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The following is a list of the questions most frequently asked by candidates who are considering, or already hold, a post qualifying award:
I'm considering studying for a post-qualifying (PQ) award. Should I wait till the new framework is in place?
Any training that you undertake under the current PQ framework will be fully recognised under the new arrangements.
We aim to have the first students join the new framework in September 2007. In the meantime, the current award framework continues and candidates will be able to achieve awards up until 1 September 2008.
No post-qualifying training done under the current framework will be wasted, and we would encourage you to access the current PQ awards if the opportunity is offered to you.
I've just completed the PQ1. Is it worth carrying on with another award or should I wait till the new framework is launched?
Any training that you undertake under the current PQ framework will be fully recognised under the new arrangements. This includes the PQ1 certificate as part of the full PQSW.
Arrangements will be in place to either recognise PQ1 in the new framework via AP(E)L, or provide support to candidates to complete their full PQ award within a reasonable timeframe. Remember PQ1 remains an entry requirement for the current Mental Health Social Work Award and Child Care Award.
We aim to have the first studnets join the new framework in September 2007. In the meantime, the current award framework continues and candidates will be able to achieve awards up until 1 September 2008.
No post-qualifying training done under the current framework will be wasted, and we would encourage you to access the current PQ awards if the opportunity is offered to you.
Will all the work undertaken by PQ programmes be recognised in the new framework?
All current awards will continue to be recognised within the new framework and will be mapped across to the new requirements. The new framework will build on the accreditation and approval experience of the social work degree and the current credit rating processes within the GSCC and post-qualifying consortia. These clearly integrate practice and academic requirements and impost strict expectations about assessment, involvement of service users and carers, stakeholder-driven design, delivery and quality assurance of courses.
What will replace the Child Care Award?
Specialist awards will develop in light of new requirements as a result of new legislation or policy changes. Both the MHSWA and CCA have provided learning and practice development which go a long way towards meeting current service needs. This sound basis is an excellent springboard to develop future specialist awards, using a modular structure. This should promote access to learning which has been a difficulty for staff in some specialist roles. Staff who currently cannot, or do not require, access to a full award will be able to undertake modules appropriate to their role. It will also mean additional modules can be developed and approved as service requirements/configurations change.
What will happen to the range of PQ provision now in existence?
If employers need the current PQ provision to continue to meet the training requirements of their staff, these courses will need to be approved as part of the HEI provision in the new system. It will mean that all provision will need to be approved, so will provide the opportunity for in-house training provision to be formally recognised and assessed as part of the new awards.
Higher education institutions (HEIs) will need to examine their AP(E)L and recognition of credits between institutions. There are pressures from HEFCE and other regulators and service providers (eg NHS) to sort this out.
Why has the Council decided to integrate the learning associated with PQ1 into the new framework instead of keeping it as a separate award?
The GSCC will not be the awarding body for any of the new awards. The current PQ1 is part of the PQSW, and the GSCC certificate is not an award, but a statement of meeting part 1 of the PQSW requirements. This ensure that candidates for the MHSWA and the CCA meet the requirement that they have been assessed for Part 1 via a PQC credit-rated course or portfolio route.
HEIs will give the awards in future and will be required to provide transcripts of learning for candidates who may have to step in and out fo formal learning or relocate geographically. Consolidation is one of the criteria for the specialist award so this module could be given such a transcript. The GSCC criteria are minimum standards, so any HEI could academically certificate a module.
Will all the courses/programmes be run and based in HEIs?
Courses will be approved within an HEI, and be subject to their QA processes but delivery should be determined by regional and local needs, using resources and expertise from all stakeholders. HEIs have pressures on them from HEFCE to respond to local workforce development needs and be flexible in their approach.
Where is the employer input?
The intention has always been that defining PQ provision must be employer-driven, based on regional workforce needs but working in partnership with HEIs who have the expertise to develop learning to meet that need. Regional planning will be a basic GSCC requirement for accreditation and approval. Most current awards are clearly based on good working partnerships between employers and HEIs. There are examples where this is not working, but there will be more clarity about roles and responsibilities in the new framework and this should help address such difficulties.
How will experienced staff fit in to the new framework?
As with the current framework, it has to cater for all qualified staff. As staff move and services re-figured, there will be the need for them to access learning that is new, no matter how long qualified. The graduate award will enable experienced diplomat staff to obtain a degree. As part of the accreditation process, there will be the requirement that fast-track routes be available to experienced staff. There will be a bigger variety of pathways, e.g. reflecting the workforce needs for management and leadership development, and advanced mentoring and supervision skills for an environment where work-based assessment is an integral part of all the awards.
I trained as an AASW before 1993. Can I claim any PQ credits?
All post-qualifying awards can be given towards a Post-Qualifying Award in Social Work (PQSW). GSCC approved awards obtained after 1997 automatically have minimum PQ credits towards the full PQSW. For the Mental Health Social Work (MHSWA) this is PQ2-5, and PQ5-6 for the Practice Teaching Award.
For Mental Health and Practice Teaching Awards pre-1997, you can get credit towards the PQSW for what you have achieved. This will mean putting together some form of portfolio or evidence of achievement. Candidates should contact their local Post-Qualifying Consortium for details of how to do this.
Approved Social Workers (ASWs) whose training was completed before the introduction of the revised ASW training requirements on 1 April 1993 have no automatic right to claim credits. ASWs in this position can claim PQ credits by individual portfolio prepared for their local PQ Consortium. This is the only way they can claim credits. PQ Consortia can assess such portfolio based claims against the learning outcomes of the current credit rated GSCC approved ASW training programmes that lead to the GSCC's MHSWA. The requirements for this award confirm that the learning outcomes recognised by this award equate to PQ2-5 towards the PQSW.
I have the AASW and now need to do the CCA. Will my AASW be evidence for PQ1?
No, because the AASW requirements do not cover the PQ1 requirement, so cannot be used to APEL PQ1. However, it may be that in individual cases, the AASW portfolio will provide evidence for PQ1, and can be presented for assessment as such.
I have PQ1 and the MHSWA. I also have the practice teaching award. I have been told that I need to do PQ6 to get the full PQSW.
It depends when the PT award was obtained. The PT award requirements were extended to cover PQ6 in 1997/8. The candidate will need to check with the actual programme and clarify whether the PTA does meet the PQ5-6 requirements.
Is my course PQ accredited?
Firstly, as the programme provider. If still not clear, you can find out by contacting your local post qualifying consortium (PQC) for advice and information.
I want to do a course that is not a PQ accredited course. Will this be equivalent?
It will not be recognised by the GSCC if it has not been accredited through a PQC. However, individual employers may recognise other awards as part of their human resources strategy. Candidates need to check with their employers about this. This is not something the GSCC can advise on.
Do we have to show actual GSCC certificates or will a statement from a programme provider suffice?
Yes, actual GSCC certificates must be seen. A statement will not suffice. In exceptional circumstances if these are being processed (e.g. PQ1 before undertaking the CCA or MHSWA) an e-mail from the GSCC registry saying that this is the case can be accepted.
PQ1 must be completed in work with children and families for the CCA, but not in mental health for the MHSWA. Is this right?
Yes. However, it is up to the programme to decide what prior experience they require and could develop selection criteria and processes to meet PQ1 requirements (which could be accredited with the PQ consortium).
Are there PQ award requirements linked to registration and re-registration?
No, not in England. All PQCs should have received a copy of the registration pack, which includes post-registration training and learning requirements. The registration team in Rugby should be contacted for further details on this. The helpline telephone number is 0845 070 0630.
Is data protection an issue for PQCs?
Whoever holds personal data is responsible for registering with the information commissioner. Consortia do not fall automatically under the GSCC umbrella. See the Information Commission website for guidance on what to do.
What is the position with locally accredited programmes being delivered across England?
The protocol is that if a programme is accredited by one consortium, other consortia will honour this accreditation. Candidates register with one consortium and can then undertake a programme that is accredited elsewhere. If a consortium is not happy with the accreditation of another consortium, this should initially be raised as an issue with that consortium. If the issue is not resolved, the GSCC should be contacted with details of the concern. Employers are key participants in the management of a consortium, but may be supporting their staff on programmes accredited by other consortia. The consortium could find it useful to understand the reasons for this whilst evaluating their PQ provision.
If a programme comes forward for accreditation and plans to deliver across the country, it is for that consortium to approve, monitor and quality assure all arrangements for the programme, to ensure consistency and standardisation. If a programme develops links in other regions after accreditation, it is the responsibility of the original consortium to quality assure any new processes. The regular review process may require additional information on these developments and may also require another accreditation exercise if the proposals are significantly different from the original accreditation submission. In all cases, the external assessor should be alerted to this and its significance for assessment processes.
I am a social worker from the Channel Islands/Isle of man. How can I access PQ awards?
Social work agencies cannot be partners with UK consortia, as the framework is for UK social workers. However, the GSCC registry will currently process individual applications and certificates. Candidates outside the UK cannot receive any financial subsidy for PQ training and the GSCC cannot incur any costs for this.
What about qualified social workers who work in health departments? Can they access bursaries?
Yes.
What about CAFFCASS/Connexions/EWOs?
It is still the case that staff who work in departments/agencies not directly funded by the Department of Health cannot access bursaries though this is currently being discussed. Some freelance social workers concurrently undertake work with social services departments and, e.g. CAFFCASS. Where evidence for a PQ award is obtained from work undertaken with social services, the candidate should be able to access bursary funding.
What about Emergency Duty Team (EDT) staff? The framework does not readily fit with their work.
There is a specialist EDT programme at one HEI and EDT staff can use the portfolio route. This does not address the issue, however, that EDT staff will need some of the CCA and also MHSW knowledge and skills. The review will need to consider such groups.
What is the earliest a qualified social worker can undertake PQ1?
There is no minimum time post-qualifying stipulated by the GSCC. This will be a decision for employers, based on their HR strategy.
There are 3 levels of award in the new framework. Do I have to complete the specialist award before I can access the higher specialist award?
Not necessarily, but it will be a selection requirement for higher and advanced awards that a potential candidate can demonstrate that they have already met the requirements of the specialist award. This does not mean that they have to be assessed for the specialist award.
Will there still be funding for the current framework?
As far as we are award, the current framework arrangements will definitely continue until March 2006.
When will the new framework be implemented?
We aim to have the first students join the new framework in September 2007. In the meantime, the current award framework continues, and candidates will be able to achieve awards up until 1 September 2008.
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