Programmes leading to a post-qualifying award in specialist social work allow practitioners with a qualification in social work to develop the range of knowledge and skills associated with competence in depth in a particular area of specialist social work practice.  At this level, the aim is to develop well-rounded practitioners, confident about working in inter-professional and inter-agency contexts, who have demonstrated competence in a range of key areas including direct work with service users, families and carers, self management and use of supervision and mentoring and practice education.

Specialist award programmes consolidate and extend initial competence as well as developing competence in depth in a specific area of practice.  It is anticipated that employers and universities will work together to ensure that structured programmes of induction and the natural assessment points associated with the completion of probationary requirements will be integrated with modules supporting the consolidation of initial competence.  So the consolidation of competence in a specialist context (described in para 49, criteria iii) will be the focus of a single module located at the first stage of these programmes.

Consolidation of initial competence in a specialist context must be demonstrated across all the units of the National Occupational Standards for Social Work and this will have implications for learning and teaching strategies.  The GSCC does not wish to impose a single template for this module but all relevant requirements must be clearly demonstrated in both the content and the assessment of this module.  In particular, all programme specifications should make specific reference to para 49, criteria iii in relation to   this module.  The GSCC may designate additional requirements for this module in relation to specific areas of specialist practice.

Those who reach the level of development associated with a specialist award will be well equipped to progress further in their careers.  However, the primary aim is to raise standards in social work by ensuring that increasing numbers of qualified social workers have available to them a way of consolidating and extending their initial level of competence and developing additional competence in depth in their specified areas of practice.