§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work offers to trining bodies on training in child care for social workers.
§ Mr. NewtonI understand that the council has recently completed a survey of child care teaching in courses leading to the award of the certificate of qualification in social work and to the certificate in social services, and that council staff have been reviewing with course tutors their teaching about child care with special reference to child abuse.
The council has drawn up plans to provide a series of training workshops for all course tutors and practice placement supervisors to ensure that teaching is based on current knowledge of child development. Plans have also been made to involve experts from social work and other relevant disciplines to further the teaching of skills of observation of young children and communication with children of all ages. The council is in contact with departmental officials about the resource requirements of these plans.
The council recognises that much child abuse work requires advanced skills and knowledge that cannot be adequately covered on a basic qualifying course and is planning the development of post qualifying programmes in child care in all parts of the United Kingdom.
CCETSW has also submitted proposals to the Government for extending the basic training to three years, and these specify the child care knowledge and skills which all newly qualified social workers should be expected to have. We are giving urgent consideration to these proposals.