Standards of proficiency for Social Workers (England) Professional Liaison Group (PLG) 14 January 2011 The relationship between the standards of proficiency and other standards and frameworks for social workers in England Executive summary and recommendations Introduction This paper looks at the role of the standards of proficiency and considers the differences and similarities between the standards of proficiency and the existing standards or frameworks which apply to social workers in England. Decision This paper is for discussion. Background information None. Resource implications None. Financial implications None. Appendices 1. General Social Care Council Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers 2. Department of Health Requirements for Social Work Training 3. The National Occupational Standards for Social Work 4. Social Work Reform Board Capability Framework 5. Quality Assurance Agency Subject Benchmark Statement for Social Workers Date of paper 14 December 2010
1. Introduction 1.1 The Department of Health recently published Liberating the NHS: Report of the arm s length bodies review. This review said that the government intended to transfer responsibility for regulating social workers in England to the Health Professions Council (HPC). As part of this work, this PLG will help to prepare draft standards of proficiency. These standards will apply to social workers in England. 1.2 The standards of proficiency are the threshold standards for safe and effective practice in each of the professions we regulate. They play a crucial role in how someone becomes and remains registered. The standards outline what an individual must know, understand and be able to do when they enter the Register and begin practicing their profession. 1.3 The standards of proficiency are: the threshold standards for entry to the Register; the minimum standards which HPC registrants must continue to meet throughout their professional life; and the minimum standards which registrants will be judged against if allegations are made against them questioning their competence. 1.4 The PLG will help to prepare draft standards of proficiency for social workers in England which will be agreed by our Council and then subject to public consultation. The standards will then be finalised and published prior to the opening of the Register for social workers. 1.5 This paper looks at the role of the standards of proficiency and considers the differences and similarities between the standards of proficiency and the existing standards or frameworks which apply to social workers in England. Page 2 of 10
2. Other standards and frameworks for social work 2.1 The PLG workplan said that when drafting the standards of proficiency, the PLG should consider all relevant information, which will include but is not limited to: the Codes of Practice produced by the General Social Care Council; the requirements for social work training produced by the Department of Health; the National Occupational Standards for social workers; any relevant information from the work of the Social Work Taskforce and Social Work Reform Board; and the subject benchmark statement for social work produced by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). 2.2 These standards and frameworks are considered in turn below. In each case we provide more information about the standards/framework and explain how the particular standards or framework impact on the PLG s work to help to prepare draft standards of proficiency for social workers in England. 2.3 Copies of each of the standards or frameworks mentioned in this paper are appended to the paper. Page 3 of 10
3. Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers 3.1 The codes of practice are produced by the General Social Care Council (GSCC). 1 3.2 There are codes of practice for both social care workers and employers of social workers. The Code of Practice for Social Care Workers describes the standards of professional conduct and practice which social workers should work to. The Code of Practice for Employers of Social Workers outlines employers responsibilities in the regulation of social workers. 3.3 The Code of Practice for Social Care Workers covers six key areas of professional conduct. Each of these areas is then supported by additional statements outlining how social workers should meet them. 3.4 The code outlines the standards of conduct expected of social workers. It does not however, cover proficiencies or competencies. 3.5 The GSCC can take action where social workers do not meet the code. In addition, they encourage employers to consider the code when making decisions about a social worker they have employed. The code of practice for social workers and the HPC standards 3.6 The code articulates the conduct, ethics and behaviour expected of social workers. The code is similar to the standards of conduct, performance and ethics (SCPE) which we set. Whilst the code applies only to social workers, the SCPE applies across all the professions we regulate. 3.7 The standards of proficiency play a different role to the SCPE as the standards of proficiency do not encompass behaviours but instead focus on the skills or competencies necessary to practise in a particular profession. 3.8 As a result, the code would not be a starting point for drafting standards of proficiency. However, when drafting the standards of proficiency for social workers the PLG will need to ensure that the standards articulate the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to underpin the ethical framework for social work practice. 3.9 We do not produce standards or codes for employers. However, we recognise the important role that employers play in supporting our registrants and developing appropriate governance systems. As a result, we have developed publications aimed at employers and hold regular events specifically for employers. 1 http://www.gscc.org.uk/page/35/codes+of+practice.html Page 4 of 10
4. Requirements for Social Work Training 4.1 The Requirements for Social Work Training are produced by the Department of Health. 2 4.2 The power to decide the training required by persons who are, or wish to become, social care workers currently lies with the Secretary of State at the Department of Health. This document sets out the Secretary of State s requirements for those who provide pre-registration training and education for social care workers. The GSCC then has powers to approve qualifications which meet the necessary requirements. 4.3 The Requirements for Social Work Training specify what providers of social work training must do. The requirements therefore specifically relate to education providers rather than individuals. The requirements are organised in two sections, entry requirements and teaching, learning and assessment requirements. 4.4 The requirements incorporate the National Occupational Standards for Social Work and the QAA Benchmark Statement for Social Work. These two frameworks are discussed in sections 5 and 8. Taken together, the three documents make up the prescribed curriculum for the degree in social work. The requirements for social work training and the HPC standards 4.5 The requirements set out the expectations on education providers delivering the degree in social work. The requirements are similar in some ways to the standards of education and training which we set. The standards of education and training are the standards which education providers must meet for their programme to be approved by us. Approval of the programme means that someone who successfully completes it is eligible to apply for registration. 4.6 Many of the requirements about entry processes, assessment, the integration of learning and practice and the delivery of training echo the requirements within the standards of education and training. As a result, these requirements will not be directly relevant to the work of the PLG in setting standards of proficiency. 4.7 The standards of proficiency should be consistent with the content of the majority of pre-registration education and training as that training is necessary to practise in a profession. The requirements also identify key areas which students have to learn about and be assessed against, including human growth, law and communication skills. These key areas should be reflected within the standards of proficiency for social workers. 2 http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/publicationsandstatistics/publications/publicationspolicyandguidance/ DH_4007803 Page 5 of 10
5. National Occupational Standards for Social Work 5.1 The Health and Social Care National Occupational Standards (NOS) are jointly owned by all the alliance partners within Skills for Care and Development and Skills for Health. 3 5.2 The National Occupational Standards for Social Work set out what employers require social workers to be able to do on entering employment. The NOS define the competencies which relate to job roles or occupations and are designed to cover the key activities undertaken in an occupation. 5.3 The NOS can be used by managers to undertake workforce management or quality control. They can also be used as a framework for training and development. 5.4 The NOS for social workers are divided up into six key roles, each containing their own units. Each of the supporting elements within a unit then has performance criteria which can be used to assess whether an individual is competent in a particular area or task. National Occupational Standards for Social Work and the HPC standards 5.5 The NOS set out the capabilities expected of social workers by employers. Some of those capabilities relate to roles which might be accessed by social workers who have recently completed their training and are entering work for the first time. There should therefore be some read across between these NOS and the standards of proficiency, as the standards are the threshold standards for entry into a profession. 5.6 The NOS provide very detailed capabilities which can be used to measure competency, to support training or development and to undertake workforce management. By contrast, the standards of proficiency are written at a higher level of generality than the NOS. 5.7 As a result, the NOS are not normally useful as a starting point in the drafting process. However, it is important that there is some broad consistency and read across between the NOS and the standards of proficiency as some of the NOS will relate to competencies required on entry into the profession. 3 http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/developing_skills/national_occupational_standards/social_work_ NOS.aspx Page 6 of 10
6. The Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Workers in England 6.1 The Social Work Reform Board is developing The Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Workers in England. 4 The capability framework is currently being drafted and information in this section is based on the existing draft. 6.2 The intention is that the capability framework will act as an overarching set of standards for social workers, encompassing competence and conduct elements and that the framework will apply to social workers throughout their career. The capability framework will include elements which will support social workers in training, as well as those who are practising autonomously. 6.3 The Reform Board is currently seeking views on their proposals for the capability framework. The board will then begin the work of setting the levels for each capability, depending upon the individual s career stages. Capability framework and the HPC standards 6.4 The capability framework will set out expectations of social workers in terms of both their conduct and competence. By contrast, we set different standards for a registrant s conduct and for their competence. As a result, there will be some capabilities within the framework which are reflected within the standards of conduct, performance and ethics rather than the standards of proficiency. 6.5 The standards of proficiency which the PLG will be developing are different to the capability framework. The standards of proficiency are threshold standards which set out the proficiencies which registrants must meet on entry to the Register. The capability framework sets out expectations both below and above the threshold standards and is designed to support social workers throughout their career. 6.6 The capabilities framework will therefore set out expectations related to career levels, throughout a social worker s career. By contrast, the standards of proficiency set out the threshold necessary for entry to the Register, at the point where individuals start their career. 6.7 It is important that there should be broad consistency between the capabilities covered within the capability framework and the standards which we set. In particular there should be read across between the capabilities for newly qualified social workers and the standards of proficiency. This is because the standards are the threshold standards for entry to the Register, at the point where an individual is entering their profession. We are working with the Reform Board to ensure that the standards fit together. 4 Building a safe and confident future: One year on. Detailed proposals from the Social Work Reform Board pages 6-17 Page 7 of 10
7. Curriculum framework 7.1 As identified above in paragraph 4.4, the curriculum for the social work degree is currently determined through a combination of standards and frameworks. 7.2 One of the recommendations from the Social Work Task Force was that work should be undertaken to overhaul the content and delivery of social work degree courses, including developing a curriculum framework. 7.3 The Social Work Reform Board is taking forward this recommendation. The intention is that they will use the Professional Capabilities Framework to agree outcomes at different stages of the course. 5 It is likely that the curriculum framework will set out learning outcomes for each of the nine capabilities within the capabilities framework. 7.4 It is currently expected that the new curriculum framework and guidance could be ready for consultation in September 2011, for publication in April 2012. It is anticipated that the learning and curriculum framework may be held by the College of Social Work in the future. The curriculum framework and the HPC s standards 7.5 It is anticipated that the curriculum framework will set out the skills, knowledge, values, qualities and outcomes expected of social work graduates. 7.6 Curriculum frameworks often articulate inputs into an education programme. This could include subjects to be covered or specifications for assessment or practice hours. These sections are not normally relevant when drafting standards of proficiency. 7.7 However, curriculum frameworks often also identify the outputs from an education programme, often specified in terms of learning outcomes. These learning outcomes may be articulated for the whole programme or for particular sections or modules within that programme. 7.8 Learning outcomes are often set out at a higher level of detail than standards of proficiency. In addition, they may also sometimes include content which is set at a level above the threshold standards necessary for safe and effective practice within a profession. However, there should be broad consistency between the learning outcomes and the standards of proficiency. 7.9 It is expected that the curriculum framework will be ready for consultation in autumn next year. It is therefore likely that the PLG will have completed its work before the curriculum is published. 5 Building a safe and confident future: One year on. Detailed proposals from the Social Work Reform Board page 46 and 59 Page 8 of 10
7.10 However, the curriculum will be based on the capability framework. As we are working to ensure that the capability framework fits with the standards we are setting where appropriate, the absence of the curriculum framework should not cause difficulties. Page 9 of 10
8. Subject Benchmark Statement for Social Work 8.1 The subject benchmark statement for social work was developed by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). 6 8.2 Subject benchmark statements are ways of setting out the expectations of an education programme in a particular area. They encompass the knowledge and skills which someone who possess a particular qualification should have. They also outlined the teaching, learning and assessment methods which should be used on the programme. 8.3 Subject benchmark statements have a number of different uses. They are an important tool for higher education institutions when developing new programmes in the relevant area. Whilst not a detailed curriculum, the benchmark statements also lay out learning outcomes associated with a particular programme. 8.4 The benchmark statement outlines the subject knowledge, understanding and skills expected of social workers. The benchmark statement also outlines the skills expected, including the ability to work with others, problem solving, good communication and the ability to analyse and synthesise information. QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Social Work and the HPC standards 8.5 The subject benchmark statement articulates the skills and knowledge which education providers are expected to deliver through their education programmes. In social work, these are the education programmes which lead to entry to the register and practising autonomously as a social worker. 8.6 As a result therefore, the benchmark statement applies more to education providers, whilst the standards of proficiency relate to individual professionals. This means that there will be differences in expectations, level of detail and terminology between the two. 8.7 However, the benchmark statements are a useful starting point when drafting standards. This is because the standards of proficiency should be consistent with the majority of pre-registration education and training as that education and training is necessary to practise within a profession and the benchmark statements set out the knowledge and skills associated with a particular qualification. 8.8 In addition, the subject benchmark statements offer general guidance for articulating learning outcomes. As those outcomes set out the learning expected of individuals completing the programme, there should be read across between those learning outcomes and the standards of proficiency, in their role as threshold standards. 6 http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/honours/socialpolicy.asp Page 10 of 10