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The new social work degree's focus on practice learning has been welcomed, but some practitioners doubt whether younger students are what is needed. Sally Gillen reports.

Practice makes perfect. Or at least that is what the department of health seems to be banking on with its new social work degree. The curriculum, which was unveiled at the end of last month, emphasises the practical nature of social work.

In a foreword to the guidance, health minister Jacqui Smith says: "This is not a tinkering at the edges of social work training. This is a major shift in the expectations of those providing the training and those undertaking it." The emphasis on practice learning is at the heart of these changes

Those applying to do the three-year course, which will replace the two-year DipSW from September 2003, will spend at least 200 days in practice learning environments in a range of settings - an increase of 70 days from the diploma.

Co-chairperson of the National Organisation of Practice Teachers Konnie Lloyd welcomes the increase in practice teaching days, and believes the degree is likely to attract more younger entrants. The average age of a DipSW student is 32. But Lloyd has concerns that 18-20 year olds will be less likely to be able to bring "life experience" to the job.

Lloyd also concedes that the shortage of practice teachers that blights social work training may make fulfilling the 200 days' placement practice requirement of the degree course problematic. The lack of financial reward and the pressure that social workers operate under means few are willing to take on the additional work involved in being a practice teacher. Practice teaching has been "very much a secondary feature" to the work of a social services department, Lloyd explains.

The government has recognised the current problems with practice teaching and is to commission a review into it, the outcome of which will be published in the autumn. It will also fund - for two years - nine posts that will aim to change the culture of practice learning.

Lloyd predicts difficulties in the early stages, but is adamant that the government has adopted a "constructive and forward-thinking" approach to tackling the practice placement problems.

The extra days should help to prepare young people for a job in social work but they must also have the support. "Employers often want someone who can get on with the job and if there are enormous pressures they will not always get the support they should," Lloyd warns.

Andrea Rowe, chief executive of Training Organisation for Personal Social Services England, believes that the occupational standards drawn up by the organisation as part of the degree emphasise the responsibility individual social workers must take for their own work and self-development. Increasingly, says Rowe, social workers are moving into work environments where they are being called upon to be accountable for their own practice. She offers the example of approved social workers, who do not have any medical training

But there appears to be a potential problem with expecting a 20-year-old, in their first job, to have the professional expertise and maturity to exercise such self-management. Rowe accepts this point, and adds that it is the responsibility of the employer to support newly qualified staff.

More also needs to be done to make social work a career profession. Rowe says the work lacks the opportunities for career progression that other professions offer. Money is also a factor, but other incentives could be used, such as company cars and credit cards.

Belinda Adams, a senior consultant at the Employers' Organisation, is hopeful that the degree will have an impact on the recruitment and retention crisis by increasing the professionalism of the work.

Initial fears that a full-time degree would deter applications from mature students, many of whom have families, also look to be unfounded. Like the DipSW, access to the degree will be via a number of routes, including part-time and distance-learning options.

The General Social Care Council will be responsible for accrediting universities that apply to deliver the social work degree, but responsibility for accrediting and assessing the course itself will be left to the university.

The GSCC also has inspection powers and statutory powers to intervene and remove accreditation, which may be used if there are complaints about the quality of the course offered. Students and members of the Quality Assurance Agency, which checks the course is meeting requirements, are among those who might make a complaint.

All of the 78 organisations that deliver the DipSW have expressed an interest in taking on the degree, and the GSCC plans to use Universities UK, an organisation that acts on behalf of university vice chancellors, to promote the existence of the degree to other universities.

At the beginning of the month, the GSCC released the accreditation document for universities. Courses will be phased in at universities around the country over two years. Details of funding for students will be released next May but it is anticipated that financial incentives such as bursaries may be offered to encourage take-up of the course.

The department of health has also introduced a handful of compulsory minimum requirements for those who apply to complete the new social work degree. Among them is the need for all potential students to have C grade GCSEs in English and maths. Degree providers must also demonstrate that all students undertake specific learning and assessment in partnership working and information sharing across professional disciplines and agencies.

Association of Directors of Social Services spokesperson for human resources and training Bill McKitterick is pleased to see the inclusion of basic literacy and numeracy skills as part of the degree's entry requirements and does not believe that it will be a barrier to those wanting to do a degree in social work.

McKitterick argues: "As employers, we have a reasonable expectation that people who have completed a DipSW, which is two-thirds of a degree, do have a good level of literacy.

But it has not always been the case for some courses," he adds. Such were the problems in Bristol that the council decided to introduce a basic literacy test as part of its selection process.

McKitterick is also happy that greater emphasis has been given to partnership working, describing it as "confirmation of how we work now". It recognises that social workers "work every day with a wide mix of professionals and that is one of the complexities of the job", he adds.

His only concern is that, while the additional practice placement days will be helpful in giving students a better idea of what their job will involve, the academic aspect of the degree could suffer.

McKitterick dismisses the argument often levelled at the DipSW that it is too theoretical. "The student needs a solid knowledge of what causes social problems but also knowledge of what social methods work in tackling them," he explains. With the new degree, social work students should hopefully have the best of both worlds and receive a rounded training.

For more details of social work degree go to www.doh.gov.uk/swqualification/

Core competences in the new degree

Key role 1: Prepare for and work with individuals, families, carers, groups and communities to assess their needs and circumstances.

Key role 2: Plan, carry out, review and evaluate social work practice, with individuals families, carers' groups and communities and other professionals.

Key role 3: Support individuals to represent their needs, views and circumstances.

Key role 4: Manage risk to individuals, families, carers groups and communities.

Key role 5: Manage and be accountable, with supervision and support, for your own social work practice within your organisation.

Key role 6: Demonstrate professional competence in social work practice.