Social Work Taskforce: Final report delayed until October

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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