Current progress of the social work reform programme

October 2010

Introduction

The Social Work Task Force was appointed by the previous Secretaries of State for Children, Schools and Families and for Health in to conduct a ‘nuts and bolts’ review of social work and to make recommendations for comprehensive reform of the social work profession

Context of death of Baby Peter

Not whole of social care workforce or children’s workforce

Interim report in July 2009 with final report in December 2009

Interim Report July 2009

Social Work struggling to hold its own with:

•Widespread staff shortages

•Inconsistent and inadequate support

•Education and training not delivering consistently

•De-skilled through mechanistic approaches

•No focus of responsibility for health or image of the profession

•Poor public understanding

Social Work Task Force recommendations

• Calibre of entrants

• Curriculum and delivery

• Practice placements

• Assessed Year in Employment

• Regulation of social work education

• Standards for employers

• Supervision

• Front line managers

• Continuing Professional Development

• National career structure

• National college of social work

• Public understanding

• Licence to practise

• Social worker supply

• National reform programme

What happened next

• Social Work Reform Board established

• Supported by Working Groups

• Three Reference Groups – employers, service users and carers, and social workers

• Change of Government

• Munro Review

• GSCC changes

Career Development

Working Group

Education Working Group

Employer’s Standard Working

Group

Employers’ Standard

Reference Group

Social Workers’

Reference Group

Social Work Reform Board

Service Users and Carers Reference

Group

College & public imageBursaries review

PayICS Improvement

Social Work Practices

Examples of other activities of interest to the SWRB

Licence to PractiseAYENational Career StructureCPDRationalising Standards

Education RegulationCalibre of EntrantsCurriculum DevelopmentPractice Learning Development

SupervisionWorkloadSupplyRemodellingFrontline ManagementInterface with GSCC Employers Code of Practice & other national stdsPartnership and advanced teaching organisation status

EmployersADASSADCSCAFCASSChildren EnglandLGALGEMindNHS ConfederationSOLACE Service users

A National VoicePrincess Royal Trust for CarersShaping Our Lives

RegulatorGSCC

ProfessionAspectBASWCollege of Social WorkUnison

EducatorsAssociation of SW professorsSWAPJUC-SWECUniversities UK

GovernmentBISDfEDH

Delivery orgsCQCCWDCHEFCEOfstedQAASCIESkills for Care

Education working group

The education working group presented two key reports on:Strengthening the calibre of entrantsPractice learning arrangements

Consulting the sector in late 2010

Reform Board will agree recommendation by March 2011

Changes expected to be implemented for the 2012 cohort of entrants

Some progress already made e.g. publication of social work degree monitoring reports by GSCC

Career working group

The career working group working on:Standards for the professionAssessed year in employmentContinued professional development (CPD) framework

Consulting on standards and CPD framework in late 2010

CPD framework to be phased in from 2011

Assessed year will be discussed at November Reform Board meeting

The single career structure already being trialled in children’s services, and considering transferability. National career structure building on pilots

Employers standard working group

Already encouraged employers to carry out a ‘health check’

Consulting on the framework for the employers’ standard in late 2010

The three main sections of the standard are:Ensuring adequate workforce provision and planningEnsuring a working environment that supports good

practiceSupporting a professional workforce

The standard framework includes new standards for supervision

The standard will be tested with employers, social workers and services users, before roll starting in spring 2011

The college of social work

Set up of the College of Social Work supported by SCIE and funded jointly by DH and DfE

Two Interim co-chairs have been appointed and an Interim board will take up post in Autumn 2010

Extensive consultation running from May to September 2010

First steps of reform

The Board and its three working groups are therefore working towards three key ‘products’ to reform social work:

Standards for the profession

Standards for employers

Standards for social work education

The Board is developing them with the support of the profession employers, educators, regulators and the wider sector

Challenges for the Reform Programme

• Financial context

• Local ownership and capacity in the sector

• Other major changes e.g. White Papers could lead to unintended consequences

• Promoting change at a time of severe constraints

Final thoughts

• Coalition Government messages positive:“took constructive steps to help social workers in the vital task that they perform. The coalition Government will build on his initiative in this area, in particular taking forward the recommendations of the social work task force” Michael Gove MP, 2 June 2010

• Major changes in Health

• Different model of doing business – localism?

• Opportunity for the sector to drive change