Supporting Newly Qualified Social Workers
Here in Devon, we go to great lengths to support and develop our social workers. As well as the many other initiatives and support structures we have in place, we are proud to be involved in a three year pilot project.
Funded by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC), the project aims to help recently qualified social workers consolidate learning from their initial training. Selected social workers will receive additional supervision and mentoring as well as new training and development opportunities. The project is focused on raising standards and improving the experiences of social workers in their first year of practice. It will also be of benefit to more experienced social workers: they will have an important role to play in mentoring, shadowing and working alongside their newly qualified colleagues.
As part of the pilot scheme, newly qualified social workers will benefit from a reduced caseload in their first year, thereby giving them more time for professional development and training. (Supply cover will be provided to ensure case levels can be consistently and effectively managed.) Careful attention will also be given to the appropriateness and complexity of cases which are allocated to newly qualified social workers; this will ensure that experience in handling more complex work is developed over a period of time. They will also benefit from a new induction programme and action learning sets, where staff work together in groups to discuss how to manage issues that arise from their work. Developmental opportunities will also be tailored to their individual needs.
We appreciate that being new to social work can be stressful, and through this pilot we are taking steps to ensure that each and every newly qualified social worker has the support they need to achieve their full potential.
If you’d like to know more about this project, please contact Jon Scase, Workforce Development Team Manager (Social Work Education), on 01363 777842 or email jon.scase@devon.gov.uk