S.W.E.T. RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP
£1,500 for an investigation into inter-professional or multi-agency practice 

ANNE CUMMINS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
£1,500 for a study/research project on health related social work.

Applicants should complete the Trust’s scholarship application form, and include a proposal of not more than 500 words, setting out the aims, estimated costs, time-scale and intended outcomes/benefits of the research project

Application forms can be obtained from

The Hon. Secretary,
Social Workers’ Educational Trust
BASW, 16 Kent Street, Birmingham B5 6RD

downloaded here SWET Research Scholarship Application Form 2010

or from http://www.socialworkerseducationaltrust.org

The completed form with proposal must reach the above address by the 17th May 2010

Tags: research, Social Work, social workers educational trust

The Trustees are pleased to announce that the 2009 SWET scholarship has been awarded to Mandy Thomas a social worker with Bradford Metropolitan District Council  who is undertaking  ‘A systematic literature review on the subject of concealed pregnancy’
 
The Anne Cummins scholarship: has been awarded to Jeremy Dixon, who previously worked with the West of England Forensic Mental Health Service, and has now taken up a post as Lecturer in Social Work at the University of West of England. His research will explore ‘Service user views of risk under S.41 of the Mental Health Act 1983: how do service users conceptualise social supervision and the process of risk management within it?’

“We believe that these research proposals will contribute to the post qualifying knowledge and understanding required of social workers today” Brenda Toward Chair of SWET

The Social Workers’ Educational Trust (SWET) was established by BASW in 1972. The trust supports qualified social workers to develop their knowledge and skills, encourages research into social work practice and education and promotes the value of social work to the general public.
 
SWET provides small grants to individuals (usually in the range of £100 – £300) undertaking post-qualifying education and training to improve their knowledge and skills for social work practice.

In addition, the Trust manages funds bequeathed or subscribed in memory of colleagues. These funds provide more substantial research scholarships which are awarded annually through open competition. Information about the research projects undertaken by previous award holders is available here. http://www.socialworkerseducationaltrust.org/scholarships.asp 

Qualified social workers who have completed at least two years post-qualifying practice, and who work, or are looking for work, within the UK, can apply for grants from the Trust.

http://www.socialworkerseducationaltrust.org/index.asp

Tags: post qualifying social work

Alongside every other social worker in England, I received a joint letter from Ed Balls and Alan Johnson this morning echoing their support for the profession in the wake of Lord Laming’s report. In particular, I welcome the introduction of the Advanced Social Work Professional status and the encouragement for social workers to train towards a Masters level qualification. I believe that these initiatives will help to develop professional leaders who will help to drive up standards within social work and protect vulnerable children and adults within our society. However, in my role as programme leader of an advanced level post qualifying (PQ) programme, I am concerned about some considerable obstacles to the achievement of these objectives.

Firstly, the funding of post-qualifying (PQ) education urgently needs reviewing. Under the revised PQ framework employers are responsible for funding their practitioners to undertake PQ awards. However, as there is no performance indicator linked to PQ, there is no ring-fenced budget for practitioners to undertake these awards. Very few employers currently fund social workers to undertake advanced level awards. Most of the practitioners on our programme currently self-fund and there are only minimal bursaries to support them. Ironically, self-employed independent social workers are more able to undertake advanced level PQ awards as they have access to a Skills for Care bursary and can fit their work around their study.

Secondly, employers are frequently reluctant to offer study leave for their practitioners to undertake advanced level PQ awards. Study leave is considered a luxury and rare commodity for advanced level PQ awards. None of our students have caseload relief and are expected to do their usual job in four days per week instead of five. In the worst cases, practitioners take annual leave or go part-time to have sufficient time to complete our programme. Employers need to be provided with appropriate support to release their staff for advanced level PQ training.

Thirdly, the withdrawal of funding for equivalent or lower qualifications (ELQ) by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has diminished the viability of advanced level PQ programmes in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Students of advanced level PQ programmes at Masters level have frequently picked up another post-graduate qualification since qualifying as a social worker. Even if this is not a full Masters degree, it means that HEFCE will not provide the HEI with any funding for that place. The ELQ rules do not apply to graduate level PQ study or post-graduate qualifying programmes in social work. An exemption to the ELQ rules for post-graduate PQ programmes is required to stop this discrimination against advanced practitioners in social work.

Finally, there is a lack of a career structure for advanced social work practitioners in many local authorities. Some have adopted the Consultant Social Worker role and others have created Advanced Practitioner posts. However, there will need to be significant changes within local authority career structures to accommodate the Advanced Social Work Professional Status. Local authorities will need inducements to create these incentive structures to retain their most experienced staff.”

Tags: advanced social work practice, funding and support, the challenge for employers

The Trust invites applications from qualified  and experienced social workers planning to undertake a study/research project in the area of inter-professional or multi-agency practice . Applicants should complete  the Trust’s scholarship application form, and also submit a proposal of not more than 1,000 words, setting out the objectives, methodology, estimated costs, time-scale and intended outcomes of the research project. The scholarship is for £1,500

Application forms can be obtained from the Hon. Secretary, Social Workers’ Educational Trust, BASW, 16 Kent Street, Birmingham B5 6RD or from www.socialworkerseducationaltrust.org

The completed form with proposal must reach the above address by 12th May 2009

The ANNE CUMMINS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP is awarded annually for a study/research project on health related social work.

Successful candidates in recent years have carried out the following research topics:

2006 Investigation of the social factors that impact on hospital admissions of people over the age of 75.

2007 Death, dying and palliative care for adults with learning disabilities: a comparative study of practice in New Zealand and the UK

2008 Is closer working with Health or multidisciplinary working enhancing or hindering professional Social Work?

Applications for the 2009 Anne Cummins scholarship of £1,500 should include a research proposal of not more than 1,000 words, setting out objectives, methodology, estimated costs, time-scale and intended outcomes of the research. The proposal with the completed application form should be sent to Hon. Secretary, Social Workers’ Educational Trust, BASW, 16 Kent Street, Birmingham B5 6RD by the 12th May 2009

Further details and application forms are available from Pam Green at the BASW office, or from the website www.socialworkerseducationaltrust.org

Tags: anne cummins, research scholarships, social workers educational trust, swet

What I believe to be one of the most exciting developments for social care has just been announced. The creation of a National Skills Academy for Social Care is a massive step forward in developing the skills of nearly 1.4 million social care workers. Finally there will be a “one stop shop” to enable employers, staff and service users to access information about learning and development opportunities.

There is, however, one confusing element that will need to be clarified – how will the social care academy link with the plethora of initiatives underway in children’s services? These include the Remodelling Social Work Practice pilots, the Newly Qualified Social Worker schemes and the development of Leadership and Management programmes for the children’s workforce. One answer may be found in the new Social Work Development Partnership Board a collaborative approach between the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and Skills for Care (SfC) which aims to improve social work practice.

The numerous questions I am asked about training in the care sector highlight the current confusion about accessing relevant and timely information. For the first time there will be a national scheme to identify and quality assure trainers to support the drive to improve the delivery of teaching and learning, inside and outside the workplace. You will no longer have to wonder which, out of a confusing number of organisations, you should approach to help meet your training needs.

The Academy will provide exemplar programmes for the skills required across the whole workforce in the private, voluntary and public sectors. It will champion innovative solutions to the ways in which training and learning can be delivered and assessed. It will be the information and reference source for individuals and care providers to disseminate good practice in learning, training and education wherever it is fo

Developments will include:

Two new commissioning programmes at national level, available regionally, to ensure that employers are able to contribute to and respond to community and individual needs effectively and efficiently:

A new national scheme to encourage quality in training provision through an accreditation scheme for associations and providers of training.

A new programme of encouragement and support for employers who wish to have their in-house training accredited to national standards.

Signposting the funding available for training and for staff and leadership development.

The Skills Academy will be established as an independent, not for profit organisation on March 30 2009.

Some facts about the social care workforce

Adult social care supports those with a physical or learning disability, people with mental health problems, and older people.

70% of social care staff work in the independent sector (private or voluntary).

Care is provided by more than 35,000 different employers

Most establishments employ less than 10 people

1.5 million people currently work in adult social care including home care workers, care home staff, social workers.

Demographic changes including an ageing population will require a significant increase in the social care workforce. It is projected to group to 2.5 million by 2020.

83% of the social care workforce is female (rising to 90% in direct care)

The majority have limited qualifications

What will the Skills Academy offer?

The Skills Academy is exploring a membership model which will confer a range of benefits, including:

access to a repository of information on funding opportunities and routes for training and development

access to information about accredited training providers and accredited trainers

access to e-learning networks

access to regional learning networks

discounts for kite-marking and quality assurance services

a membership kite-mark for corporate branding

the opportunity to take part in piloting and other developments of programmes and services

the opportunity to influence the direction of the Skills Academy through the membership group.

The Skills Academy for Social Care – Why Now?

To hear the views of the steering group you can watch the introductory video

For more information about the Social Work Development Partnership

Tags: accreditation, commissioning programmes, exemplar programmes, kite marking, national skills academy for social care, one stop shop, quality assuring training providers, scie, skills for care, training in the care sector

But will the money allocated be enough to make a real difference to practice learning opportunities and the continuing professional development needs of social workers? The Department of Health (DH) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) are providing funding of £5.5m (subject to final confirmation) for the Social Work Development Partnership. The aim is to improve the quality of social work services to both children and adults. It will support the implementation of key workforce strategies, especially the DCSF’s Building Brighter Futures: Next Steps which includes the development of the Advanced Practitioner role, and the forthcoming DH strategy for the adult social care workforce.

There is an interesting comparison to be made between the £5.5 million allocated for the new Social Work Development Partnership and the £6 million the Government is spending on an advertising campaign to help us understand the level of alcohol in alcoholic drinks. I wonder which expenditure will have the most impact in terms of quality outcomes? How will the £5.5 million be allocated?

According to the GSCC website there are 86,549 registered social workers and 16,086 registered students on the Social Care Register. These staff are employed in hundreds of increasingly diverse settings. £4.2 million will be spread across nine regions and divided 50:50 between children’s and adults social work. £250,000 will be available to support practice learning and social worker development in national

A growing body of research confirms the importance of professional practice learning opportunities and post qualifying studies to enable social workers to deliver high quality care services. It is argued that employers have a responsibility to support the continuing professional development of their staff but the withdrawal of ring fenced funding for training in local authorities is already having an impact. I hope that the Partnership is sufficiently well funded to take account of, and respond to, the changing social work landscape. This includes an increasing number of temporary agency staff, independent social workers and professional services being delivered by the third sector.

The new partnership arrangements to support social work learning and development started in April 2008. At the heart of the changes lies continued collaborative working between higher education institutions and employers in the public, private and third sector. To meet demand, funding will be channelled directly and flexibly to local and national employers to develop the quantity and quality of placements in both the statutory and non-statutory care sectors. The dual focus on continuing professional development is intended to ensure that there are enough people who can supervise and assess others, as well as develop their own specialist knowledge and skills for the diverse settings in which social work is practised.

The publication of more detailed information about the Partnership, the delivery of the key aims for 2008/9 and how the money is to be accessed will be worthy of further scrutiny.

Tags: cwdc, new partnership pq regional leads, pq funding, skills for care

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to apply for a bursary, you should be working towards either the GSCC approved Post-qualifying Specialist Award in Social work, the Post Qualifying Higher Specialist Award in Social Work, or the Advanced Award in Social Work.

• Candidates, with the exception of People who use Services who are formally supporting education, must have a GSCC-recognised social work qualification, be registered on the Social Care Register and provide their GSCC Social Care Register number.

• Bursary funding will only be awarded to candidates working towards Post Qualifying Awards who:

o Do not have an employer i.e. those who are responsible for their own national insurance contributions.  This may include freelance or independent social workers who are sole traders or who have their own limited companies. Social workers who source their work via recruitment companies are not eligible for the PQ bursary and are encouraged to have a discussion with their recruitment company about their PQ needs.

o Are social workers who work for one or more employers on contracts of 12 hours or less, excluding those who have a permanent contract with a local authority.

o People who use services who are formally supporting social work education.

o Social workers working for small voluntary or not-for-profit organisations who employ a total of 50 registered social workers or less.

Candidates must be resident in the UK at the time of applying and have been for the previous 3 years and must undertake the majority of their work in England.

If you are a CAFCASS candidate, including self-employed, you are under contract to the Department for Children, Schools and Families and therefore this funding, from the Department of Health, is not available to you.

Tuition Fees

Bursary awards can only be provided to support tuition fees for GSCC approved PQ programmes or modules. Applicants must provide documentary evidence (e.g. a copy of a letter from a university) that they have been offered a place on the programme of study for which they require funding. 

Retrospective applications will be considered for candidates who are currently undertaking programmes which started this academic year (from September 2007).

Candidates who already have confirmed places for programmes starting in September/October 08 may also apply at this stage. However, in allocating the limited funds available, priority will be given to candidates currently undertaking programmes.

There will be future bursary rounds from autumn 2008 forwards although the closing dates are not yet available. Further information and the application form can be downloaded as PDF files or as word documents Criteria for PQ Bursaries appendix A final.doc (37.50 kb) and national bursary application final 30[1].05.doc (159.00 kb)

Tags: cwdc, deadline, eligibility criteria, post qualifying courses, pq bursaries, registered social workers, skills for care

Confused about the many organizations responsible for improving social work services? Welcome to our guide to the key players in the social care sector in England and the surprising range of organisations who have an influence on social work and social policy developments.

Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) – www.adcs.org.uk

ADCS is the national leadership association in England for statutory directors of children’s services and other children’s services professionals in leadership roles. The ADCS Virtual Staff College promotes the professional development and competence of all staff working in the strategic management and operational delivery of education and children’s services in local authorities and their stakeholders. The College works in partnership with other organisations to deliver professional development opportunities, seminars, courses, activities and other tools to meet the needs of public service professionals.

Association of Directors of Adult Services (ADASS) – www.adss.org.uk

ADASS represents all the directors of adult social services in England. It evolved from the former ADSS (Association of Directors of Social Services) when responsibilities for adults and children’s services within top tier local authorities were split between two new departments – one for adults and one for children.

British Association of Social Workers www.basw.co.uk

BASW is the largest association representing social work and social workers in the UK. BASW offers support and advice and publishes The Code of Ethics for Social Work, which sets the professional standard to which all BASW members subscribe.

CSIP – http://www.csip.org.uk/

The Care Services Improvement Partnership supports positive changes in services and in the wellbeing of vulnerable people with health and social care needs. CSIP publishes the most accessible, comprehensive and free eBook on Commissioning.http://www.icn.csip.org.uk/betterCommissioning/index.cfm?pid=858 

Children’s Workforce Development Council – http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk

CWDC exists to improve the lives of children, young people, their families and carers by ensuring that all people working with them have the best possible training, qualifications, support and advice. It also helps children and young people’s organizations and services to work together better so that the child is at the centre of all services.

Children’s Workforce Network(CWN) www.childrensworkforce.org.uk

CWN is a strategic body, bringing together the relevant Sector Skills Councils and other partners. It is an Alliance committed to creating and supporting a world-class children’s workforce in England.

Members of the Children’s Workforce Network

Children’s Workforce Development Council – www.cwdcouncil.org.uk

Cultural and Creative Industries Skills • www.ccskills.org.uk

General Social Care Council – http://www.gscc.org.uk/

General Teaching Council for England – www.gtce.org.uk

Improvement & Development Agency – www.idea.gov.uk

Lifelong Learning UK – www.lifelonglearninguk.org

National College for School Leadership – http://www.ncsl.org.uk/

Nursing and Midwifery Council – www.nmc-uk.org

Skills for Health – http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/

Skills for Justice – http://www.skillsforjustice.com/

SkillsActive – www.skillsactive.com/

Training & Development Agency for Schools – http://www.tda.gov.uk/

Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) – www.csci.org.uk

CSCI inspects and reports on care services and councils to improve social care and stamp out bad practice. An invaluable resource if you need to check out a care home or care agency.

Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform  – http://www.berr.gov.uk/

BERR works to create the conditions for business success and help the UK respond to the challenges and ensure business success in an increasingly competitive world.

Department for Children, Schools and Families – http://www.dfes.gov.uk/

DCSF aims to make England the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up.

Department of Health – http://www.dh.gov.uk/

DH provides health and social care policy, guidance andG

Guidestar UK – www.guidestar.org.uk

A free and comprehensive website providing a source of high quality information on more than 167000 UK registered charities

Improvement & Development Agency – http://www.idea.gov.uk/

The IDeA works for and leads local government improvement to enable councils to better serve the community. Councils are supported and challenged and good practice is disseminated. The IDeA also promotes the development of local government’s management and workforce. The IDeA is owned by the Local Government Association

International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) – www.ifsw.org

IFSW is a global organisation striving for social justice, human rights and social development through the development of social work, best practices and international cooperation between social workers and their professional organisations.

Joint University Council for Social Work Education Committee (JUCSWEC) – http://www.juc.ac.uk

JUCSWEC is a representative body of UK Universities involved in delivering social work education and provides an important forum for profile raising, information sharing, advocacy and strategic planning for social work practice and education. It has made significant contributions to the review of social work in England (Options for Excellence) and Scotland (21st Century Review). The current chair is Michael Preston-Shoot (University of Bedfordshire). JUCSWC have published a Code of Ethics for Social Work and Social Care Research.

Learning and Skills Council (LSC)- http://www.lsc.gov.uk/

The Learning and Skills Council have a single goal: to improve the skills of England’s young people and adults to ensure a workforce of world-class standard. The LSC is committed to improvement of the further education and training sector to raise standards and to make learning provision more responsive to the needs of individuals and employers. Information is provided about financial support for learners and LSC publish a useful jargon buster

Learn To Care www.learntocare.org.uk

Learn to Care represents people engaged in the management and implementation of workforce development in the personal social services.

Making Research Count – http://www.uea.ac.uk/swk/MRC_web/public_html/

Making Research Count is a national collaborative research dissemination initiative, established by a consortium of nine Universities and developed by regional centres. These university based regional centres have formed collaborative partnerships with member agencies, to promote and develop knowledge-based practice and improve services in social work, social care and its interface with health and education. Each regional centre has established a unique approach to knowledge based practice based on the needs of local partnerships. The network has brought together the Universities of Bedfordshire, Brighton, Central Lancashire, East Anglia, Keele, King’s College London, Salford, York, the Open University and their social care and health agency partners. 

New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) www.philanthropycapital.org/

NPC was set up by a group of City financiers to provide independent advice on charity giving for wealthy individuals and foundations. The founders believe that providing donors with information on the results achieved by charities — and helping charities themselves to get better at focusing on how they change lives — could help to create change. They share a desire to make a positive difference: whether that is through understanding the root causes of societal problems, discovering excellent charities and helping them get the funds they deserve, or helping donors maximise the impact of their donations. NPC have developed criteria for assessing highly effective charities, find out which charities have met this standard so far.     

The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED) – http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/

Oftsted inspects and regulates to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. The new Ofsted brings together the wide experience of four inspectorates to make a greater difference for every child, and for all young people and adult learners, in England. Ofsted inspect an extensive range of services including: child minders and nurseries, early education, children’s social care, adoption and fostering, Cafcass, schools, teacher training providers, training providers for international students and education ansd training providers funded by DCFS and other government departments.

Research in Practice – http://www.rip.org.uk/

Research in practice supports evidence-informed practice (EIP) with children and families and is the largest children and families research implementation project in England and Wales. Established in 1996 it is a department of The Dartington Hall Trust, it is run in collaboration with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, the University of Sheffield and a network of over 100 participating agencies in the UK.

Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)  – http://www.thersa.org/

For more than 200 years, the RSA has been a cradle of enlightenment thinking and a force for social progress. Their approach is multi-disciplinary, politically independent and combines cutting edge research and policy development with practical action. The tradition lives on in the free events programme which provides a rich and diverse platform for leading public thinkers. 

Skills for Care – www.skillsforcare.org.uk

Skills for Care are the Sector Skills Council who work in consultation with employers, education and training providers, service users and carers, Skills for Care aims to modernise adult social care in England, by ensuring qualifications and standards continually adapt to meet the changing needs of people who use care services.

Skills for Care and Development (SfC&D) – www.skillsforcareanddevelopment.org.uk

The Sector Skills Council for social care, children and young people’s workforces in the UK. It is an Alliance of 5 organisations: Care Council for Wales, Children’s Workforce Development Council, Northern Ireland Social Care Council, Scottish Social Services Council, and Skills for Care. SfC&D is licensed by government to represent the interests of some 60,000 employers and 1.6 million workers across the UK. These staff are employed by a range of organisations – both public authorities and independent organisations, often commissioned by the public sector to deliver social care services but sometimes acting directly for people who receive the services.The Alliance works closely with service users and carers, education and training providers, national stakeholders and the health sector to develop an appropriately skilled and qualified workforce to meet the UK’s current and future social care needs.

Skills for Health – www.skillsforhealth.org.uk

Skills for Health are the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the UK health sector. They cover the whole sector and aim to develop solutions that deliver a skilled and flexible UK workforce in order to improve health and healthcare.

Social Care Institute for Excellence – www.scie.org.uk

SCIE aims to improve the experience of people who use social care by developing and promoting knowledge about good practice in the sector. Using knowledge gathered from diverse sources and a broad range of people and organizations, SCIE has developed an extensive resource bank which is shared freely, supporting those working in social care and empowering service users. Check out the audit tools available at the People Management website.   

Social Enterprise Coalition -  http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/

The UK portal for social enterprise information and resources. Social enterprises are profit-making businesses set up to tackle a social or environmental need. The social enterprise movement is inclusive and extremely diverse, encompassing organisations such as development trusts, community enterprises, co-operatives, housing associations, ‘social firms’ and leisure trusts, among others. These businesses are operating across an incredibly wide range of industries and sectors from health and social care, to renewable energy, recycling and fair trade.

Social Policy and Social Work (SWAP) – www.swap.ac.uk

SWAP is the UK subject centre for social policy and social work, one of the Higher Education Academy’s 24 discipline based centres. SWAP aims to enhance the student learning experience by promoting high quality learning, teaching and assessment. SWAP has a lot of useful resources to download including publications, teaching resources, digital learning and themed resources.

Social Workers Educational Trust (SWET) www.socialworkerseducationaltrust.org

Established by BASW in 1972 the Social Workers’ Educational Trust supports qualified social workers to develop their knowledge, skills and practice. Research is encouraged into social work practice and education. SWET provides small grants to individuals undertaking post-qualifying studies and more substantial research scholarships are awarded annually through open competition

Check out our jargon buster if you are still puzzling about the differences between a sector skills council and a regulator. The Big Question -  has the separation of adult and children’s services, the development of new Trust arrangements and the division of responsibilities for social care regulation and workforce development contributed to the vision for “joined up” services across the care sector?

Post a Comment below or Contact Us to suggest other useful organisations for the resource bank.

Tags: adas, adcs, basw, csci, csip, cwdc, cwn, dfes, doh, gscc, ifsw, jucswec, ofsted, scie, skills for care, skills for health, swap

Tags: grants and scholarships, post qualifying education and training, social workers educational trust, swet

Sometimes, we can get so hung up on jargon, acronyms and professional speak that we lose sight of the fact that they fail to bring understanding or enlightenment to people outside of our world. Creating more jargon is not the answer. Changing the words we use might work better and possibly glossaries of terms and jargon busters are a step on the way.

Our sector desperately needs to communicate effectively to so many different stakeholders. Why is it such a major challenge keeping up to date with the latest acronyms, initials and jargon, especially in the areas of workforce development, education and training?

We are currently identifying useful resources and compiling a glossary of the most common terms and acronyms used across the care sector. You can then ask the GSCC about your PRTL (gaining information from our website may qualify!) and request a TNA from your employer who may refer to the PQ and seek guidance from the SSC about the relevant NOS.

GSCC – General Social Care Council

The General Social Care Council is responsible for setting standards of conduct and practice for social care workers and their employers, for regulating the workforce, and for regulating social work education and training.

PRTL – Post-Registration Training and Learning

Every social worker registered with the GSCC shall, within the period of registration, complete either 90 hours or 15 days of study, training, courses, seminars, reading, teaching or other activities which could reasonably be expected to advance the social worker’s professional development, or contribute to the development of the profession as a whole.

TNA – Training Needs Analysis

An analysis of training needs to identify any skill gaps for organizations and individuals.

PQ-  Post Qualifying

Education and training undertaken by qualified social workers and other professionals. Social workers need to evidence their PQ training and CPD when submitting their PRTL to maintain their  registration with the GSCC Social Care Register..

SSC – Sector Skills Council

Each SSC works to agree priorities and targets with its employers and partners to address four key goals:

• reducing skills gaps and shortages

• improving productivity, business and public service performance

• increasing opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector’s workforce, including action on equal opportunities

• improving the supply of learning opportunities, including apprenticeships, higher education and national occupational standards

Skills for Care and Development are the Sector Skills Council for social care, children and young people’s workforces in the UK. It is an Alliance of 5 organisations:

Care Council for Wales, Children’s Workforce Development Council, Northern Ireland Social Care Council, Scottish Social Services Council, and Skills for Care

NOS – National Occupational Standards

National Occupational Standards (NOS) have been developed to assist employers, businesses, employees and individuals. They contain descriptions of good practice and can be a benchmark for rewarding experience, knowledge and competence.

NOS Directory

All the NOS developed by Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and Standard Setting Bodies (SSBs) are available to download on the NOS Directory managed by the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA). The NOS Directory is available on the UK Standards website. http://www.ukstandards.org

In the meantime we would like to introduce you to Jargonbuster, a resource drafted by Kevin Ashby and Colin Nee (Charities Evaluation Services), with input from a steering group containing representatives from a number of charitable foundations, grant awarding bodies and national umbrella bodies.

This book defines and explains key terms used in evaluating and monitoring services. Definitions range from milestones to benchmarking and the differences between an output and an outcome are explained in plain english with examples and case studies.

An invaluable resource available to download here or on the Charity Evaluation Services website

Tags: acronyms, care sector, ces, charity evaluation services, glossary of terms, gscc, jargonbuster, nos, outcomes, ssc