Social work education – long and slow or short and fast?

There are currently a number of ways to qualify as a social worker in England. The minimum qualification required is a Bachelors degree, but there are employment-based and postgraduate routes too.

Much of the controversy in social work education in recent years has centred around fast-track qualifying programmes such as Step Up, Frontline and Think Ahead. These are for graduates and use a work-based training model leading to the social work qualification (a postgraduate diploma) in just over a year. They feature financial support for employers and bursaries for students.

A recent study has found that retention of practitioners in local authority social work who trained through Step Up and Frontline is about the same at 18 months post-qualification as through University postgraduate programmes. Making direct comparisons is tricky due to a lack of comparable data and fast track programmes including a year post-qualification within the programme. However, with higher costs per trainee, the findings of this report suggest that Step Up and Frontline do not represent good value for money.

Undergraduate routes into social work

For someone without a degree who wants to become a social worker, there are apprenticeship or University routes to the qualification. There are many courses available across the country providing a substantial number of options for those currently completing their UCAS forms.

Many factors influence applicants’ choice of a University course – location, entry requirements, reputation, curricula and extra-curricula activities, for example. In recent years, though, at the University of York we have introduced a new variable: length.

We have replaced our Bachelors Degree with an Integrated Masters Degree – the Master in Social Work (Hons). Together with our partners in the Yorkshire Urban and Rural Teaching Partnership, the University of Huddersfield, we have been the first Universities in England to launch 4-year undergraduate qualifying degree programmes in social work.

Master in Social Work (Hons)

Our MSocW programme takes undergraduates through to a Masters level qualification in 4 years. We developed it in response to a growing demand from employers in our Teaching Partnership for practitioners qualified at postgraduate level. It also meets the need of undergraduates who want to go in to social work but prefer a broader education or the opportunity to take modules in different subjects.

In their first year, students take a broad social science curriculum including introductions to social policy, social psychology, sociology, social justice and social work. They study modules alongside other students in the Department to expose them to multiple learning opportunities and new ideas.

In the second year, the curriculum turns its focus to communities, advocacy and social change, highlighting that social work is more than just working with individuals. In addition, there are modules on social work skills and social research methods. A placement in the voluntary sector rounds off students’ learning, ensuring their understanding of social work is broader than just what is found in local authorities.

The final two years are taught alongside the MA in Social Work. Students learn about social work through the life course; law and policy for social work; communication skills and are prepared for practice learning in statutory authorities. In their third year they undertake a 70-day placement to put their learning into practice.

In their final year, students complete a 100-day placement and gain experience of statutory social work in a contrasting setting to their previous placement. They write a research dissertation and undertake further learning relating to the use of evidence in practice (with either children and families or adults) and a critical approach to power in contemporary practice.

Our first cohort are currently in their final year, so it is too soon to know how they use their learning in their practice. However, the early signs are very positive. They are now working at Masters level and are working towards the end of final placement level of the Professional Capabilities Framework. On completion of the programme they will be eligible to apply to join the register of social workers with Social Work England.

Our previous employment outcomes have been excellent with 100% in employment after 15 months (HESA data) and, with the demand for social work strong in the voluntary and statutory sectors in the UK, our MSocW graduates are likely to fare well in the employment market. Competition for places on the MSocW remains fierce and, unfortunately, we have to turn many candidates away.

University-based learning

The graduates of this programme are likely to have a substantially greater depth and breadth of knowledge and experience of social work than fast-track graduates. They are trained in a variety of intervention approaches and have experience of working across different sectors and settings. Their more thorough schooling in social work is likely to lead to a stronger commitment to the profession over the long term, which may improve their retention in social work jobs.

Work-based qualifying routes into social work may train people to do the job of a social worker, but my experience suggests that University-based routes more effectively train people to become social workers. Socialisation into the profession and discipline requires the opportunity to immerse yourself in the knowledge upon which it is built. Discovering the evidence base, spending time exploring ideas, theories and research, and developing critical thinking skills are essential to becoming a professional. Understanding the lived reality of the people who social workers safeguard and empower, including their experience of poverty, inequality and oppression, is core to joining the social work profession.

Social work requires an understanding of managing complexity, intervening in challenging and complex situations, maturity and expertise. It also requires a critical engagement with the social issues we are faced with and an understanding of the evidence base which underpins social work interventions. Critical thinking and reaching sensible, balanced, evidence-based judgements are core to the role of a professional social worker. To achieve this, long and slow is just as, if not more, effective than short and fast.