The PQ framework has been thoroughly revised by the General Social Care Council (GSCC).  The framework builds on the new social work degree and takes into account all the changes that have taken place in social work practice in recent years.  Inter-professional working, service user involvement and the person centred approach are central in the revised framework.

The framework aims to be:

• relevant;
• efficient and effective (representing good value for money);
• meaningful and easily understood by practitioners;
• accessible;
• modular;
• linked to national occupation standards;
• linked to the university credit accumulation and transfer system in a straightforward way;
• focused on the assessment of competence in practice; and
• likely to enhance the maintenance of national standards.

The framework is divided into three levels, each corresponding to a different stage of professional development - Specialist level, Higher Specialist level and Advanced level.