Employers have called on universities to do more to involve them in preparing social work students for practice, in new research published today by the General Social Care Council (GSCC).
The report represents the views of a group of six Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and employers and provides a snapshot of current policy and practice around the social work degree programme, looking particularly at children’s social work. A key finding of the report is that, whilst good practice exists, some Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are not doing enough to forge partnerships with the employers that take on their students after graduation. Many managers were keen to go into colleges and provide training but were rarely asked to do so. They also expressed a desire to be involved in the selection of students for degree places.
Partnership work was seen to be key to addressing some of the other issues raised in the report, such as the quality and availability of practice placements and support available to newly qualified social workers once they enter the workplace. The report is one of a number looking at social work education and training to build up a picture of the experience of newly qualified social workers. The DCSF and the DH are working closely with the GSCC, Skills for Care and Children’s Workforce Development Council and others to build a framework to support social workers new to their role.
Those who took part in the research said that course providers are enthusiastically engaging with the current change agenda in children’s services and are incorporating the necessary teaching of all aspects into the curriculum. However, the report found widespread disapproval of the common practice of giving newly qualified social large numbers of child protection cases, which led to burn out and exacerbated current issues around recruitment and retention of social work staff.
Mike Wardle, Chief Executive of the General Social Care Council (GSCC), said: “This independent report is a useful contribution to the body of evidence being collated through a number of studies currently underway on the experience of newly qualified social workers. It provides a useful snapshot of the current policy and practice related the social work degree and an insight into the views of universities and employers. Building a skilled and competent workforce is reliant on a range of factors. Strong partnerships between employers and education providers are key to solving many of the issues raised in this report, such as practice placements and support for newly qualified social workers. Good practice certainly exists but it must be adopted by all involved in social work education and training if we are to produce graduates who are fully equipped and ready for the challenge of social work in practice.
The degree has delivered improvement in the short time it has been in existence, but as social work continues to change at such a pace we must make sure the education and training system keeps up. We look forward to working with everyone involved in training and education to ensure that the degree and the post-qualifying training and support system provide secure foundations for a world-class social work workforce.”