My husband is to start the Social Work Degree in September. He has been a Manager for many years in residential child care (previously his existing qualifications were seen as appropriate), is a graduate already, qualified nurse and management trained etc. Currently he is working as an Assistant Social Worker in Foster Care wanting a change of direction. With two sons at Uni / mortgage etc, we cannot afford for him to give up work and so he is going to study part-time, but this is going to take 6 years!!! The only credit he will receive is for Sociology (1 module) as he has a degree in Sociology and Social Policy. I think this is unfair and that people with relevant and extensive experience should be given more credit. I qualified some years ago and have an MA and DipSW. Comparing the syllabus with mine, I am not particularly impressed. As manager myself, I find the newly qualified SW's with the degree, much less well prepared than those who came in with DipSW and CQSW. 

Any comments or ideas to assist my other half would be much appreciated? 

I have heard many times before that people are finding Social Workers with the new degree are much less prepared/ experienced/ knowledgable etc, but I have to ask why??

In the new degree, you cover all the same subject areas as the DIPSW, but in more depth, AND you have more time in placement. How can this possibly leave you less well prepared?

Maybe you have just not had a good experience with a newly qualified worker, but please do not tar all with the same brush.

Hi Mazz

as your OH is already a graduate, would he not find it more suitable to do a MA Social Work?

An MA may be a quicker route and most Uni's offer it at part time also.

I have just finished my degree and being a mature student with a family and household costs, I understand where you are coming from.

Sue

xx

And then after all your experience you compete with people who have hardly any but they have a PQ.

I went self employed working for a lot less than I would get but my boss [ head teacher] is fantastic and lets me be imaginative and creative.

In teaching years of experience are taken into account our social work world is just frankly mad

You may be right about not having a good experience. I have interviewed 3 times in the past year and was very disappointed in the responses/presentations from the NQW's, the theory seems to be there, but not the reality. Eventually I did take one on and am regretting it almost daily.

as a mature soon to be third year student i feel quite demoralised when i read a lot that NQSW are not up to the job. it makes me wonder if this is all worth it; the stress, the lack of money etc just to be not good enough. can anyone suggest how i can make up for what the degree will not give me? 

I agree with Nihat in that teams have a responsibility to assist, induct and continue the development of newly qualified social workers - it's the way that I got through things at the start - I had a very supportive team. I also think that current social workers have a responsibility to provide strong and supportive placements. Without the quality placements, newly qualified social workers will be less well prepared than otherwise. 

The qualification though, is a platform where the learning starts to be honest - and is best viewed as such. But a team gains a great deal from having newly qualified staff and being supportive as a group. 

I completed an MA in Social Work last year as a mature student.  The MA is a 2 year course rather than 3 years.  Experience counts for more when recruiting for these courses (given that my first degree is in music).  There were many mature students on the course (in fact they were the majority).  I was sponsored by my local authority which means I am tied to them for employment for 2 years but they paid me a salary while I was training and all the fees.  Find out from your local authority if they run such a scheme.