Social Work England has set out its expectations of graduates on joining the profession in England.
It has published 82 statements covering the knowledge, skills and behaviours the regulator believes that newly qualified social workers should possess at the point of registration to enable them to meet its professional standards. Social Work England consulted on the statements in 2022.
They will form part of 'readiness for professional practice guidance' that the regulator will issue to higher education institutions (HEI) to inform the content and curriculum of their social work courses.
Education standards review
However, the statements will not be used as part of Social Work England's regulation of HEIs until it has issued new education and training standards, following a review of its current standards announced last month.This will be informed by the regulator's three-year programme of inspecting every course delivering social work in England, which began in 2021.
It will consult on proposed revised standards next spring, with a view to publishing a finalised version, alongside guidance on implementing them, by the end of 2025.
HEIs will then be given at least 12 months to prepare before Social Work England starts employing the new education and standards - along with the readiness for professional practice guidance - in its inspections, and decisions around approval, of courses.
Review will consider impact of hybrid working and technological advances
Social Work England's executive director of professional practice and external engagement, Sarah Blackmore, said: “We are committed to ensuring that the standards by which we regulate education and training courses, and our guidance for providers, reflect the challenges and opportunities that the social work profession experiences in daily practice."The review of the standards is part of that commitment, enabling us to consider shifting dynamics, such as the increase in hybrid working and learning, the embedding of inclusive practice, and the ethical and appropriate use of advances in technology within social work."
What regulator expects of social work graduates
Knowledge and skillsKnowledge refers to graduates' understanding of social work legal frameworks, theories and practice models and methods, while skills refer to the practice capabilities they should have acquired, particularly through placements. The knowledge and skills statements are organised under six themes:
- Anti-discriminatory practice:
- Expected knowledge includes understanding the social context in which people live and how multiple and intersecting oppressions and disadvantages affect people, families and communities, as well as the impact of poverty and economic disadvantage, including the cumulative impact of intergenerational poverty on people, families and communities.
- Expected skills include reflecting on one's own biases and prejudices to ensure that practice is anti-discriminatory, anti-racist and anti-oppressive.
- Working together across organisations and disciplines:
- Expected knowledge includes understanding multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working, recognising the value and purpose of partnership working with other professionals to achieve better outcomes for people, families and communities, as well as the principles, origin and evidence-based value of co-production and how to use and promote it within social work practice.
- Expected skills include working effectively with others, identifying the opportunities and challenges associated with working with others from differing settings, services, teams and professions.
- Building and maintaining relationships:
- Expected knowledge includes understanding how to work in partnership with people while recognising them as experts in their own lives, and how to build professional relationships founded on respect, honesty and integrity.
- Expected skills include supporting people to express their expectations, strengths and limitations and to understand and fully realise their rights, entitlements and responsibilities.
- Safe and professional practice:
- Expected knowledge includes demonstrating legal literacy of relevant legislation, policy and statutory guidance that underpins social work practice and understanding how to recognise organisational wrongdoing and cultures of unsafe practice, while knowing when to whistle blow, raise concerns and seek support.
- Expected skills include demonstrating reflective practice and an ability to think critically about one's work and managing time and prioritising workload using available resources, seeking support when required.
- Evidence informed practice, learning and reflection:
- Expected knowledge includes understanding how social workers use evidence to critically inform practice, and the strengths and limitations of different forms of evidence.
- Expected skills include critically [using] social work theories, models, methods, approaches and research methodologies in practice.
- Recognising and responding to need, risk and harm:
- Expected knowledge includes understanding signs of harm, exploitation, neglect, abuse, domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour, recognising their impact on people, families and communities, along with human development across the life span.
- Expected skills include recognising and identifying need, or signs of likely or actual harm, neglect and abuse and undertaking assessments of need or risk relating to others' safety.
These relate to the values and professional expectations of social workers. Expectations include:
- Practising in a manner that respects ethnic, religious and cultural diversity and values difference.
- Demonstrating a commitment to learning about the different perspectives and lived experiences of other people.
- Recognising that people have a right to complain or raise concerns, including about conduct or fitness to practise, and proactively supporting people to exercise this right.
- Using professional supervision and support to improve one's practice and being accountable for one's practice.
- Demonstrating awareness of bias and prejudice and reflect on the potential impact of this on decision making.
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For our 50th anniversary, we're expanding our My Brilliant Colleague series to include anyone who has inspired you in your career – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.Nominate your colleague or social work inspiration by either:
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