by Sally Gillen
Killing two birds with one stone appears to be the aim of the government’s proposal to introduce Newly Qualified Social Worker status. The Department for Children, Schools and Families has allocated £21m from 2008-11 to fund pilots which will look at what social workers need when they start practising and last week the Department of Health announced that it would look at ways of supporting new social workers.
Bolstering the workforce
On the face of it, the concept is designed to improve staffing levels. Bolstering the workforce has always been about R&R. But recruitment is one thing, retention quite another. As fast as the new recruits start work, many leave - stressed, overworked, burnt out.
Smoothing their transition from college to council makes sense, especially when many are plunged straight into the job without the benefit of good quality placements under their belt. But I wonder if ministers are keen on the idea of NQSW status as an extra quality control. It’s no secret that a significant number of people entering social work are, to be blunt, not up to the job.
(Will social work learn from the teaching profession?)
Lessons from teaching
In teaching, where ministers have taken their inspiration for the NQSW role, new recruits who have done fast-track training spend a year as Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs). The role was introduced in 1999 as part of the Graduate Teacher Programme, a fast-track training course designed to boost the numbers of teachers quickly.
Unlike traditional teacher training, it places less emphasis on educational theory and more on on-the-job training. NQTs are mentored, get extra support and fewer teaching hours. But it’s not just to ease them into the job. In order to receive their NQT certificate from the DCSF and become a fully qualified teacher they must meet between 40 and 50 standards in their NQT year.
It would be interesting if new social workers are also expected to do something similar as NQSWs. It would be interesting if they were expected to meet another raft of standards, despite having already done a three-year degree.
Overwhelmed by responsibilities
Even if introducing a probationary period of this kind is not part of the government’s motive, and it is solely about offering new social workers more support and reduced caseloads, there are no guarantees that it will be effective. NQTs often find themselves overwhelmed by responsibilities early on.
London teacher Sam Stopss says schools break the rules all the time in relation to newly qualified teachers. “It’s easy to dump on NQTs,” he says. “Their experiences will vary dramatically, depending on the school they are in. If your mentor has a lot of admin to do, books to mark, their responsibilities to the NQT may fall by the wayside a bit. It’s one of the first things to be sacrificed.”
It is likely to be the same in local authorities. If a new social worker is fortunate to get their first job in a well-staffed department, the system may work well. But for those in organisations without enough workers and too many cases, it will be a different story. Not many managers in overstretched departments will relish the additional responsibility of mentoring new recruits when they have so many other competing commitments.
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Comments (2)
There is little enough public confidence in SW's as it is - given the Nottingham Case where SW's removed a baby allegedly in the absence of any legal authority I wonder just where the management / senior management oversight was.
There are too many highly paid, decision-making, senior managers who are not even (and do not need to be) registered with the General Social Care Council (GSCC).
There are fundamental issues which need to be addressed in social work and whilst the 'Newly Qualified Social Worker' designation has some superficial appeal it will only be of use if supported by high quality Supervision, mentoring and co-working by appropriate experienced and qualified social workers.
We have seen a dilution in experienced workers - less experienced ones come cheaper and incentives to retain experienced practitioners, especially, are grossly insufficient.
So that's why I currently have such deep concerns about the state of the social work profession. Many newer workers have little idea of the origins of the profession and are certainly not encouraged to advocate aginst what their managers often wrongly feel is best. Professional risk-taking has to be accepted not the current bureaucratic, council-driven, legalistic and 'risk-free' approach. Have we not digested the dangers of Care and what splitting up families can do?
All of the above I write with 36 experience and as a 'hardline' Child Protectionist but as someone who has largely lost faith in the profession.
Posted by Philip Measures | January 31, 2008 1:22 PM
Posted on January 31, 2008 13:22
The comment that Gillen makes that 'Many newer workers have little idea of the origins of the profession and are certainly not encouraged to advocate aginst what their managers often wrongly feel is best' I feel is completely untrue. Admittedly, as social work students we are not encouraged in the workplace to challenge the status quo regarding managerial decisions, we certainly are through are university and I for one, as a social work student, would campaign venomously to secure the rights of any client of mine. I also believe that the 'original values' of social work, such as empowerment, promoting self-advocacy, self-determination, independence and the rights of our clients form a large part of the social work training, and it is only through our practice experience that this is drained out of some students and newer workers .
I do admit that not enough training is done around the radical tradition of social work, but as people enter the profession, they are increasingly told by experienced social workers that 'you won't get that' or 'you can't change that.' Thus they are put off practising social work in a radical fashion and struggle to transfer 'theory into practice' as they are told it is not applicable in the 'real world'.
I therefore believe that it is the organisation of Local Authorities that leave NQSW's in a position whereby they are out of their depth, rather than any failings of the university system or the individuals that qualify as social workers. Unless that changes, then placement practice experiences are going to continue hindering social work students, rather than help them.
Posted by Mark Caulfield | April 25, 2008 4:46 PM
Posted on April 25, 2008 16:46