Newly qualified social workers are being let down by employers when it comes to continuous professional development, research commissioned by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has found.
The study of 205 newly qualified social workers ( 37% of the total in Scotland) was commissioned by the registering body and carried out by researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University, and evaluated NQSWs’ readiness to practise in their first year of work.
GCU researcher Scott Grant said: “The results of this study indicate the majority of NQSWs feel well-prepared by social work education in Scotland, but less supported by employers in terms of opportunities for continuous professional development.”
Event
Protecting the frontline against burnout: Creating cultures to promote resilience and wellbeing for social care and health professionals– 10th March 2015
Book now
This finding is contrary to a report from government adviser Sir Martin Narey which suggested social workers were being inadequately prepared for child protection work by their initial education.
The majority of participants in the research said they felt generally well prepared by professional qualifying programmes, but 45% said no specific opportunities for professional development were made available by their employer.
A significant proportion of NQSWs surveyed said their workload was not protected and some reported being given complex child or adult protection cases beyond their ability.
“This study has implications for the forthcoming review of social work education in Scotland and builds on research from England and Wales,” Mr Grant said.
“The report challenges earlier findings and suggests that higher education institutions are preparing students well for the realities of front-line practice.”
Responding to Community Care’s stress survey chief executive of The College of Social Work Annie Hudson said continuous professional development for social workers at all levels of experience was pivotal to retention.
“If we want to retain experienced people, we need to have a coherent CPD framework that means people go on having opportunities for development,” she said.
.
A trauma-informed approach to social work: practice tips 
Problem gambling: how to recognise the warning signs 
Find out how to develop your emotional resilience with our free downloadable guide 
Develop your social work career with Community Care’s Careers and Training Guide 
‘Dear Sajid Javid: please end the inappropriate detention of autistic people and those with learning disabilities’
Ofsted calls for power to scrutinise children’s home groups
Seven in eight commissioners paying below ‘minimum rate for home care’
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
Instagram
The headline to this article does not make it clear that the research is based on Scotland, which does not have an Assessed and Supported Year in Employment or similar, which is present in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. That point would have been worth making in this article.