Social Workers In England Research Articles

Rhetoric vs. reality in social work supervision: the experiences of a group of child care social workers in England

AbstractWhilst the contribution of good supervision to high‐quality social work practice is widely recognized, research exploring practitioners' experiences of supervision is surprisingly limited. Set within the context of the supervision framework for employers of social workers in England, this small‐scale survey, using an extended questionnaire, examined the experiences of supervision of a group of child care social workers. The aim was to find out what aspects of supervision worked well and where there was room for improvement. The findings suggest that whilst the majority of employers had appropriate supervision policies in place, day‐to‐day practice varied enormously, frequently falling well short of national standards, with the quality of supervision often depending more on the characteristics of the supervisor and the agency context than the needs of the worker. Supervision sessions typically focused predominantly on case management, with much less attention paid to the worker and opportunities for them to reflect on their practice. Only a quarter of the social workers in this survey could be considered to be satisfied with their current supervision, with a much higher proportion clearly dissatisfied.

Trainees' Views of the Step Up to Social Work Programme

There are long-standing concerns about the quantity and quality of social workers in England. Several initiatives have sought to change application and training processes, among which are employment-based routes whereby students are placed with social work employers and receive substantial funding compared to other students, and employers are more closely engaged with higher education elements of their training. This article presents and analyses the views of the first cohort of students, termed trainees, in one such initiative, the Step Up to Social Work programme that commenced in 2010. Data were collected by online survey, administered at four time points with response rates ranging from 78% at Time 1 to 71% at Time 2, 64% at Time 3 and 71% at Time 4. Findings revealed that the respondents were largely satisfied with their training and the Step Up initiative, although reservations were expressed by some about academic teaching, programme organisation and apparent lack of account of trainees' previous experiences. Findings also reveal the type and extent of the trainees' academic achievements and professional experiences. The findings from this first cohort of trainees may usefully inform other employment-based routes and social work education more generally.

The Development of Employment-Based Education on Substance use for Social Workers in England: Embedding Substance use Training in Frameworks of Continuing Professional Development

Service users in the social care sector affected by substance use need a workforce which is skilled at protecting and supporting them, and who are able to carry out their roles and responsibilities with confidence. Workforce/Learning Development departments in children's and adults' services in England play an important role in preparing social workers to engage effectively with service users and to develop as practitioners. Drawing on data from a survey of 94 Workforce/Learning Development departments, this article examines the development of employment-based education on substance use. Only 33% of these departments had a dedicated training strategy or series of programmes on substance use, although more than half (59%) provided tools for identifying and assessing substance use. A wide range of professionals were involved in the development of this training, particularly those in specialist safeguarding and substance use roles. Social work and substance use textbooks are the main source of materials accessed to support training development. A lack of strategic engagement with substance use in social care was one of the barriers cited to adequate training provision. Implications for social work education include the importance of embedding AOD education in post-qualifying training frameworks at both university and employer levels.

‘Bouncing Back?’ Personal Representations of Resilience of Student and Experienced Social Workers

Although organisations have a duty of care to protect the well-being of employees, it is acknowledged that social workers need to enhance their personal resilience to survive in an increasingly stressful profession. The term ‘resilience’ is widely used in social work education and practice, but there is little consensus about its meaning. This study utilises a psychological perspective to explore the personal representations of resilience held by 200 social work students and 100 experienced social workers in England. Participants’ perceptions of why social workers need to be personally resilient and the means by which this quality may be enhanced are also considered. Thematic content analysis is utilised to explore the data, and similarities and differences between representations of resilience provided by students and qualified staff are investigated through the use of template analysis. The extent to which representations of resilience expressed by participants correspond with ‘academic’ definitions is also examined. Considerable variation in personal meanings of the resilience construct emerged. In general, representations of resilience articulated by experienced social workers were more complex and multi-faceted than those expressed by students. The implications of the findings for the development of interventions to enhance resilience in student and qualified social workers are considered.

Developing the Confidence and Competence of Newly Qualified Child and Family Social Workers in England: Outcomes of a National Programme

A measure of self-efficacy was used to assess the development of competence and confidence for participants in a one-year national programme of supervision and support for newly qualified child and family social workers (NQSWs) in England. The study also explored the associations between self-efficacy, demographic variables and role clarity, role conflict, job satisfaction and stress. Method: A longitudinal repeated measures design with three cohorts of NQSWs participating in the programme (2008–12) (N = 2,019); in 2008–09, comparison was made with a ‘contrast group’ of NQSWs (N = 47) in non-participating agencies. Findings: Self-efficacy ratings showed substantial and statistically significant increases between the beginning and end of the programme for all three cohorts. The proportion of ‘confident’ NQSWs increased from a half to three-quarters of respondents. However, interim retrospective ratings indicated overestimation of self-efficacy at baseline. Self-efficacy ratings at the end of the year favoured the programme group versus the contrast group. High self-efficacy was predicted statistically by age, role clarity and intrinsic (but not extrinsic) job satisfaction. It was unexpectedly associated with high role conflict and was not related to stress. Findings supported a developmental process model for the accumulation of professional expertise. Implications: An Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) based on the programme has been established for all NQSWs in England.

Organisational Factors, Job Satisfaction and Intention to Leave Among Newly Qualified Social Workers in England

Satisfaction with different organisational elements and aspects of work contributes markedly to overall levels of job satisfaction and intention to leave. For newly qualified social workers (NQSWs), especially immediately after graduation, self-perceived competence and their confidence in their educational preparation are also important. This article reports on a longitudinal study following 280 social work students into social work employment in England using data collected as students and six months after graduation. We focus on their experiences as NQSWs, thus only including those working in social work jobs, reporting the relative importance of their satisfaction with different work elements, such as supervision and job engagement. These are used to construct a model of NQSWs' overall satisfaction and intentions of leaving their social work jobs. The model incorporates NQSWs' perceptions of how well their degree courses prepared them for their current social work jobs in addition to personal, organisational and specific role characteristics. Using statistical techniques of factor analysis and regression modelling we highlight the complexities of how job satisfaction is constructed and we argue that the data reveal the importance of team support and self-efficacy in relation to whether social workers are thinking about leaving their current social work jobs.

The experiences and perspectives of agency social workers in England

One of the solutions to the shortages of social workers in England has been to employ social workers on a temporary or locum basis, often these social workers are called agency social workers as their contract of employment is with a employment agency rather than the social work employer. This paper explores the background to the use of agency social workers in the current context of government efforts to reduce the expenditure of public sector employers on agency staff. Data were collected through interviews with 40 social workers working with adults in England, in three diverse local authority settings; spanning those social workers whose careers in social work were in their early years; those with that were experienced and third group who while experienced and specialist were considering possible retirement or career moves. The aim of the interviews was to investigate motivations and experiences around this type of social work employment. The findings of the interviews are presented, with illustrations of ‘push and pull’ factors around agency working. The article concludes that agency working presents opportunities for social workers that may be within the power of social work employers to foster more generally, such as ways to minimise ‘office politics’ and to provide greater variety of work.

Assessing the effectiveness of policy interventions to reduce the use of agency or temporary social workers in England

There has been growing concern that English local authorities are over reliant on temporary staff to meet the shortage of social workers. This has been criticised as inefficient and costly while leading to problems of continuity and consistency for people using social work services. Focussing on recent policy and the implementation of new administrative procedures for the procurement and management of temporary or agency staff, this article explores progress being made towards achieving the previous government's policy goal that by 2020 local authorities will no longer need to rely on agency workers to carry out tasks that would normally be carried out by a permanent social worker. The article draws on the findings of an exploratory study (2007-2010) commissioned by the Department of Health which comprised of the following: a survey of local councils in England with adult social services responsibilities; case studies in three different localities; and qualitative interviews with stakeholders (n = 93). The findings suggest that while local authorities have reduced the costs of employing temporary staff through the setting up of intermediary control mechanisms, agency social workers continue to play important roles in teams and services.

The experiences and perspectives of agency social workers in England

One of the solutions to the shortages of social workers in England has been to employ social workers on a temporary or locum basis, often these social workers are called agency social workers as their contract of employment is with a employment agency rather than the social work employer. This paper explores the background to the use of agency social workers in the current context of government efforts to reduce the expenditure of public sector employers on agency staff. Data were collected through interviews with 40 social workers working with adults in England, in three diverse local authority settings; spanning those social workers whose careers in social work were in their early years; those with that were experienced and third group who while experienced and specialist were considering possible retirement or career moves. The aim of the interviews was to investigate motivations and experiences around this type of social work employment. The findings of the interviews are presented, with illustrations of ‘push and pull’ factors around agency working. The article concludes that agency working presents opportunities for social workers that may be within the power of social work employers to foster more generally, such as ways to minimise ‘office politics’ and to provide greater variety of work.

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.

How Well Prepared are Newly Qualified Social Workers for Working with Substance Use Issues? Findings from a National Survey in England

There is limited research in the United Kingdom on how well prepared social workers are for working with substance use issues. This study set out to explore the views of newly qualified social workers on the extent to which their qualifying programme prepared them for practice with people using alcohol or drugs. It also sought to identify their future training needs and identify examples of good practice among qualifying programmes. A self-completion questionnaire was developed and disseminated via email to 2,914 newly qualified social workers in England; 284 questionnaires were returned. Findings suggested that most respondents considered themselves inadequately prepared for working with substance use and misuse issues. They reported having very little input during qualifying education and identified a range of future training needs. Few examples of good practice were identified. In light of these findings, social work academics and employers need to recognise this serious gap in knowledge and act quickly to ensure social workers are able to meet their service users’ needs confidently and competently.

Change and Continuity: A Quantitative Investigation of Trends and Characteristics of International Social Workers in England

The UK has long experienced a shortage of social workers and has recruited internationally to meet demand. There have been few specific data quantifying the scale of social work mobility to the UK through which such experiences can be set in context. The analysis reported in this article uses data from October 2008, relating to registered social workers working in England. As part of a wider study of migrant social care workers in England, the article reports analysis of data records of over 7,000 non-UK social workers registered to work in England and compares their characteristics to UK-qualified social workers. These analyses are supplemented by analysis of more recent application and registration data from the General Social Care Council pertaining to social workers qualified within and outside the European Union during 2008 and 2009. The findings highlight several important observations in terms of non-UK-qualified social workers' profile as well as some possible trends in migration and variations in rates of qualification verification. Over half of all international social workers in England were trained in four countries: Australia, South Africa, India and the USA. Findings are contextualised with qualitative data obtained from the wider study and policy debates.

Helping others or a rewarding career? Investigating student motivations to train as social workers in England

• Summary: Understanding why people want to be social workers is important both for developing social work education and for the profession as a whole. This article presents evidence about the motivations of students enrolled on social work degree programmes in England and draws on data from 3000 responses of three successive intakes of students responding to six online surveys and 26 focus group interviews involving 168 students from nine different social work programmes in six case study sites. The article locates these data in the context of earlier studies of social workers’ motivations, the changing policy context and the changes introduced by the new degree. • Findings: Similar to previous studies, the current analysis shows that altruistic motivations dominated, but students were also influenced by career issues and the day-to-day aspects of social work. The data highlight continuities with the former qualification in social work in the UK (the DipSW) and provide evidence that the introduction of the social work degree has not dramatically changed the underlying motivations of social work students. • Applications: Understanding student motivations is important in terms of recruitment to social work qualifying programmes and subsequent retention within the profession. Social work educators and employers need to pay attention to the consequences of mismatches between motivations and expectations about what professional practice involves.

Back to the Future of Social Work: Child and Adolescent Mental Health and the Post Qualifying Curriculum in England and Wales

The first social work course to focus on children's mental health in the UK began in 1929 at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The subsequent child guidance movement spawned the genesis of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) where social workers held a pivotal and much-respected role among multi-disciplinary teams. This role has been undermined in recent years. Post qualifying social work education and training needs to recognise and reflect the potential social work contribution to modern CAMH services to enable social workers in England and Wales to engage and contribute to supporting the increasing numbers of troubled young people. This paper sets out a rationale, knowledge base and outline content for ways in which the post qualifying social work curriculum can be developed to equip social workers with the necessary skills to engage purposively in this area.

‘We have very different positions on some issues’: how child welfare workers in Norway and England bridge cultural differences when communicating with ethnic minority families

This article compares how child welfare workers in Norway and England experience and cope with communication problems resulting from cultural differences. This study is based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 53 front-line child welfare workers and draws on social theories that understand communication as a social act. We show cross-country variations in child welfare workers' perceptions of the communicative problems and coping mechanisms. In Norway, social workers think that minority parents' perceptions on children's needs and child-rearing and parents' lack of understanding of the child welfare system were challenging. Social workers in England perceive the physical abuse of minority children as problematic. They are also concerned about carers' fears of social workers forcing majority cultural values on minority families. While social workers in both countries spend more time with minority families, their approaches dealing with communication challenges correspond to their different problem perceptions. Social workers in Norway act as cultural instructors: they focus on the needs of the minority child and instruct parents about Norwegian values and the Norwegian welfare system. Social workers in England are cultural learners: they focus on practising in anti-oppressive ways, while protecting ethnic minority children from physical abuse. Both approaches avoid going into real communication about perceived problems and what a child might need. We also discuss the implications of these findings on social work practice.

`God' and Other `Do-Gooders'

• Summary: This article explores the differences in status between General Practitioners (GPs) and social workers in England and explores the ways in which each profession is regulated. • Findings: A brief historical overview of the professionalization of the role of GPs and social workers is used to contextualize and compare the development of the philosophy of regulatory practice that underpins the two professions. In particular, the level of involvement of people who use services is used to examine the similarities and differences in the regulation of the two professions. The perception of the public towards the two professions and interprofessional perceptions are explored. Some of the limitations of the comparative regulatory paradigms are also identified. • Applications : This article concludes with a discussion about the balance of power (or lack of it) within the regulatory framework for GPs and social workers. There has been an increase in more stringent independent regulation of social workers; however, there appears to be less impetus towards an equivalent system of monitoring GPs. Professional bodies and those involved in the registration processes should be mindful of the findings in this article.

An Enquiry into Students' Motivations to Train as Social Workers in England

• Summary: In 2003, the British Government introduced a bursary to support and attract more recruits to social work. This study is based on 497 questionnaires completed by prospective students to one social work undergraduate programme over a four-year period, from 2002 to 2006. The first aim of this study was to find out the extent of participants' knowledge of the social work bursary, in order to determine whether this had been a successful strategy to attract greater numbers of people to train as social workers. The second aim was to identify the factors that attracted them to train as social workers. • Findings: Only 52% of the respondents had been aware of the bursary and, significantly, only 3% indicated that this had definitely influenced their choice of career. Prospective students' knowledge of the bursary has not increased since its introduction and the findings suggest that other factors act as primary incentives and motivate students to apply for social work. • Applications : It is important to consider the factors that motivate students to train as social workers in order to better inform recruitment policies and ensure that the profession attracts people who are representative of the diverse population of England.

Factors affecting the retention of learners following the degree in social work at a university in the south‐east of England

AbstractChanges to the education and training for social workers in England, UK since 2003 have increased the number and widened the pool of students encouraged to enter the profession via higher education. Social work education is very much linked to increasing diversity in work‐force development where an agenda to build a well‐motivated and skilled work‐force can in turn provide good quality services and interventions reflecting the diverse needs of service users and carers. This paper reports on a small‐scale study which explored factors affecting the potential success of students following a vocational education programme leading to the degree in social work. Using in‐depth face‐to‐face interviews with a sample of seven students and a focus group with eight social work tutors, within a qualitative framework, the experiences of learning and teaching were explored from the participants’ subjective viewpoints. The study highlighted several factors found to potentially impact on student success in social work education and compared these with the published literature relating to both widening participation and diversity in learning. Factors impacting were student organization and time‐management skills; access to study skill support; their relationships with tutors and peers; and the impact of affective factors on the learning process. This study forms a useful basis for determining areas for intervention to improve the potential of success on the degree and the challenges anticipated in implementing these for students from diverse and non‐traditional backgrounds. Although this study related specifically to social work education, the findings may be transferable to other vocational education professions in the health and social care sector.

Supporting Post-Adoption Contact for Children Adopted From Care: A Study of Social Workers' Attitudes

ABSTRACTNew legislation in England and Wales requires adoption agencies to specify the contact adopted children will have with their birth families and obliges agencies to offer all parties support to maintain such contact. This study, based on responses from 112 adoption social workers in England and Wales, used a case vignette methodology to explore workers' attitudes towards supporting post-adoption contact. The findings suggest that social workers think primarily about the child's needs and about providing services to or on behalf of the child. In contrast, adults' needs, especially the relationship between birth parents and adoptive parents, were less often considered. Workers were least orientated toward supporting birth parents. Workers from different agencies had very different attitudes towards the case vignette. This study suggests that supporting post-adoption contact is a complex professional task likely to be influenced by workers' own attitudes. Implications for training, support and supervision are discussed.

Mental health, burnout and job satisfaction among mental health social workers in England and Wales

Previous research suggests that social workers experience high levels of stress and burnout but most remain committed to their work. To examine the prevalence of stress and burnout, and job satisfaction among mental health social workers (MHSWs) and the factors responsible for this. A postal survey incorporating the General Health Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Karasek Job Content Questionnaire and a job satisfaction measure was sent to 610 MHSWs in England and Wales. Eligible respondents (n=237) reported high levels of stress and emotional exhaustion and low levels of job satisfaction; 111 (47%) showed significant symptomatology and distress, which is twice the level reported by similar surveys of psychiatrists. Feeling undervalued at work, excessive job demands, limited latitude in decision-making, and unhappiness about the place of MHSWs in modern services contributed to the poor job satisfaction and most aspects of burnout. Those who had approved social worker status had greater dissatisfaction. Stress may exacerbate recruitment and retention problems. Employers must recognise the demands placed upon MHSWs and value their contribution to mental health services.