§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated cost of the proposed Open University course for social workers with deaf people.
§ Mr. ScottI understand that the total development cost is now estimated at about £500,000 over a period of six years.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to meet the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work to discuss the training of social workers with deaf people.
§ Mr. ScottDiscussions have been held at official level and the Department will continue to keep in touch with the council about this issue.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to give the Open University a decision on funding the development costs of its proposed post-qualifying course for social workers with deaf people; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what priority he has given to funding the development costs of the Open University's proposed post-qualifying course for social workers with deaf people; and if he expects to announce a decision by the end of January to enable the course to be on offer in 1990.
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§ Mr. ScottI refer the right hon. and hon. Members to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Torridge and Devon, West (Miss Nicholson) on 25 January at column584.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services which organisations have requested him to support the proposed Open University course for social workers with deaf people.
§ Mr. ScottThe application has been made by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf on behalf of the panel of four main national organisations helping deaf people and the national training group on which other voluntary organisations are also represented. The Association of Directors of Social Services has endorsed the proposal which also has the approval in principle of the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will outline the present provision for training social workers to work with profoundly deaf people.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many local authorities have in post a social worker designated as working with deaf people; and what proportion this is of the total.
§ Mr. ScottInformation is not held centrally on the nature of the work carried out by particular social workers.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any proposals to collect centrally statistics on the number of social workers qualified to work with deaf people.
§ Mr. ScottWe have no plans to do so, although arrangements for collecting information centrally are kept under review to take account of changing needs.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he intends to take to increase the provision of training for social workers specialising in work with deaf people.
§ Mr. ScottWe are well aware of the need and both the Department and the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work are giving careful consideration to a proposal for a new course involving the Open University.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what assessment he has made of the adequacy of social work provision for deaf people; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottThe adequacy of such provision is for local authorities to determine in the light of local needs.