Return to Social Work: Learning Materials

1. Return to Social Work:Learning Materials SLIDE PACK

2. Contents • Module 1: Returning to Social Work – Slide 3. • Module 2: Understanding the PCF – Slide 30. • Module 3: Reflective Self – Slide 48. • Module 4: Law – 72. • Module 5: Equality & Diversity – Slide 100. • Module 6: Social Policy – Slide 117. • Module 7: Communication & Partnerships – Slide 139. • Module 8: Safeguarding & Corporate Parenting – Slide 158. • Module 9: Children in Need – Slide 190. • Module 10: Working in Organisations – Slide 215.

3. Module 1:Returning to Social Work Return to Social Work: Learning Materials

4. The changed landscape

5. What has changed in social work over the last five years?

6. Munro Review recommendations

7. Who does what in the new regulatory landscape? The regulator (HCPC) sets the standards of public protection, approves initial/qualifying training and AMHP training against these standards. The College of Social Work owns and upholds professional standards, providing professional services to help meet the standards, and champions social work. Trade unions and professional associations provide employment and conduct hearing representation and advice.

8. A new regulator for Social work: The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) • Independent regulator of 15 professions • Concerned with public protection • Sets standards for education and training, conduct, competence and CPD • Upholds standards through fitness to practice process • Statutory registration

9. HCPC requirements for people returning to practice Requirements for returning to the Register depend on how long you have been out of practice: • 0-2 years - no requirements • 2-5 years - 30 days of updating skills and knowledge • 5 years + - 60 days of updating skills and knowledge You can choose what you do during these days, but private study must not make up more than half the updating period The updating period has to take place within 12 months of the date on which you apply to go back on the Register.

10. Professional Capabilities Framework and keeping your practice up to date

11. Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) • is the sole framework for social work education and professional development • - is owned by TCSW • - was developed by and for the social work profession

12. Professional Capabilities Framework

13. Reforms to continuing professional development (CPD) • Promotes organisational and personal responsibility for CPD • Supports maintaining core HCPC re-registration standards • Encourages skill development to the higher level set by the PCF • Consistent with HCPC requirements for re-registration

14. The HCPC Standards for CPD Registrants must: • Maintain a continuous, up-to-date and accurate record of their CPD activities • Demonstrate that their CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to current or future practice • Seek to ensure that their CPD has contributed to the quality of their practice and service delivery • Seek to ensure that their CPD benefits the service user • Present a written profile containing evidence of their CPD on request.

15. Implementation of workload and case allocation systems • Ensuring that social workers can work safely • Regular and appropriate social work supervision • Support involvement with The College of Social Work • Ensuring social workers can maintain their professional registration • Opportunities for CPD • Social work accountability framework

16. The frameworks for practice Regulation and Registration Social workers in England must be registered with HCPC in order to practise. You must ensure that you are registered and meet the HCPC standards for CPD. Social worker is a protected title, and it is an offence to misuse it. Standards • Social workers in England must meet the HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics and the standards of proficiency relevant to their scope of practice • The PCF has been developed and agreed by the profession and provides standards to work to at all career stages which will help you plan and manage your career development • Employers have a set of standards, including one on supervision, designed to provide you with proper support

17. PCF domains and levels help you see what is expected for your professional context • Supervision and appraisal help you agree your learning objectives which will link to CPD and re-registration • Employer identifies organisational need in relation to strategic plan Employer/organisation’s needs You Relevant capabilities Individual learning objectives

18. Getting back into work

19. Shadowing – what it might involve • Accompanying an experienced social worker, including visiting service users • Meeting with practitioners and managers — this could be formally structured as seminars, opportunity to review procedures etc • Meeting service users, possibly talking about their experience of social work interventions (e.g. planned visits to day care centres, residential units, voluntary agencies, arranged with due regard to ethical considerations, especially the rights and wishes of the service users themselves)

20. Developing a CV • Your CV is your shop window in which you advertise yourself and what you have to offer • Employers only look at an application for a job for about 30 seconds before deciding whether to look deeper, so it pays to get it right and capture their attention • Sending out a generic CV to lots of employers is unlikely to get you a job

21. What needs to be included? • Personal details: name, address, telephone number • Educational background: secondary education, further education • Employment history: where you have worked, for how long and an overview of what the work entailed • Other achievements • References

22. What you could also include • Personal statement: a paragraph describing the type of person you are and how your personality and experience make you an ideal candidate • Hobbies/interests • In-house training

23. Things to consider • Choose a clear layout • Show what makes you unique • Tailor your CV to your audience • Keep it error-free • Keep your CV up to date

24. Clear layout • Easy to read • Sections are separated • Chronological • Same format

25. What makes you unique? • Consider your unique selling points (USP) • What are your skills? • What benefits do you bring? • Back this up with examples to demonstrate what you have done and how you have done it

26. Tailoring your CV • Consider the different types of social work roles in relation to children or young people in the jobs you are applying for • Consider the qualities and skills required in the person specification • Adapt each section so it reflects the skills required in the personal statement/job description • Meeting the person specification is key

27. Perfecting your CV • Check spelling and grammar • Avoid waffling • Don’t miss out important information • Highlight duties not achievements • No longer than two sides of A4 if possible

28. Perfecting your CV (cont.) • Correct personal details • Keep it specific • Attend to it regularly • No need to redesign each time you want to use it

29. Applying for jobs • Look carefully at the qualities and skills required in the person specification for the job you are interested in • Adapt each section of your generic CV so it reflects the skills required in the person specification/job description • Adapt your personal statement to highlight the experience you bring that matches the job description • Leave out information that is not relevant and keep what you say sharp and to the point • Spell check and grammar check what you have written • Ask someone else to check it before you send it

30. Module 2:Understanding the PCF Return to Social Work: Learning Materials

31. - is the sole framework for social work education and professional development - is owned by TCSW - is mapped to the HCPC standards of proficiency for social workers

32. Professional Capabilities Framework

33. A framework for all social workers • A professional development framework not an occupational framework • Not linked to job titles or grades • Progression between levels characterised by ability to manage increasing complexity, risk and autonomous decision making • A generic framework that applies to all social workers in all work settings

34. Understanding the PCF PCF articulates and exemplifies complexity and interdependency of skills, knowledge and values needed for effective social work practice The nine domains should be seen as interdependent, not separate: they interact in professional practice, so there are overlaps between the capabilities Many issues arising from practice will be relevant to more than one capability Understanding of what a social worker does can only be gained by taking into account all nine capabilities

35. Domains within the PCF Nine omains Interactive and reflect the range of capabilities professional social workers need Each domain has a main statement and an elaboration with further detailed capabilities at each level explaining how social workers should expect to evidence that area in practice Practitioners need to demonstrate integration of all aspects of learning, and provide sufficient evidence across all nine domains to demonstrate capability

37. Levels • Nine levels – qualifying through to strategic level • Qualifying level mapped to HCPC SoPs • Levelof individual social worker determined by their abilities to work with issues of complexity, ambiguity, risk, confidence, autonomous decision making, professional authority and leadership • Progression routes across levels

38. Example of how PCF maps against HCPC Standards of Proficiency (SoPs)

39. PCF mapped to SoPs (cont.)

40. Example of levels drawn from PCF Domain 7 Intervention and Skills: Use judgement and authority to intervene with individuals, families and communities to promote independence, provide support and prevent harm, neglect and abuse

41. 4. RIGHTS, JUSTICE AND ECONOMIC WELLBEING - Advance human rights and promote social justice and economic wellbeing Social workers recognise the fundamental principles of human rights and equality, and that these are protected in national and international law, conventions and policies. They ensure these principles underpin their practice. Social workers understand the importance of using and contributing to case law and applying these rights in their own practice. They understand the effects of oppression, discrimination and poverty.

43. Bogg and Challis, 2013

44. Using PCF and critical incidents for planning CPD • Identify an important issue, item or event • What do you need to learn from this? • What capability will it help you to develop? • What action will you take to learn it? • What evidence will you produce that learning has taken place and impacted on your practice? • How long do you think you will have to spend on undertaking this learning?

45. What a CPD plan might look like – social work level • Social worker two years after graduation has successfully completed ASYE (i.e. at social worker level in PCF) • Through supervision recognises need to enhance more specialist skills in dealing with safeguarding and abuse • Checks capabilities in PCF domains of knowledge, diversity, skills and interventions • CPD action plan: • Read serious case reviews • Bring to team meeting/action learning set • Research re child trafficking and law • Reflection and recording of how this will be used in future work

46. What a CPD plan might look like – Experienced social worker • Social worker aspires to become first line manager • Through supervision recognises need to understand and develop management skills and perspectives • Checks capabilities across PCF domains at experienced social worker and social work manager level to identify capabilities to focus on for development • CPD action plan: • Attend in-house frontline managers’ course • Develop and reflect on critical incident reports for discussion at supervision to identify management aspects • Reflection on how management skills are used in supervision to aid professional development

47. What a CPD plan might look like – Advanced Practitioner • Mental Health social worker and AMHP working in NHS trust at experienced social worker level • Learning objective to develop systemic approach and skills to be able to intervene more effectively, and be able to apply for an advanced practitioner post if this becomes available • Check capabilities across PCF domains at experienced social worker level to identify capabilities to focus on for development • CPD action plan: • Undertake qualifying course as a systemic therapist, applying for part funding from employer CPD funds • Arrange for supervision from systemically trained therapist, and agreed with line manager to take on two cases from the team for longer-term work • Agreed to provide training sessions for main team on systems working, and support others to develop their understanding and skills

48. Module 3: Reflective Self Return to Social Work: Learning Materials

49. PCF Domain 6 CRITICAL REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Apply critical reflection and analysis to inform and provide a rationale for professional decision making

50. The Kolb Learning Cycle