LGA - Standards for employers of social workers re-launched
20 May 2014 12:20 PM
The standards which set out what
social workers should expect from their employers have been revised and
re-launched by local authorities, health and social care partners
today.
The Standards for Employers of
social workers have been re-developed to give social work employers and those
working in social work access to a pool of professional resources and
information that incorporates the essentials of what supports good social work
practice.
They aim to benefit every social
worker in a local authority, health or the voluntary sector by clearly
identifying the development opportunities, resources and accountability
arrangements that employers should have in place to ensure they are providing
the right level of support to social workers for their everyday work and
continuing professional development.
The Standards bring together an
updated set of core values that are shared across local authorities, health and
social care partners, ensuring that social workers can expect the same levels
of support across all social worker roles in all organisations. They are aimed
at enabling social workers to do their jobs more effectively and supporting
them in today's changing landscape of social services.
There are eight individual
employer standards that cover all levels of employees from managers to student
social workers. These fall into three over-arching areas of focus that social
workers should expect:
- A well led professional
environment – including effective planning and
workloads
- Enabling professionals –
with effective management and supervision
- Enabling
practice – with effective development.
The Standards are set out in a
framework which is designed to be used as a practical resource by all employers
including councils and health and social care partners in their local areas.
The framework can be incorporated into local self-regulation and improvement
and is also designed to be used by regulators such as Ofsted and the Care
Quality Commission.
The Local Government Association
(LGA) has led on revising the standards on behalf of the Social Work Reform
partners, hosting an advisory and implement group consisting of a number of
representative bodies involved in providing care for the young, old, disabled
and vulnerable. The Employer Standards were first developed in 2009 by a
cross-sector working group drawn from the Social Work Reform Board (and
supported by a joint Department of Health and Department for Education social
work unit) in response to recommendations made by its predecessor body, the
Social Work Task Force.
Jim McMahon, Chair of the
LGA's Workforce Board, said:
"Having an up-to-date set
of standards for social work is crucial, not just for making sure that
employees are getting the right support and resource to do their job
effectively, but also to ensure those who need care are also getting the
improved outcomes they deserve.
"We know that social
workers do a difficult job in what is an increasingly challenging environment,
so anything we can do to help social workers gain and maintain the skills and
knowledge they need to build relationships, develop skills and feel supported
in the workplace is positive."
Helga Pile, National Officer for
Social Care, UNISON, said:
"We want the Standards to
be universally adopted as the essential standard for safe and effective social
work practice conditions. They represent the employers' side of the bargain
by giving social workers the support they need in order to exercise their
professional responsibilities effectively. Working with the other partners to
refresh and sharpen them has been constructive, building on the experiences of
early adopters. We now have a great opportunity to renew our efforts to spread
the word in the sector about their fundamental importance for social
work."
Michael Guthrie, Director of
Policy and Standards, Health and Care Professions Council,
said:
"As the statutory regulator
of social workers in England, we are committed to working with the social work
profession to improve public protection.
"These standards play an
important role in ensuring that employers of our registrants understand the
legal and professional duties of social workers, including maintaining their
fitness to practise and undertaking continuing professional
development."
David Pearson, President,
Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS),
said:
"Social workers play a
critical and significant role in supporting many individuals in our local
communities to achieve improved health and wellbeing outcomes, independence,
choice and control. These standards are themselves important to support social
workers in these vital tasks and ADASS is pleased to be part of this endeavour
to recognise and encourage good practice."
Notes to
editors
The eight standards setting out
what employers should do are:
1. Clear social work
accountability framework
2. Effective workforce planning
3. Safe workloads and case allocation
4. Managing risks and resources
5. Effective and appropriate supervision
6. Continuing professional development
7. Professional registration
8. Effective partnerships.
The social work reform partners
include:
- The Association of Directors of
Adult Social Services (ADASS)
- The Association of Directors of
Children's Services (ADCS)
- PROSPECT the
Union
- British Association of Social
Workers (BASW)
- Children and family Court
Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS)
- Centre for Workforce
Intelligence (CFWI)
- Care Quality Commission
(CQC)
- The Department of
Education
- The Department of
Health
- Joint University Council Social
Work Education Committee (JucSWEC)
- Health and Care Professions
Council (HCPC)
- Local Government Association
(LGA)
- Public Sector People
Managers' Association (PPMA)
- Recruitment and Employment
Confederation (REC)
- Skills for Care
(SfC)
- Society of Local Authority Chief
Executives (SOLACE)
- The College of Social Work
(TCSW)
- UNISON – the
Public Services Union.