The body's publication A Report on Social Work Education in England 2009-10 has identified significant trends in social work education, including a decline in the number of local authority placements being provided to students.
In 2009/10, 44 per cent of practice placements were provided by local authorities, down from 47 per cent in 2007/08. Following the GSCC’s monitoring of social work degree courses in 2009/10, two-thirds of higher education institutions were asked to make some improvements to the quality of practice placements.
Hannah Prescott, a social work student in the second year of her masters degree at the University of Central Lancaster, said: "There is a limit to what you can learn in tutorials and at lectures. Good communication, the ability to form relationships and an understanding of people’s needs are essential parts of being a social worker and these can only be learned through good practical experience."
The GSCC report also found that the number of students enrolling on the social work degree increased by five per cent to 6,113 in 2009/10 — the second highest intake since the degree was introduced.
Retention of students on the degree is also improving. The number of students withdrawing has reduced to 10 per cent in 2010, down from an average of 17 per cent in the years between 2003 and 2009.
