Social Work England fails fitness-to-practice standard for 4th year straight, and now fails on its CPD (non) approach too. Referred to ministers for the second year running.
www.communitycare.co.uk/content/news...
Upcoming @socwkhistory.bsky.social webinar: 'Histories of Compliance and Resistance: Social Workers and Immigration across Europe and USA' - 20th April. Details here. All welcome. www.kcl.ac.uk/events/histo...
Social Work England now proposing to use AI to review CPD records, and relying on “insights.” So get ready for AI made CPD records, analysed by AI, then AI shaping reforms (presumably involving more AI). And this is supposed to keep the public safe.
www.communitycare.co.uk/content/news...
'Within a year I realised we’d made a huge mistake' - Brett Wigdortz (2026) about the founding of Teach First in 2002.
observer.co.uk/news/columni...
This day in social work history⏳
12th March 1948: Virginia Bottomley, Conservative member of the House of Lords, and former social worker and Secretary of State for Health, born in Dunoon, Scotland.
Good to see @community-care.bsky.social highlighting the concerning development that the ASYE replacement will exclude social workers outside of statutory roles. Already splitting adults and children social workers, now splitting stat and non-stat. Concerning.
www.communitycare.co.uk/content/news...
New Department for Education consultation response suggests that ASYE funding will no longer be available to newly qualified social workers in non-statutory settings, and not replaced. Very worrying development further alienating social workers outside of local authorities.
But all that aside, the conclusion is, as anyone paying attention could have predicted, the ECF/ECS, first proposed in the MacAlister review is now going ahead. And as a side note, the author of that ‘independent’ review is now Children’s Minister overseeing all this… END.
Speaking of that failure, the disaster of the ECF in teaching goes unmentioned, no reflection, no lessons learned, just replication in social work. Why are we copying a failed model? I have written about this extensively elsewhere w/ Jan Rowe 8/9
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...
Employers, obviously, flagged the need for funding and support to deliver the ECS. In response, the government has proposed to use “High-quality” approved suppliers. This is the same outsourced model that’s been so disastrous in teaching. 7/9
Similarly 76% said the ECS should include social workers in non-statutory services. DfE rejected it. As far as I can tell, those services are now set to lose funding support for newly qualified staff. Feedback ignored, consequences real. 6/9
Interesting dynamic: more respondents said key elements were missing, yet the framework’s content was actually reduced. The old version was too complex, I completely agree, but this suggests the decisions were being made regardless of consultation feedback. 5/9
Concerns about the 1-year ASYE in adults vs the new 2-year ECS in children & how this will work are brushed aside, with DfE simply saying this: ‘reflects the fact that post-qualification specialisation takes place within many professions and that social work is no exception’. 4/9
For a consultation about social workers’ future professional development, HE engagement was near-absent. The response breakdown is unclear, but it seems only 2 universities replied. Likely a mix of low faith in govt consultations (well earned) and overstretched staff. 3/9
First thing, the ‘broad’ support claim is based on 54% of respondents, meaning about 68 people, supporting the plans for the new 2-year ASYE replacement. I would not class this as broad… just thinking about the social work profession, there are over 100k of us in England! 2/9
Some thoughts on the consultation response to the social work ECF, renamed yet again, now ECS, that will replace the ASYE by 2027. As typical of a government consultation, it claims 'broad' support while sidestepping many concerns. A 🧵 1/9
consult.education.gov.uk/social-work-...
We (Open University) are seeking an External Examiner for our Undergraduate Social Work Law Module (Degree and Degree Apprenticeship). 📚⚖️ If interested or if you want more info, get in touch: helen.casey@open.ac.uk / jeanette.copperman@open.ac.uk
Social Work England raising more income from practitioner fees than anticipated from @community-care.bsky.social
www.communitycare.co.uk/content/news...
New article via @basw-uk.bsky.social from James Blewett raising questions about the reforms coming through children's services: "While the aspirations are both laudable and necessary, they risk being undermined by a lack of sufficient funding and evaluation".
new.basw.co.uk/about-social...
Important principled stance here from Sarah Anderson. "This was not a refusal to engage; it was a judgment on the effectiveness and credibility of the proposed engagement"
fosterwiki.com/why-i-turned...
Interesting opportunity for any social workers (or safeguarding professionals) looking for something a bit different: Safeguarding Officer with Imperial Outreach and Global Summer School teams. Full details:
www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...
They’re basically consulting on who gets the money, postgrads or undergrads, and whether bursary funding should be rerouted into education support grants. Stuff like that.
After 11 years frozen, we finally get a consultation on the Social Work Bursary and Education Support Grant; but of course it’s just rearranging deckchairs. No new money, no parity across routes. Missing the point.
www.gov.uk/government/c...
Disappointing apprenticeship data: higher dropouts for lower socio-economic and global majority groups. But the 50%+ dropout rates across the board suggest a system isn’t really working for anyone. feweek.co.uk/disadvantage...
OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNMENT FROM CHILD PROTECTION PROFESSIONALS organised by @ciaranmmmurphy.bsky.social 👇👇👇
Grateful to @malcolmp25.bsky.social for this thoughtful write-up of our recent @socwkhistory.bsky.social event on networks in social work. Really enjoyed the conversation with @jthobu.bsky.social, Jane Tunstill, James Blewitt and everyone in attendance.
Social Work England pausing changes to education standards, including KSBs. As I argued below, these changes weren’t needed and risk damage. But pausing them now is another slap in the face for HEIs already planning, particularly around apprenticeships.
academic.oup.com/bjsw/article...
French competition watchdog raids offices of Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC, all partners of Teach First and/or its spinoffs in England (Frontline, Think Ahead, Unlocked, Police Now). These firms should be no where near our public professions.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Really powerful article from @yohaihakak.bsky.social in CRSW: "There are no easy answers, but this much is clear: silence is not care, weapons are not compassion, and justice cannot be built on denial or fear".
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...
