Consultation response offers clarity and confidence
Social workers and those involved in educating and supporting individuals new to or developing their careers in social work have a new modus operandi – one which our Chief Social Worker for Adults, Lyn Romeo believes to be fit for the 21st Century and reflective of the needs of a changing and increasingly complex society.
At the end of last year, the Department of Health launched a consultation into the creation of a new knowledge and skills statement for social workers working in adult social care. Lyn, her team and sector partners were keen to make sure social workers felt confident and knowledgeable about the scope of their responsibilities – and properly supported in their work, particularly in their first year of employment. The response to that consultation, including a refined knowledge and skills statement, has now been published.
Reflecting on the consultation process, Lyn felt encouraged by the range and quality of responses received from social workers, educators and the groups and organisations they work with:
Social workers touch the lives of so many people with diverse needs and aspirations throughout their lives and with increasingly high expectations of us as professionals. The knowledge and skills statement… sets out for the first time, what we expect a social worker with adults to know and be able to do after their first year in employment. It also places a strong emphasis on the role of employers and the training and support they must provide to deliver quality social workers. The statement will inform a more rigorous approach to how the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) is being applied and assessed.
Now it is up to educators and social workers, both new and established, to put these new frameworks into practice. Lyn remains keen to hear ‘progress reports’ from individuals and organisations, but is confident there now exists a set of meaningful definitions which can only serve to raise the quality and provision of social work right across the country.