The Role of Higher Education in CPD for Social Workers in England

Where are we now? The issues for HEIsMarian Brandon

m.brandon@uea.ac.uk

Themes identified • Partnership planning• Models of HE provision, including flexibility• Funding – who pays? commissioning• Workplace support for staff undertaking CPD• Shared modules/programmes with other professionals• Accrediting and assessing in-house provision• Academic levels • Links to PCF and career planning• Priorities for CPD in HE• Meeting changing needs• Growing the next generation of SW researchers and educators

The picture across HEIs

• Adapting, changing and surviving, findings markets

• Not happy with the lack of a proper CPD framework

“Situation is ‘in flux’ due to differentiated local workforce strategies and a lack of national strategy or support for accredited CPD” (Sussex)“We have a mixture of continuing programmes that recruit strongly and others which are struggling because of a drop-off in employer commitment. PQ has always had to respond flexibly to changes in the market though so this is not particularly new …we remain confident but not complacent about the future” (Birmingham)

Successes

• Continuity and/or high or rising numbers of students per module (NTU, Birmingham, UEA, Sussex, Salford) 2008- 2012 1,179 module takers (Sussex)

• Strong/continuous partnerships “well established, robust working relationships with 5 local authorities…”(Soton Solent), also Bristol, MMU, NTU, Salford, Sussex, UEA, Chester)

• Pride and confidence - CPD Conference attended by Chief Social Workers (MMU),

• ASYE links – MA modules and/or QA support – success after demise of PQ framework.

Tensions

• employer shift in favouring training rather than assessed learning. Should HEIs be offering this? (Sussex) “There is a tension between the employer view that sees HE providing off the shelf modules and an educative view that favours provision in the form of full awards” (Teeside)

• A shift to using HEIs to support quality assurance rather than educational provision?

• Diminution of direct agency involvement in the delivery and management of PQ, (reduced study time for workers, higher workloads) (Bristol)

• CPD becoming disaggregated from pay and progression (Chichester)

• Funding – who will pay? (Commissioning tensions later)

Models of provision/flexibility – frantic activity

• Academic frameworks, some aligned to PCF and TCSW CPD guidelines (MMU, Bristol, UEA, NTU, London Universities, Middlesex, Northumbria)

• Bespoke modules for employers/ individual students, Professional Development Units, one-off opportunities, new formats, ‘shell modules’ (Solent, MMU, Birmingham, Chichester)

• Flexibility - on-site teaching, distance learning/blended learning

• Specialist provision or wide range/suite of areas offered• Expanding provision to other disciplines/partners “concept of

collaboration …requires careful consideration in the light of HEI concerns about collaboration in general” (SHU)

(c) Richard Field

360 degree commissioning

Friends and neighbours

Charities and community

organisations

FamilyCommercial providers

Individual citizen

Themes identified revisited – scope for more discussion

• Partnership planning• Models of HE provision, including flexibility• Funding – who pays? commissioning• Workplace support for staff undertaking CPD• Shared modules/programmes with other professionals• Accrediting and assessing in-house provision• Academic levels • Links to PCF and career planning• Priorities for CPD in HE• Meeting changing needs• Growing the next generation of SW researchers and educators