Funding of social work training found wanting

Councils and other social worker employers are taking insufficient responsibility for funding training, a report commissioned by the Department of Health said today.

The report on funding arrangements for post-qualifying training for social workers said some councils wrongly limited spending on training to earmarked government grants, rather than funding it “as part of their normal (and important) duties”.

And with the incorporation of specific grants, such as the old training support grant, within councils’ general annual funding allocation, some authorities had reduced spending.

The report, produced by consultants JM Consulting, recommended that the DH insist that employers are responsible for arranging training and cover for staff from “the normal income streams”.