Qualifications and Training Guide: Social work

The scheme covers three titles: child and family practitioner, practice supervisor andpractice leader. Trialled with 1,000 social workers last year, it involves testing social workers' knowledge and observing simulated practice in role-play scenarios with actors.

The consultation on NAAS stated there will be a clear pass mark, rather than a grade, to be decided by two independent panels of experts, who will create a performance standard for each element of the test. The full government response to the consultation will be published later this year.

The first phase of implementation will take place in mid-2018, across six local authorities in and around Leeds with an evaluation to look at how the scheme could be operated nationally. This is a roll-back on initial plans, which were to cover 31 authorities.

The first focus is on assessment of practitioners and practice supervisors. The government said there is further work to be done on the assessment of practice leaders, but is encouraging practice leaders to take the assessment for practice supervisors "as a demonstration of commitment to excellent practice and professional development".

The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) has raised concerns about the scheme. "Feedback from members suggests there would be an adverse effect on older social workers in particular," says BASW policy officer Maddie Jennings. "However, they are also not pleased about the slowdown on the roll out because the uncertainty is very difficult for social workers, who are now preparing for a change that might not take place."

A BASW survey found 59 per cent of members say the scheme will act as a disincentive to recruitment and retention, and 58 per cent think it should not be introduced. Many believe the system is too rigid, not allowing for different specialisms within the profession or supporting social workers who move across specialisms. The Association of Directors of Children's Services has raised concerns about the scheme and Unison is campaigning against it.

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 also establishes a new social work regulator, which will take responsibility for NAAS. Social Work England will set standards for initial education and training, and professional standards, including standards of proficiency and continuous professional development, as well as maintaining a register of social workers.

Social workers were expected to transfer from current regulator the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to Social Work England by September 2018, but the government says it is currently looking at plans for establishing the new regulator to ensure a smooth and safe transfer.

The main route for entering child and family social work is through a generic three-year social work degree or a two-year Masters. Bursaries are available for social work students. Roughly the same number of bursaries are available in 2017/18 as in the last academic year - £3,362 (£3,762 in London) for around 1,500 postgraduates; and £4,862 (£5,262 in London) for around 2,500 undergraduates, who are funded for the second and third years of their course. The Department of Health also provides £4,052 in tuition fee contributions.

Past reviews have found that while some courses are very strong, others have low entrance standards, too narrow a focus on the skills and knowledge needed to be a social worker, and lack high-quality practice placements. To combat this, the government introduced reforms including the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) for newly qualified social workers. Launched in 2012, the ASYE provides new social workers with access to training and development during their first year of work, with regular reviews leading to a final assessment.

The role of practice leader has come under the spotlight, with the launch of a training programme to develop new practice leaders and establish an accredited practice leader in every local authority by 2020. Practice leaders are qualified social workers with operational responsibility for a local authority's child and family social work practice and are usually called assistant director of social care or director of family services.

The Practice Leader Development Programme was created by Westminster City Council, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, with the support of other high-performing local authorities. In total, 82 applications were received from 56 councils and these were whittled down to 20 who started the programme in May. Recruitment for the second cohort will take place from October 2017.

The programme begins with a two-day residential course, followed by monthly seminars for around 12 months. The second part takes place once participants are in a practice leader role. During both phases, participants are matched with a development coach, who is an established practice leader.

In 2015, the Department for Education and the Department of Health launched four teaching partnerships, bringing together a range of local authorities, other social care and health organisations, and universities. The programme has been expanded, with 73 councils now working with 31 universities and other public sector, private, voluntary and independent organisations. A total of £4.7m is being invested to support the expansion, aimed at improving the education and training of social workers in 11 new areas across the country. Together with the original four sites, total investment in 2017/18 for the programme is more than £7.5m.

The government continues to support Step up to Social Work, an employer-based fast-track 14-month programme for graduates with a good degree aiming to qualify as a children's social worker. Students receive a bursary of more than £19,000 and can train in one of 18 regional partnerships involving more than 100 local authorities in England. This year will see the fifth cohort of students begin their studies, which will earn them a postgraduate diploma in social work.

The Come Back to Social Work campaign launched by the Local Government Association last year saw 30 former social workers receive free training to help them re-register with the HCPC. All candidates have returned to work, or are expected to soon, in a variety of social care roles.

The government aims to make continuing professional development more accessible with the creation of a What Works Centre for children's social workers. This will bring together existing research evidence, run new trials and evaluations, and translate and disseminate findings into practical advice for social workers, practice leaders and commissioners.

CHILD PROTECTION

Preventing child sexual exploitation (CSE) remains a government priority. Last September, the government launched The Child Sexual Exploitation Response Unit, funded by the government but run independently by NWG Network, a charity that specialises in supporting sexually exploited children and young people.

NWG offers a range of courses covering CSE suitable for organisations within the statutory and voluntary sector. "Each course has been designed to meet varying levels of need, ranging from foundation level through to advanced and specialist areas," says Phil Ashford, CSE Response Unit operational lead. "Courses are developed by NWG's trainer and CSE Response Team leads working together. This ensures our courses are informed by up-to-date research and best practice on CSE, while ensuring the voice of young people is central."

Courses include Child Sexual Exploitation in Sport; Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking; and CSE for practitioners working in a Learning Disabilities Environment. The courses are accredited and count towards CPD. NWG can also deliver bespoke training.

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 removed the requirement for each area to have a local safeguarding children board (LSCB) as well as creating local child practice reviews, which could see many areas reconfigure local arrangements or scrap boards altogether. The creation of a national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel paves the way for a national learning framework to help the sharing of safeguarding knowledge and practice on what does and does not work.

The Frontline programme, whose launch was supported by charity Ark in 2013, aims to ensure trainees get the experience they need, while also bringing high-calibre graduates into social work. Inspired by the education leadership programme Teach First, students undergo an intensive five-week residential training programme, followed by two years working and training in a local authority child protection team. In their first year, successful participants qualify as a social worker, while their second leads to a Masters qualification.

The programme is set to expand from London, the South East, the North West and the North East into the Midlands and the East of England from September 2017. The government wants all local authority areas to be able to access it by 2020. Frontline has taken in four cohorts of 104, 121, 160 and 285, with more than 95 per cent of the first cohort going into the ASYE in local authorities. The scheme will be recruiting for 352 places for the 2018 cohort from September 2017. An independent evaluation published in March 2016 found Frontline participants were rated higher than students on mainstream programmes on every one of the 10 assessment criteria.

Frontline has formed a research partnership with an institution that will support its work in generating and disseminating practice-based research. It is also setting up a Curriculum Advisory Group which will include input from universities, and has extended invitations to local academics to attend regional practice forums.

Ark has also launched a leadership development programme for existing social work managers, Firstline. An independent evaluation published in January 2017 found the majority of participants considered it "the best training and professional development they had received as managers and leaders". The government has confirmed support for the expansion of Firstline and by 2020, 500 social work managers will have completed or be undertaking the programme.

LOOKED-AFTER CHILDREN

Since January 2015, staff working in children's homes in England have been required to obtain the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare, with managers required to hold the Level 5 diploma. Scotland will require all staff in children's homes to be graduates from 2018. The government has said it is confident a graduate qualification is not necessary in England, but it will monitor Scotland's reforms to see if they provide better outcomes for children.

In a government-commissioned report published in July 2016, Sir Martin Narey made a number of recommendations about the training of residential children's care staff, to which the government responded in December last year.

The government has said it will commission and disseminate qualitative research on best practice on recruiting staff, and work with awarding bodies to review the delivery of diplomas where online learning methods are used. It will also encourage more social work students to spend their placement experience in children's homes; and explore how to best set an expectation that new residential care managers are social work graduates, while recognising that exceptional unqualified members of staff can make good managers.

In his review, Narey highlighted the positive impact of further training and development approaches such as the RESuLT programme, training for children's home staff developed by the National Implementation Service. The DfE says it will ensure commissioners have the information they need regarding evidence-based programmes and approaches that are likely to prove effective in developing staff.

Narey's recommendations around CPD have led to the development of new courses. Research in Practice, for example, has developed three new workshops for managers and practitioners in this field, in consultation with residential children's homes. These cover issues such as CSE, relationship-based practice and supporting care leavers.

The DfE has approved standards for two new apprenticeships for those wanting to work with children and young people. The apprenticeships aim to give practitioners and managers a clearer career path and flexibility to move from one role to another in a changing sector.

Children, Young People and Family Practitioner is a Level 4 qualification for those who want to work in residential care or do community-based work with vulnerable children and families. Along the way, participants will either be expected to gain a diploma Level 3 qualification in residential child careor a Certificate of Higher Education in Working with Children, Young People and Families, a new qualification that has been developed in partnership with a group of higher education institutions. At the end of the course, they will be assessed on their knowledge, skills and behaviour.

The Children, Young People and Families Manager apprenticeship allows students to gain a Level 5 qualification in residential care leadership and management, or in leadership for health and social care. The trailblazer group is in the first stages of agreeing the assessment plans for these standards which will be quality assured by Ofqual.

Read more from CYP Now's Children's Workforce Guide to Qualifications and Training