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Requirements for approval
Requirement 1
Before they can be finally approved all programmes of post qualifying education and training in social work with children and young people, their families and carers must provide evidence that the specialist standards and requirements identified here are embedded in programme learning outcomes and their associated teaching, learning and assessment strategies. They must also provide evidence that all the generic requirements of the post-qualifying framework for social work education and training including the criteria associated with the appropriate level/levels of the framework have been met.
Relevant occupational standards
Requirement 2
Programmes must ensure that they are in line with relevant national occupational standards. To this end they must clearly identify relevant practice settings and occupational groups. Programmes must meet both the core requirements laid down in this document and the specific requirements of sector skills councils in relation to particular parts of the children’s workforce. Some of these occupationally specific requirements may be inter-professional in character. In order to meet both the core GSCC requirements and occupationally specific specialist standards, each programme must refer to relevant national occupational standards and any relevant published national guidance approved by sector skills councils. All programmes will be required to show that they are addressing not only the specific needs of individual employers but also any occupational or other standards deemed by participating employers and agreed by sector skills councils to be relevant to the development of high standards of practice by their specific workforce. The GSCC will expect reference to these matters to be contained in agreements between universities and employers and to be reflected in the programme specifications and exemplars provided (GSCC 2005, para 65, p24). A list of relevant national occupational standards and other sector skill council endorsed standards is included as an appendix to this document. This appendix will be regularly updated by the GSCC.
Approval requirements for consolidation of competence in a specialist context
Requirement 3
All students must consolidate their initial competence in a specialist context before they move on to other modules (GSCC 2005, pp.15-16, paras 46-47). In the case of social work with children, young people, their families and carers this module, referred to hereafter as ‘the consolidation module’, must ensure that competence in relation to the twenty one units of competence identified in the National Occupational Standards for Social Work is fully integrated with the Common Core of Knowledge and Skills for the Children’s Workforce. This means that the consolidation module described in sections 46 and 49 (iii) of the Post-qualifying framework for social work education and training must develop and assess effective and competent practice in a specific employment context and in the following areas of knowledge and skill:
- communication and engagement (including direct work) with children, young people and families
- child and young person development
- safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child
- supporting transitions
- multi-agency working, including accountability in a multi-agency context; and
- sharing information, including recording and sharing information effectively with other organisations and professions in line with agreed protocols.
Requirements for programme approval
Requirement 4
All programmes at the specialist level must meet the requirements for consolidation of competence in a specialist context. At all levels, programmes of education and training must show that they have integrated the five outcomes for children shared by all members of the children’s workforce with the national occupational standards for social work. In order to be approved specific evidence must also be provided that programmes will promote the development of relevant knowledge and skills and assess effective and competent practice in the following areas:
- Working in partnership with children, young people, their families or carers including effective:
- communication
- support;
- advocacy; and
- involvement of children and young people in decision-making.
- Application of assessment models and frameworks (including the selective use of the common assessment framework) to assessment of needs, including additional or complex needs associated with:
- The physical and mental health needs of children and young people (including a knowledge and understanding of how to use the services that exist to meet those needs).
- The risks associated with and the impact of drug and alcohol misuse on the lives of young people (including a knowledge and understanding of how to use relevant services to address these risks).
- The needs of children and young people with physical impairments and/or learning difficulties (including a knowledge and understanding of how to use the services that exist to meet those needs).
- The needs of young people involved with the youth and family justice systems (including a knowledge and understanding of how to use the services that exist to meet those needs).
- The needs of children and young people in asylum seeking families and unaccompanied asylum seeking children (including a knowledge and understanding of how to use the services that exist to meet those needs).
- The needs of children and young people accommodated, looked after and leaving care, (including a knowledge and understanding of how to use the services that exist to meet those needs and the nature of the specific responsibilities of corporate parents, such as those associated with responsibilities for development and educational attainment).
- The social, psychological and legal issues associated with private fostering arrangements and their implications for child welfare.
- Co-ordinating services in a multi-agency service delivery context, including the knowledge and skills required to ensure professional networks are able to meet complex needs and where appropriate undertake lead professional roles;
- Identifying, evaluating and managing risks including those associated with safeguarding responsibilities, together with the ability to intervene in situations to reduce risks.
- Presenting professional views (orally and in writing) in formal contexts, including those where outcomes are disputed and where effective responses to challenges and counter-arguments need to be deployed, for example in court;
- Applying knowledge and understanding of relevant legal frameworks, including the range of statutory responsibilities;
- Promoting positive change in families (including extended and substitute families) together with an ability to realistically evaluate the range and extent of the changes associated with the impact of social work intervention;
- Responding positively to the full range of changes that can take place in family (including extended and substitute family) systems and family functioning, including those associated with the separation and divorce of parents and those associated with the separation of children from birth parents or the reunification of children with birth parents;
- Actively working with and empowering those affected by poverty, unemployment, homelessness, racism, homophobia, bullying and other forms of discrimination and disadvantage which impact on the lives of children and young people; and
- Working with parental mental health, drug and alcohol misuse, health, illness, disability and domestic violence and the impact of these issues on children and young people.
Embedded values
Requirement 5
In addition to the general underpinning values associated with the GSCC codes of practice there are a number of specific user-focused values which need to be firmly embedded in social work practice with children and young people their families and cares. These are:
- engaging with others to develop trust;
- exploring ways to share control over decision-making with young people and their families;
- respect for others, including respect for difference;
- honestly and openness; and
- an ability and a willingness to look at the needs of children and young people in a holistic way, setting problems alongside overall interests, talents and abilities and drawing on an awareness and appreciation of the diversity of lifestyles and experiences of children and young people in our society.
Requirement 6
All programmes will be expected to foster these embedded values and to demonstrate how they will do so at the approval stage.
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