“A better qualified social work workforce will be good for social workers’ professional development, for employers and for service users and this is the underlying principle of the post-qualifying framework for social workers. With the new degree and also the requirement for post-registration training and learning, post-qualifying awards are a major part of improving the training and quality of social work.

“Following extensive consultation on the review of the post-qualifying (PQ) framework, the GSCC’s Council is preparing to make some key decisions on the future of PQ training.

“After full and fair consultations in September 2003 and May 2004, the GSCC has agreed on a set of principles and the structure of the new post-qualifying framework. We have approached the review in a staged process, starting with the principles of the new framework, the structure and now the details of the new framework. There has been wide support for the review and 70 per cent of respondents to the consultation supported the proposed changes.

“The review has involved dialogue with various groups including employers, universities, the post-qualifying consortia, services users and carers. During the review of the framework, the GSCC has been committed to consulting with stakeholders on a wide range of issues and through a process of robust discussion and debate we believe that we have addressed all the fundamental issues raised during the course of the review.

“The proposed framework is designed to consolidate social workers’ initial competence in the workplace and help them continue their learning through to gaining one of the new graduate diplomas. The new framework will help encourage social workers to build up their professional skills.”

“The GSCC has been through an extensive process of listening to all stakeholders and discussing the framework. This has helped us develop an approach that has been backed by 70 per cent of the respondents. Following the Council’s final decisions on 27 September, we look forward to working with our stakeholders on implementation.”