Are you studying for a PQ Award? Are you eligible for a PQ Bursary?
Monday, June 9th, 2008 
Skills for Care and Children’s Workforce Development Council have announced that the original PQ Bursary Criteria has been extended. However, a speedy application is advised because the first deadline is the 11th July 2008. Retrospective applications (from September 2007) are being considered provided you meet the other criteria.
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)
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