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Key Specialist Area -
Social Work

Social work can be a rewarding, challenging and demanding career, which requires the practitioner to form careful professional judgements that can make a significant difference in people's lives. Excellent social workers are vital to protecting children and young people from harm. Social workers also have a key role in working with other practitioners to support vulnerable children and young people.

Social workers work in a large range of settings with children/young people and families/carers. The most high-profile is child protection work, mainly in local authorities, but there are lots of other social work services, many provided in the Voluntary and Community sector (VCS).

Social work requires a professional qualification - currently a three-year undergraduate honours degree or a two-year master's degree in Social Work that has been approved by the General Social Care Council (GSCC).

Entry to the degree course is open to people of all ages, from school-leavers onwards. There are more than 80 English universities and colleges offering a variety of programmes. Go to: www.gscc.org.uk/Become+a+social+worker.
 
The course has strong practical content with at least 200 days learning in practice within social work organisations in different aspects of social work. To achieve the qualification as a social worker you will have to meet the requirements set out in five core statements, demonstrate competence in five core skills and achieve passes in six areas of learning and assessment (described as key roles). Go to: www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/statements/socialwork08.asp

These are underpinned by National Occupational Standards for Social Work; go to: www.skillsforcare.org.uk

Professional registration

As a student social worker, and once qualified, you will be required to register with the GSCC in order to use the title ‘social worker'. Once registered it is your responsibility, supported by your employer, to maintain Continuing Professional Development (CPD) or Post-registration Training & Learning (PRTL). This will involve keeping a portfolio of learning and development relevant to your social work practice.

Social workers are required to go through a process of re-registration every three years. For more information go to: www.gscc.org.uk.

Post-qualifying awards in social work

Once qualified as a social worker you can study for a university or college post-qualifying award which has been approved by the GSCC. These awards are at three academic levels - specialist, higher specialist, and advanced - allowing you to progress in a logical way as you continue your studies. You can also choose courses from 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.

Go to: www.gscc.org.uk/Training+and+learning/Continuing+your+training/Post-qualifying+training

Find out more about what social work is like

You should take as many opportunities as possible to find out more from social workers and their managers. It will help if you:

• talk to colleagues and contacts in your area;
• visit job fairs - e.g. Community Care Live - www.communitycare.co.uk
• Compass Jobs Fair - www.compassjobsfair.com; and
• contact British Association of Social Workers (BASW) - www.basw.co.uk.

Thinking about financing your way through the qualification? Once accepted onto an approved course, students may be eligible for a bursary, in addition to tuition fees and an allowance for practice placement costs. Eligibility will be assessed according to published criteria. For more information go to: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Students.aspx

Where next? The Government has established a review of social work which will report in October 2009. It has a remit to bring about improvements in the way social workers are recruited, trained and supported to work with children and families in England. This includes:

• reforming initial social work training;
• driving improvements in the quality of professional practice;
• attracting and retaining the brightest and best people to work in social work; and
• strengthening the delivery system, which supports and challenges social workers.

 The Government has begun to:

• work with employers to develop ‘Grow Your Own' schemes;
• establish pilots for Newly Qualified Social Worker schemes providing enhanced support and early professional development (EPD) as social workers move into their second and third years of qualified practice;
• look at new roles and ways of working to enable social workers to increase the amount of time spent with children and families; and
• explore with employers the development of a framework enabling a range of advanced practitioner roles.

These will progress through 2009 so watch out for more news on these. For more information about the social work remodelling programme.  Go to: www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/social-work

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