A "gulf" in understanding between educators and employers is dogging attempts to get social workers trained more effectively, according to today's report from the Commons' children, schools and families committee.
The MPs say employers and training bodies must work together "in tandem to produce effective training programmes" and want all training to be delivered through formal partnership of employers and higher education institutions. They also call for stronger national leadership for social work as a profession. National sector bodies need to be rationalised and their roles clarified, says the report, with a single body responsible for funding and commisioning social work degree courses and workforce planning, similar to the approach taken for teachers.
The report also expresses concern that too many "disparate initiatives" have been launched before the social work task force has had an opportunity to report.
But the MPs emphasise that the single biggest factor jeopardising better training for social workers is the huge workload that social workers face, which means managers cannot spare the time staff need to participate in training. Only a "substantial injection" of resources into frontline social work capacity will enable changes in training and professional development to take place, they say.
From Bubb's Blog
From Whitehall Watch
