Social worker accreditation ‘could destabilise profession’

A new accreditation scheme for social workers could destabilise and demoralise the profession, an professional association has warned.

The government plans to assess the professional skills of all social workers by 2020. But the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) is concerned by aspects of the plans and has called for a clarification of certain issues. These include whether or not the accreditation will be voluntary or obligatory, whether it will be phased in or introduced all at once, and what will happen to social workers who fail the assessment.

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In a newly published statement, it explained:

“If even 15 per cent of social workers fail the assessment processes the implications for the sector, but more importantly the implications for vulnerable children, young people and their families, are profound.”

It added:

“ADCS believes that the policy and implementation issues must be addressed together, otherwise there is a serious risk that this reform agenda will, unintentionally, destabilise and demoralise the workforce.”

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