Joanna Moriarty

‘Hanging on a Little Thin Line’: Barriers to Progression and Retention in Social Work Education

Identifying the reasons why students leave higher education without completing their studies has become an increasingly important issue in higher education in the United Kingdom. This paper reports on a series of interviews held with social work students, social work educators, and higher education staff with responsibilities for recruitment and retention in four English higher education institutions (HEIs). The interviews aimed to identify some of the reasons why students might consider leaving before achieving a social work qualification and some of the initiatives the HEIs had set in place to reduce this risk. The findings suggest that some of the widening participation initiatives established in many HEIs are aimed at students at the beginning of their studies but that social work students might benefit from additional support at other periods, for example, both during and on their return from practice placements. Furthermore, the changing profile of social work students may have implications for cohort dynamics and social work educators need to be alert to these developments.

Shared Expectations? Reforming the Social Work Qualifying Curriculum in England

This is the first of two articles presenting findings from a scoping review undertaken in 2011 to inform proposals for a review of the social work qualifying curriculum in England made by the Social Work Reform Board. The review used a mixture of published and unpublished resources to compare the issues raised by the reports of the Social Work Task Force with what was known from published research investigating the ways that the current Requirements for Social Work Training (Department of Health, London, 2002) operate. It found that the evidence base on which the key issues relating to the concerns about initial social work qualifying programmes rest was very variable. The absence of a substantial research evidence base in this area hinders the development of effective policymaking on social work education, but the current changes to social work education and to social work regulation offer a timely opportunity to expand what we know about different assessment systems and how best to regulate social work courses.

Use of community and long-term care by people with dementia in the UK: A review of some issues in service provision and carer and user preferences

In the UK, one of the effects of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 has been to highlight the impact of policy changes and changes to service organization upon the types and levels of service provision. However, much of the existing literature on the use of community and long-term care services by people with dementia is based upon data collected prior to the implementation of the Act. The article identifies some of the methodological issues and highlights the increasing importance that is likely to be attached to incorporating the service preferences of people with dementia and their carers in the future.

International social workers in England: Factors influencing supply and demand

Recent years have seen considerable increases in the number of internationally-qualified social workers in England. This article presents trends in the international labour mobility of social workers migrating to work in England alongside information on the supply of UK-trained social workers. It concludes that demographic changes and policy imperatives have accentuated structural issues making it difficult to ensure an adequate supply in the number of domestically-trained social workers. We suggest that more cross-national research is needed to achieve a better understanding of the factors influencing social workers’ decisions to work in international settings and the extent to which this reflects permanent or temporary migration between countries.

Post-Qualifying Education for Social Workers: A Continuing Problem or a New Opportunity?

Between 1990 and 2012 there was a national system for regulating post-qualifying social work education in England. Since then social work has been expected to take a more flexible approach to continuing professional development (CPD) which recognises the contribution played by work-based and self-directed learning alongside higher education awards. While universities can continue to offer post-qualifying courses, it is envisaged that they will work more closely with employers in deciding what should be taught and how. This article is based on a scoping review of post-qualifying social work education in England which highlights the paucity of knowledge about the topic. Although achieving a post-qualifying award is associated with improved knowledge and confidence, little is known about the long-term effects on individuals, organisations and service users. There appears to be a complete absence of evidence on cost effectiveness. As yet, we know very little about the extent of self-directed CPD among social workers and current funding constraints are likely to limit the resources that organisations invest in CPD for their workforce. In a rapidly changing context, the article seeks to provide a baseline from which an agenda for future research into CPD among social workers can be shaped.

Models of adult safeguarding in England: A review of the literature

Summary This article presents the findings of a narrative synthesis of literature published between January 2000 and September 2013 exploring the organisation of adult safeguarding services in England. The review sought to identify the characteristics of safeguarding practice, which may be important for local authorities to consider when choosing between models of organisation. Findings The findings suggest that the development of adult safeguarding policy and practice has prompted local authorities to develop specialist safeguarding roles. The implications of specialism have not been extensively explored. However, several important characteristics of safeguarding practice are identifiable from the literature including specialism within the organisation of adult safeguarding; decision-making and thresholds for safeguarding response; and multi-agency working. Applications The review found limited evidence relating to the organisation of adult safeguarding, which suggests that further empirical research is needed. The critical features of safeguarding practice identified here comprise a useful starting point from which to explore the implications of different ‘models’ of safeguarding organisation.

Old Issues and New Directions: Perceptions of advocacy, its extent and effectiveness from a qualitative study of stakeholder views

This article describes and discusses 27 interviews that explored perceptions of the effectiveness of advocacy services for people with learning disabilities in the UK.The views of stakeholders on the current position of advocacy services, how services are evaluated and recommendations for change are central themes in the analysis of the interviews.The discussion suggests that although evaluation of effectiveness is increasingly important in the light of policy change and funding constraints, it is not universally in place and available tools are considered to be inadequate for the task.The explanation of this may lie in the continuing debates over the meaning and purpose of evaluation and fears that it is one-dimensional. Future investment and commitment to advocacy schemes will need to address these issues.

Controversy in the Curriculum: What Do We Know About the Content of the Social Work Qualifying Curriculum in England?

This article reports the results of a scoping review into the content of the social work qualifying curriculum in England exploring whether recommendations made by the Social Work Task Force and the Social Work Reform Board for an ‘overhaul of the content and the delivery of the qualifying curriculum’ were grounded in published research. The review found that rigorous research-based published evidence about the qualifying social work curriculum was lacking. In particular, most material dated from the early years of the social work degree and did not appear to have been replicated more recently to see if the original findings held true. Other subjects, such as how students are taught about older peoples human development, had been considered by researchers but were not addressed by the Task Force and the Reform Board. The implications of this are that, while the content of the social work qualifying curriculum needs to adapt to reflect changing professional contexts, there is a need for greater consensus and clarity about what should be taught and how. The development of an evidence-based curriculum in terms of course content and delivery remains a priority for social work education in England.

Advocacy and people with learning disabilities in the UK : How can local funders find value for money?

Advocacy schemes have been established throughout the United Kingdom (UK) but their evaluation by funders is varied. This article reviews the literature in respect of models of evaluation of advocacy schemes for people with learning disability. It discusses the six main models and the issues that arise in evaluation. The advantages and disadvantages of each model are analysed. The article concludes that whilst fears exist about the potential for evaluation to infringe advocacy schemes’ autonomy, funders need to undertake such a process for reasons of public accountability. Advocacy schemes may find it useful to consider which model of evaluation works best for them and will be appropriate and useful for their funders.

Paying the piper and calling the tune?: Commissioners’ evaluation of advocacy services for people with learning disabilities

Increases in funding of advocacy schemes are leading to their general expansion in the UK. Little is known of how their activities are evaluated by funders. This article examines how local authorities evaluate the outcomes of advocacy schemes. It reports on and discusses the findings of a survey of local authorities. Respondents identified the types of support they provided to advocacy schemes and their requirements for service reports. Data are presented on the length of time that schemes have been funded, geographical variations and whether schemes are generalist or specialist. This analysis is set in the context of discussion with stakeholders. The authors conclude that monitoring and review systems are not well known or extensively used, that while user involvement in evaluation is seen as appropriate this is not well developed, but that advocacy services themselves are interested in contributing to processes of improvement and accountability.