HC Deb 05 June 1990 vol 173 c570W
15. Mr. Orme

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to improve basic social work training.

19. Mr. Home Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to improve basic social work training.

90. Mr. Martyn Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to improve basic social work training.

102. Mr Cummings

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to improve basic social work training.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

The Government have accepted the need to improve training for social workers and other social care staff. We are therefore implementing a balanced programme of improvements to provide a comprehensive, progressive continuum of education, training and qualifications for all social work and care staff in the personal social services.

For social work qualifying training this includes the provision of additional funding for phasing out one-year post-graduate courses in favour of a minimum of two years' training, improvement to the quality and quantity of practice placements and improvements to course curricula. We are also making additional funds available to the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work to introduce a new qualifying course at higher education level, the diploma in social work, which will replace the existing qualifying courses over time. This new award, developed in consultation with educational, employment and professional interests, represents a radically improved approach to qualifying training for social workers which will enable students to acquire the knowledge, skills and values required for competent practice as a social worker.