Social Services Staff (Training) (Hansard, 7 February 1991)

§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

On 31 January 1991 I announced a new training strategy for the personal social services. We shall be making an investment of £5 million additional money in 1991–92, rising to over £12 million in 1993–94, in a strategy which will enable us to launch a balanced programme of initiatives aimed at improving the quantity and quality of training for the social services work force as a whole. These include£2 million in 1991–92 to boost the supply of practice learning opportunities for social work students, of which £1.5 million will be used for the appointment of new practice teachers; £1.1 million in 1991–92 to fund extra Department of Health post-graduate grants; £1.2 million in 1991–92 to enable Certificate of Qualification in Social Work and Certificate of Social Services courses to convert to new diploma in social work programmes; £300,000 in 1991–92 to fund the development of a new framework for post-qualifying training, and the development of an advanced award. £50,000 in 1991–92 for grants to students on post-qualifying courses.

These initiatives are in addition to the training support programme, funding for which has been increased to £24.8 million for 1991–92. We believe that they represent a balanced programme of initiatives which will result in the improvement of the quality of qualifying training for social workers, increase the supply of qualified social workers, improve the training of the existing work force and increase the availability and take up of post-qualifying training.

We will be working in active partnership with the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work, through whom many of these resources will be 243W channelled. Our new investment in the training strategy will make a major contribution to ensuring that social services staff are ready to take on the new roles and tasks facing them in the 1990s.