BASW response to the Knowledge and Skills Statement for Social Workers in Adult Services

Today the Department of Health has published its response to the consultation on the knowledge and skills required for social work with adults.

The statement issued by the Chief Social Worker for Adults, Lyn Romeo will become the ‘national benchmark’ for newly qualified social workers working with adults, their employers and the public, as well as the recommended government assessment tool for this group.

BASW England Manager Maris Stratulis said: “The statement acknowledges the importance of social work as an international profession and the richness of social work being practiced in diverse settings and specialisms.

“We welcome recognition in the statement of the role of employers and that it ‘should be used by social workers and their employers to build a wider framework for induction, supervision and the continuing professional development of social workers and the social work profession’.

“We look forward to the detail being shared about a national system of quality assurance across the country and the validation process for implementing these arrangements.”

Key revisions to the statement from the consultation process are a greater emphasis on the Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding, the application of the statement to social workers employed outside of the public sector and a renewed emphasis on the importance of quality staff support.

To view the Knowledge and Skills Statement for Social Workers in Adult Services please click here.