Resources for Social Workers and Students

Think Ahead – meeting the workforce challenges in Mental Health Social Work. Institute for Public Policy Research – May 2014

The report seeks to address the challenges currently facing the education and recruitment of Mental Health Social Workers and recommends a programme which attempts to:

  • Recruit people from a wider talent pool and making the profession a more attractive option
  • Increase the supply of people who can enter the profession ready to practice
  • Reform the educational curriculum so that work-based blended learning is a major component
  • Promote inter-professional learning and development within Community Mental Health teams
  • Increase the number of qualified Social Workers progressing to the Approved Mental Health Professional qualification

Follow the link to the IPPR website to download the full report.

Social Work Education - moving on?

Two government sponsored reports out in early 2014 looking at the future of social work education.

The first, Martin Narey's 'Making the education of social workers consistently effective', focusses on Childrens social work, but therefore covers some of the issues within social work education today,  especially the complex regulation, HCPC (Health and Care Professionals Council), TCSW (The College of Social Work), SoPs (Standards of Proficiency), PEPS(Practice Educators Professional Standards), QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for higher education), HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) etc  

The second is an independent review commissioned  from David Croisdale-Appleby Re-Visioning Social Work Education.

As a taster, and a nudge to the importance of evidence-based practice, here's a Bertrand Russell quote: “A habit of basing convictions upon evidence, and of giving to them only that degree of certainty which the evidence warrants, would, if it became general, cure most of the ills from which the world is suffering.”

More useful links

Reclaiming Social Work? An evaluation of sytemic units as an approach to delivering childrens services

Research and Inquiry – Social Workers

Oppression versus Collusion the dynamics of partnership

Guidance for social work students wishing to claim mileage for work completed whilst on placement with Walsall Council.

Social Work, Criminal Justice and Mental Health Seminar presentationcase studies and references.

 

Fact Sheets

On 1st August 2012 The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) replaced the General Social Care Council (GSCC) as the regulatory body for social workers in England. 

Our Fact Sheet will give you further information about HCPC.

 Ongoing learning is key to the professional and career development of social workers. 

This Fact Sheet explores some of the options for your Continuous Professional Development (CPD).

The implications of social networking for professional social work practice are explored in our Fact Sheet here.

Engaging in courageous conversations is about challenging current practices and fostering improvement and growth through conversation, listening to and acting on feedback, and providing feedback that will lead to improvements in achievement and well-being. See our Fact sheet for more information.

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