Eight recommendations for the Social Work Task Force

June 2, 2009 in Adults, Children

In the past few months Community Care has conducted thorough research into vacancy rates in social work, practice placements offered to students, and the quality and levels of supervision and information provided to practitioners.

Today we reveal the results of our survey asking social workers about the challenges they face. We have combined these findings with feedback from social workers to produce the following recommendations for the Social Work Task Force.

1 PLACEMENTS

Introduce a universal entitlement to statutory placements for all social work students, with a duty of care on local authorities and universities to provide this.

2 SUPERVISION

Formulate national guidelines on supervision for social workers, with ring-fenced time for reflective practice (taking into account variations in individuals’ experience).

3 CASELOADS

Commission a thorough review of caseload limits in adults’ and children’s service, leading to a set of national, enforceable standards.

4 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Create a more rigorous framework and make the attainment of post-qualifying awards an essential requirement of re-registration for all social workers.

5 RECRUITMENT

Launch a high-profile, national recruitment campaign overseen by Skills for Care, National Skills Academy for Social Care and Children’s Workforce Development Council to attract more, suitable applicants into the profession.

6 GREATER SUPPORT FROM GOVERNMENT

The government should do more to promote respect for and positive images of social work to enhance its professional standing, as it has done for teachers.

7 PUBLIC RELATIONS

Review local authority guidelines on social workers speaking to the media about their day-to-day jobs and successes. Secure better media training for social workers and directors of children’s and adult services. Consider including a section on engaging with the media as part of the social work degree.

8 FOCUS ON ADULT SERVICES

The government must recognise that social workers in adult services face similar working conditions and challenges as children’s services and need equal resources and support.

More information

More coverage of Community Care’s submission

Survey on the challenges faced by the social work profession

Social work vacancy research

Research on student placement availability

Research into supervision and information provision

What will you do?

Community Care is working on many of the issues raised in our submission through our Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign, which seeks to improve perceptions and we need all social workers to act.