College to review social work capability framework

The professional capabilities framework (PCF), which sets out skill requirements for social workers, is to be reviewed early next year the College of Social Work announced today.

The College is going to set up an advisory body to conduct the review, membership of which is yet to be decided. The review will look at consolidating standards around the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment  and continuing professional development.

The review will also consider the impact of the new accreditation for children and families social workers announced by education secretary Nicky Morgan in October, and the chief social workers’ respective knowledge and skills statements.

However,  despite the separate skills statements for children’s and adults social workers, the college said it viewed  social work as one profession which needed one set of professional standards.

The PCF was introduced by government commissioned review body, the Social Work Taskforce, in 2010 to consolidate the capabilities and standards required from social workers at each stage of their career.

Four years on, the College said the framework needed to be reviewed in response to the changing needs of service users as well as changes coming from government.

The College of Social Work’s chief executive Annie Hudson claimed the PCF had become well embedded across education and practice.

“Now is the right time for taking stock and evaluating how the PCF can be sharpened up to reflect today’s needs,” she said.

The review should be completed by summer 2015.