Be Inspired! Shirley Ayres Consulting

 Advanced practitioners in social work are research-literate, reflective and professional leaders in their field. They are able to draw on a range of empirical, theoretical and professional sources of knowledge and take the lead on social work policy and practice innovations.

Run by Dr Martin Webber this two-day course will provide participants with hands-on experience of the making of the advanced practitioner in social work. The first day will provide an overview of the research methods that provide evidence for social work practice and will equip participants with some basic critical appraisal skills. The second day will give detailed consideration to the definition of an advanced practitioner and will include a case consultation group focusing on enhancing social work practice skills and knowledge. Participants are encouraged to bring a case example with them to discuss within this group.
 
Places are very limited and registration will close on 21st August 2009.
 
For further information on  this and all courses please see the website
http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/departments/?locator=4&context=1239
or email the administrator: imh@iop.kcl.ac.uk

Supporting and Promoting Advanced Social Work: a guide for employers and practitioners published by the Institute of Psychiatry is available to read here http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/sites/mhsw/?id=168

Tags: advanced social work practice, institute of psychiatry, mental health, post qualifyng training, research, Social Work

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Following a record number of extremely high calibre and diverse research proposals the Trustees of the Social Workers Educational Trust met in June to discuss and agree the award of the 2009 Scholarships.

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

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 National Conference – Connecting children’s and adult mental health services: A lifespan perspective – Friday 3rd July 2009 10.00am – 4.45pm Waterloo Campus, King’s College London, SE1

Now in its third year the mental health social work CPD conference is definitely worth attending. Organised by the Institute of Psychiatry (King’s College London) and Making Research Count you will have the opportunity to hear about the latest research and practice and join in the debate about the future direction of mental health social work.

The secondment of adult mental health social workers into NHS trusts and the separation of children and adult social services has increased the gulf between children’s and adults’

practitioners. At a time of increased media attention on the profession, now is an opportune moment to reflect on an enduring strength of social work – its holistic approach to children, adults, families and communities.

Parallel workshops will explore research and practice in the following areas:

Early intervention in psychosis

Approved Mental Health Professional training

Effective social work practice with children & adults

Practitioner research

Stigma and discrimination

Assessments of children

Working with men sexually abused in childhood

Social capital and social work

Learning disabilities and self-harm

User involvement and inter-professional working

International social work

Case consultation – live!

Speakers include:

Prof Jill Manthorpe (Professor of Social Work, King’s College London): Personalisation and mental health services

Prof Michael Sheppard (Professor of Social Work, University of Plymouth): The significance of service user coping to practice

Dr Mike Slade (Reader in Health Services Research, Institute of Psychiatry): Recovery: A challenge for all mental health professionals

Booking information

Fees:

EARLY BIRD RATE £80 – for bookings received before 5th June

£120 – for bookings received after 5th June

£40 – social work students

A limited number of free places are available for service users and carers.

For further information and to book your place visit http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/events/?id=737

I look forward to meeting you there!

Tags: advanced social work practice, connecting children and adults, mental health conference, research papers, social work cpd

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It is with regret and great sadness that the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has announced the death of its Chairman, Michael Leadbetter.

Michael worked as Chairman for CWDC from 2007 and was a leading figure in the children and young people’s workforce, particularly in social work, driving reform at grass-roots level.

He was previously Director of Social Services in Tameside in Greater Manchester, and Essex, Greater London for 17 years. He was also President of The Association of Directors of Social Services 2002-03.

I knew Michael personally and he was an inspiration to me. He was always supportive and his wisdom and wise counsel will be sorely missed.

His final paper the CWDC response to the Social Work Taskforce, will be reviewed on the website next week.

Tags: best practice, challenging the status quo, maverick, michael leadbetter, radical, social work and social care

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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

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The General Social Care Council has called for a system where all social workers receive a specialist post-qualifying award early in their career to ensure that the learning from their degree is consolidated in practice. Recommendations include:

• the development of national standards for post-qualifying training in safeguarding for adults and children;

• simplification of the funding arrangements to Higher Educational Institutions, and the linking of funding to quality standards;

• the development of a workforce model to ensure the right number of social workers are being trained in the right regions; and

• further research into the declining number of  men entering social work, and the poor progression rates amongst some black and minority ethnic students

• a new forensic social work award

Rosie Varley, Chair of the GSCC, said: “Tragedies such as the death of Baby P and other recent cases remind us how immensely challenging the role of a social worker is. We need to attract the best people into the profession, with a diverse workforce that reflects the society we live in.

As well as attracting the best people, our social workers need to have the very best training right throughout their careers. That is why we are reviewing whether we have the right powers to robustly inspect social work degree courses. We also believe there needs to be the creation of national standards for on the job safeguarding training and stronger requirements for employers to commit to good quality on-going training for social workers.”

There is a useful article which includes an interview with Mike Wardle Chief Executive GSCC  in Community Care

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/11/110686/gscc-to-link-post-qualifying-training-with-re-registration.html

Tags: compulsory training, gscc, more support for social workers, post qualifying awards, social work is complex and challenging

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The 2009 SWET. RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP

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

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This new SCIE resource introduces a range of guidance materials and links to support the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The section is in the early stages of development, but will eventually provide an accessible resource that people will visit as their “first port of call” when looking for information about the MCA.

SCIE has also launched some new materials twhich have been commissioned by SCIE and the Department of Health with the aim of helping the people responsible for implementing the Act to understand its requirements. Some of the materials focus on a particular field (e.g. end of life care,

learning disabilities or mental health), others offer more general guidance. There are also links to materials about the MCA that have been produced by other organizations including Alzheimer’s Society, Mental Health Foundation and the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Given the potential of the MCA to touch the lives of millions – particularly those who live with learning disability, dementia or mental health problems and those working and caring for them – the resource will provide the opportunity to link related policy areas together. Examples include the development of the National Dementia Strategy and SCIE’s practice development work on restraint, due to be launched in late summer 2009. http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/misc/mca/index.asp

Tags: information portal, mental capacity act 2005, new resources, scie

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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

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 The remodelling social work delivery project was established by the Children’s Workforce Development Council www.cwdcouncil.org.uk earlier this year. There are 11 pilot sites across England involved in the project and there are a number of different delivery options being explored. The Department for Children, Schools and Families wished to encourage innovation through the active engagement of the private and not for profit sectors in establishing new approaches to working with the most vulnerable children and their families.

The CWDC project runs until March 2011 with 11 local authorities from across the country developing a number of different delivery options. Each pilot will explore ways for social workers to look at new ways of organizing their working practices,  organize their staff teams more effectively; and look at how they can provide more ‘front line’ contact with children and young people.

Click here www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/social-work/remodelling for more information about the pilot projects

Interestingly a number of local authorities have decided to proceed with exploring this option outside of the pilot scheme.

The remodelling social work project forms one element of a broader programme of work supported by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and CWDC. This programme of work has been designed to improve the outcomes and experiences of children and young people in contact with social care and particularly with social workers. The overall programme will address three priority areas of quality of initial training, skills and qualifications; workforce capacity and remodelling; and recruitment and retention.

Social work models being developed in the delivery pilots

A number of developments and themes are being explored in the CWDC pilot projects.

Structures

o Creating a single entry point for children and families to receive integrated services across a broad range of needs.

o Improving the interface between children’s centres and social work services, forging closer links between universal and statutory services to ensure early intervention

o Addressing the difficulties in delivering children’s social care within a large rural community,

o Making more effective use of IT and mobile technology

o Developing models of multi-disciplinary working, by locating social workers in multi-disciplinary teams working with children in need.

o Physically locating social workers in schools, health centres, children’s centres

o Closer working between social workers and residential child care workers

o Creating practices which allow social workers to spend more time in direct contact with the children themselves and bringing a “whole” team approach to all work.

Models of Intervention

o Improving the speed and quality of assessment and decision-making about placing young people into care, avoiding placement in care where possible. If remaining in care is appropriate, ensuring that effective planning is in place to promote permanency and placement stability.

o Using social work models of practice such as BHLP and solution-focused interventions. (Interestingly CBT is not mentioned).

o Expanding the use of Family Group Conferences with children already in care.

o Multi-agency family support panels to consider children’s needs through the Common Assessment Framework and implement coordinated plans to meet those needs. Working across services through Youth Inclusion Support Panels,

Recruitment and Retention

o Reviewing and improving recruitment and induction practices. (This could be linked with the Newly Qualified Social  Workers pilots)

Creating social work consultant roles, which will have a responsibility for supporting social workers undertaking court proceedings, (especially those in their first year of practice or undertaking court proceedings for the first time).

o Developing new career pathways for practitioners

o Training in brief therapy social work interventions

o Improving skills and knowledge in assessment and risk management

Perceptions of Social Work

o Improving the communities understanding of the role of social workers

o improving both the visibility of social care, and access to it by the public,

Is this the start of a new era for social work? This is a very exciting development and we will keep you updated .

Tags: a different role for social workers, cwdc, recruitment and retention, remodelling social work project, social work practice

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