Children’s social workers are to be measured against a new set of post-qualifying standards (PQS), under Department for Education (DfE) proposals.
The proposed standards would replace the existing PQS, which largely date back to 2015, and are designed to set out what a practitioner working in local authority children’s services should know and be able to do after two years in practice.
Published for consultation last week, the suggested PQS are designed to work in tandem with the proposed social work induction programme (SWIP). Under the SWIP, the DfE would fund learning and support to newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) for two years, at the end of which they would be assessed against the new standards.
However, the SWIP, which would replace the children’s assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE), at least in local authorities, is not certain to go ahead as it is dependent on the Treasury providing sufficient funding in the forthcoming government spending review.
‘More clarity and depth’ than existing standards
In a foreword to the consultation on the proposed standards, children’s minister Janet Daby said they were designed to provide “greater clarity and depth” than the existing PQS, “enabling more detailed and consistent induction support”. They were also aligned to the DfE’s children’s social care national framework, published in 2023, which councils are expected to follow.
The framework sets four overarching outcomes for the system, designed to ensure children stay with their families where possible, are supported by their family networks and are safe inside and outside of home, and that those in care and care leavers have stable and loving homes.
These are underpinned by three “enablers”, including that the workforce, social workers included, is equipped and effective.
‘Systemic, restorative and strengths-based’
The proposed PQS were developed by a “writing group” comprising five social work leaders, an expert by experience, a specialist in curriculum design and a representative from Social Work England, in consultation with eight councils or children’s trusts and sector bodies.
The DfE said the standards were based on “the key theories which underpin the best evidence of the most effective social work practice” and the “most effective whole-system approaches” to children’s social care, which it specified were systemic practice, restorative practice and strengths-based practice.
As such, they recognised that children and families were “embedded in their social context”, were “relational in their approach” and were “based on a belief that families [were] experts in their own lives”.
Fewer standards, with much more detail
At 33 pages, the proposed standards are significantly more detailed than the existing five-page PQS.
The current standards cover 10 areas: relationships and effective direct work; communication; child development; adult mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse, physical ill health and disability; abuse and neglect of children; child and family assessment; analysis, decision making, planning and review; the law and the family and youth justice systems; the role of supervision, and organisational context. Under each, it sets out what is expected of the social worker in a few paragraphs.
The proposed PQS has fewer overarching standards – six – but breaks these down into 26 outcomes statements, setting out what the social worker should be able to do. Under each outcome sits a list of ‘know’ statements, setting out what the social worker should be able to understand to achieve the outcome, and a set of ‘does’ statements, providing examples of what this might look like in practice.
PQS example: gathering information during assessment
Under the second standard, assessment and planning, the first outcome statement is that social workers should be able to “identify and elicit all pertinent information about the child and family’s history and lived experience in more complex situations”.
Under this outcome, the ‘know’ statements include:
- Children sharing experiences of abuse or neglect is a process, often nonlinear; trusted relationships are often needed for this to happen, and it can cause harm to press unnecessarily.
- It may not be safe for children, or parents to discuss what is happening to them, so triangulating information is necessary to understand their experience.
- The risk of confirmation bias requires each situation to be critically analysed through multiple perspectives, simultaneously holding multiple hypotheses in mind, to avoid unsafe certainty.
- Triangulating information does not mean distrusting children, or parents, but helps social workers to hold multiple ideas and perspectives in mind.
The ‘does’ statements include that the social worker:
- Effectively gathers information from different sources (including when they are brief and/or anonymous) about the child’s lived experience and family history with openness and curiosity.
- Persistently maximises direct, purposeful contact with children, parents, carers, siblings and wider family network (including fathers, partners and paternal family members), to understand their experiences, views, wishes, and feelings.
- Asks purposeful, inquiring questions to explore actual or likelihood of significant harm to the child.
- Makes persistent and creative efforts to gather information in complex circumstances relating to risk, particularly in cases of exploitation, extrafamilial harm, and organised child sexual abuse.
New standard on anti-discriminatory practice
While the current standards make no reference to children’s identity or protected characteristics, or to discrimination, the proposed new PQS’ first standard is on anti-discriminatory practice.
Under this, practitioners are expected to gain insight into children’s and families’ sense of self, applying an “intersectional understanding of identity”, actively reflect on their own identity and prejudices and advocate for social justice and equity across multi-agency partners by promoting anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practices.
In her foreword, Daby said: “The new standards will reflect the importance of anti-discriminatory practice knowledge and skills which are fundamental to all areas of social work practice.
I am serious about tackling the barriers to opportunity faced by too many in our society.”
Proposed standards for children’s practitioners
Anti-discriminatory practice: under this domain, social workers should –
- Gain insight into a child and family’s sense of self by consistently applying an intersectional understanding of identity.
- Actively reflects on own identity and prejudices, value difference and uses this to shape approaches with families.
- Integrate professional knowledge of anti-discriminatory practice to effectively manage more complex situations.
- Advocate for social justice and equity across multi-agency partners by promoting anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practices and behaviours.
Relationships and communication: social workers should –
- Communicate effectively, to help build impactful relationships.
- Communicate complex and difficult information clearly, always placing children and families as the focus of any interaction.
- Build and maintain impactful relationships with children.
- Build and maintain impactful relationships with parents.
- Build and maintain impactful relationships with family, networks, and carers.
- Work collaboratively and effectively with multi-agency practitioners, providing constructive challenge where appropriate.
Assessment and planning: social workers should –
- Identify and elicit all pertinent information about the child and family’s history and lived experience in more complex situations.
- Analyse and apply professional knowledge and evidence base of harm to inform decision making in more complex situations.
- Autonomously and collaboratively lead the development of a purposeful plan to effectively manage increasing complexity.
Intervention: social workers should –
- Deliver and facilitate interventions in collaboration with the family to create positive change.
- Delivers and facilitate interventions to sustain change and build family resilience.
- Deliver and facilitates interventions to provide safe alternative care, collaborating and maintaining the relationship with the family where possible.
- Be agile and timely in adapting plans, decision making, and interventions to keep the child safe.
- Continuously review the efficacy of interventions and progress towards intended outcomes and consistently re-evaluate existing hypotheses and plans.
Reflection and learning: social workers should –
- Demonstrate and promote self-reflection to effectively identify professional development needs to improve practice.
- Recognise boundaries of their own professional scope and responsibility; seeks support and escalates to others where appropriate.
- Actively engage in CPD, learning, observation and reflection to advance own and others’ practice; uses this learning to improve outcomes for children and families.
- Ensure learning and professional development is impactful by aligning it to best practice and the evolving professional evidence base.
Leadership and management: social workers should –
- Understands how practice is influenced by the local, organisational and national context.
- Confidently represent the social work perspective within the multi-agency partnerships.
- Actively contribute to quality assurance and practice improvement.
- Use time and resources effectively to prioritise and manage workload and promote own wellbeing.
Respond to the consultation
You can respond to the consultation on the PQS, which also covers the proposed social work induction programme, by answering this online survey.
What has been your experience with managing work-life balance?
We are looking for social workers to share their experiences to spark conversation among fellow practitioners.
How is your work-life balance? What measures, if any, have you taken to manage your workload? Are there any boundaries you’ve set to achieve that?
Share your perspective through a 10-minute interview (or a few short paragraphs) to be published in Community Care. Submissions can be anonymous.
To express interest, email us at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com.