The final report of the Social Work Taskforce has been put back
until October, a Department of Health official has confirmed.
Glen Mason, director for social care leadership and performance at
the DH, told a conference this week that the government-appointed
panel of experts, who were originally due to report in the summer,
would now only produce an initial report in late summer.
Children’s secretary Ed Balls and health secretary Alan Johnson
announced
the formation of the taskforce last December. It will examine
every aspect of training and practice in social work in England,
before recommending ways of improving the profession’s status and
quality.
Meetings under way
The group, which includes directors of children's and adult
services, along with service user leaders, practitioners,
academics and staff representatives, held its first meeting earlier
this month. Some members were unable to attend due to transport
problems caused by poor weather conditions, but the panel is
expected to meet in full in March.
More reports expected in spring
Mason was speaking at the annual conference of Skills for Care,
where he told delegates that two other long-awaited pieces of work
would be published this spring.
These were the adult social care workforce strategy and
a review of the roles of Skills for Care, the Social Care Institute
for Excellence, and the General Social Care Council, which was
originally scheduled to report at the the end of 2008.
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External information
Further information on the Social Work Taskforce - Department
for Children, Schools and Families website