures.^[15] The GSCC would support any initiative to protect this funding through ring-fencing training allocations to local authorities.

 

55. The government has endorsed the recommendation made by Lord Laming that a practice-based programme Masters programme for social workers should be developed for experienced children's social workers. Given that there is already a work-based route to both a post-graduate certificate and a master's level qualification in specialist children and families social work provided by the new PQ framework, the GSCC considers that the PQ framework should be the basis for developing this route to master's level qualifications for all children's social workers.

 

56. The current PQ award for children covers a broad range of children's issues. If there is a perceived need for a further specialist PQ award in safeguarding in its own right then this could be developed within the PQ framework as it stands. We will also consider if it is necessary to strengthen this syllabus to include two new awards on safeguarding either children or both children and vulnerable adults and on forensic social work.

 

Post Registration Training and Learning Requirements (PRTL)

 

57. A further way in which the take up of Post Qualifying Training can be assured is through making this a condition of an individual social worker's registration with the GSCC. Currently, each registered social worker must undertake a set amount of Post Registration Training and Learning activities (PRTL). The requirement is to undertake either 90 hours or 15 days of study, training, courses, seminars, reading, teaching or other activities which could reasonably be expected to advance the social worker's professional development, or contribute to the development of the profession as a whole.

 

58. Although the GSCC has issued guidance on this requirement, the GSCC has thus far avoided being prescriptive with respect to the content of the training and learning activities. Instead, we have placed the onus on registrants and their employers to identify relevant and beneficial training and learning.

 

59. In 2008, the GSCC conducted a review of these requirements and found that PRTL was generally regarded as 'fit for purpose' by stakeholders, although it was recommended that the GSCC should work with government to consider introducing a number of possible changes. Amongst the most significant of these proposals was that there should be a requirement that a minimum of 45 of the 90 hours should consist of formal and independently assessed learning and that registrants should be asked to indicate how the learning activity they have undertaken has contributed to their ability to understand and meet the needs of people who use services. Another proposal for consideration was that every registrant should be required to complete particular sets of training activities or areas of study during each three year registration period; and that Post-Qualifying courses should be compulsory at certain points in a social worker's career.

 

60. It is the GSCC's view that no social worker should be allowed to undertake complex child protection cases until they have obtained the specialist PQ for social work with children and families. We are considering whether to introduce a change to the way we register social workers to make it mandatory for newly qualified social workers to achieve a specialist-level post qualifying award in their first years of practice. In the light of the findings of the Social Work Taskforce we will consider whether we should consult on potential amendments to the registration requirements for social workers to achieve this aim.

 

61. A number of key issues need to be considered before any changes to the registration requirements for social workers can be implemented. If more prescriptive training requirements are introduced it will be necessary for these to be fully costed in terms of their impact on government, employers and registrants. Employer support here is crucial as the ability of registrants to meet any more stringent PRTL requirements will be heavily dependent on being granted time off to complete training modules.

 

Codes of Practice for Employers of Social Workers.

 

62. One way in which the responsibilities of employers can be made clearer is through making the GSCC Code of Practice for Employers mandatory and enforceable. This Code requires employers, amongst other things, to "provide training and development opportunities to enable social care workers to strengthen and develop their skills and knowledge". However, the GSCC has no means of enforcing adherence to this code. Thus, whilst the GSCC has helped to develop and regulates the provision of high-quality post-qualification training through the PQ framework, it cannot compel employers to support social workers to undertake this training.

 

63. The GSCC, therefore, strongly welcomes the commitment by the government to "legislate at the earliest opportunity to" place the Codes on a statutory footing. GSCC considers that the number of social workers who undertake some form of Post Qualifying training award would substantially increase if the formal responsibility of employers to support training was made clearer, together with the ring fencing of training funds to local authorities.

 

How well are social workers trained to deliver front-line supervision?

 

64. One mechanism for providing training to social workers to deliver improved front-line supervision is through the PQ framework. Within this the GSCC sets out generic criteria that all approved courses must meet at each of the three academic levels - specialist, higher specialist and advanced - no matter the area of practice the course covers. In addition to a range of other criteria, in order to satisfy approval requirements at higher specialist level programmes need to show how they will enable qualified social workers to:

 

"Support, mentor, supervise or manage others, exercising practice, research, management or educational leadership to enable them to identify and explore issues and improve their own practice".

 

65. As the creation of this framework is a recent innovation (2006), it has not yet been possible to undertake any assessment of whether these awards are providing a sufficient level of training in front-line supervision.

 

66. The government's commitment to the development of a national Newly Qualified Social Work programme is a welcome development that will help to ensure that social workers receive the support they require in the initial period of their career after graduation, and which will include guaranteed supervision. However it is important that the NQSW programme is not regarded as an alternative to undertaking courses delivered through the PQ framework. It is essential that social workers receive both extra support in the earlier part of their career and ongoing access to high quality post-graduate training.

 

General Social Care Council

May 2009

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[1] Community Care 3^rd March - 2009 'LGA and Ed Balls bid to lure back ex-children's social workers' http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/03/03/110871/lga-and-ed-balls-bid-to-lure-back-ex-childrens-social-workers.html

[2] General Social Care Council - Social Work Education in England 2007-08 p.3

[3] Department of Health 'Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree Qualification in England - Executive Summary p.9' June 2008

[4] General Social Care Council - Social Work Education in England 2007-08 p.4

[5] Jess Harris, Jill Manthorpe and Shereen Hussein: What works in 'Grow Your Own' initiatives for social work? Kings College, London 2008. p.19

[6] Jess Harris, Jill Manthorpe and Shereen Hussein: What works in 'Grow Your Own' initiatives for social work? Kings College, London 2008. p.18

[7] Department of Health 'Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree Qualification in England - Executive Summary p.6' June 2008

[8] Department of Health 'Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree Qualification in England - Executive Summary p.9' June 2008

[9] Department of Health (2003) Tender Document for the Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree. London: Department of Health.

[10] Department of Health (2008) Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree Qualification in England, London

[11] Saks, M (2009) The Regulation of Social Work Education. Internal GSCC report.

[12] Blewitt, J & Tunstill, J. (2008) Fit for Purpose? The Social Work Degree in 2008. GSCC: London

[13] Brown, K. et al (2007) Tracking the learning and development needs of newly qualified social workers project, Final report for Skills for Care South West, Bournemouth University

[14] Department of Health (2002) Requirements for social work training

[15] Local government social care workforce development expenditure: a survey of trends and funding (Learn to Care, 2008)