1. ASYE forum: assessment and accreditation of social workers September 2016

2. Putting Children First
Published in early July sets out fundamental reform of each of the three pillars on which the children’s social care system stands:
people and leadership – bringing the best into the profession and giving them the right knowledge and skills, and developing leaders equipped to nurture practice excellence
practice and systems – creating the right environment for excellent practice and innovation to flourish, learning from the very best practice, and learning from when things go wrong
governance and accountability – making sure that what we are doing is working, and developing innovative new organisational models with the potential to radically improve services

3. Focus on people and leadership
Providing clarity over standards with the publication of the KSS and introduction of assessment and accreditation
Transforming initial education:
Expansion of Frontline and Step Up
Expansion of Teaching Partnerships
Supporting transitions and focus on CPD:
New cohort of ASYE
A development programme for practice supervisors (we’d welcome ideas!)
A talent programme for aspiring practice leaders (to be delivered by Tri-borough)
New development programme for social workers making permanence decisions
Creating a new regulator to oversee the profession

4. Why assessment and accreditation
We believe that assessment and accreditation is a key part of achieving a fully confident and highly capable social work profession, trained in the right way and with the right knowledge and skills
There is really good practice in the system but:
Quality of practice is variable
Different interpretations of what good looks like
Lack of transparency over the quality of practice
Assessment & accreditation provides the mechanism for embedding the knowledge and skills statement
It provides a window into the practice of individuals (and employers)
Helps define what good looks like and supports the system to achieve this
Develops confidence in social workers (and of social workers in themselves)
A commitment was given in ‘Putting Children First’ to roll out the new system of assessment and accreditation for all child and family social workers, practice supervisors and practice leaders by 2020

5. Proof of concept phase and proposals for rollout

6. The assessment in proof of concept
Knowledge assessment: general knowledge and applied knowledge sections
Digital scenarios: aimed to test decision making and logical reasoning
to test ‘soft’ skills: role plays, a reflective conversation with the observer and a short written piece
Digital assessment
Employers ratings (172) and direct observation (58):
to validate the outcomes of the assessment
(954)
(204)
Proof of concept – the model
* Numbers indicate the number of social workers that took part in that aspect of the proof of concept
Simulated
assessment

7. Proposed assessment
For frontline practitioners and practice supervisors:
Knowledge assessment (general and applied)
Simulated observation
Written assessment
We are working on the approach for assessing practice leaders

8. Does not meet the standard one or more aspects of assessment
Proposed assessment
Practice endorsement
Does the social worker display the right knowledge and skills against the KSS?
External assessment
Knowledge assessment (general and applied)
Simulated observation
Written assessment
Accreditation
Does not meet the standard
one or more aspects of assessment
Support and developmental
either…
or…
Appeald/re-marking

9. Phase 1 rollout plans

10. Rollout plans – phase 1 of A&A
Phase 1 will run from autumn 2016 to September 2018
We have 31 volunteering employers for phase 1
We will also be working with ASYE cohorts
From April 2017, social worker assessment will begin
Phase 1 will give us the opportunity to work with employers to understand the impact of accreditation on individual social workers and make decisions about future rollout at scale
Phase 2 is expected to start in October 2018

11. Phase 1 employers Yorkshire and Humber: North East: Leeds Durham
North East Lincolnshire
North Yorkshire
Wakefield
North East:
Durham
Hartlepool
North West:
Bolton
Bury
Manchester
Oldham
Rochdale
Salford
Stockport
Tameside
Trafford
Wigan
East Midlands:
Lincolnshire
Nottinghamshire
East:
Cambridgeshire
Luton
West Midlands:
Birmingham
London:
Hammersmith and Fulham
Islington
Kensington and Chelsea
Kingston upon Thames
Lambeth
Richmond upon Thames
Westminster
South West:
Bath and North East Somerset
Plus ASYE nationally
South East:
Hampshire
Kent

12. Over the summer..
We have been developing our thinking further, for example about:
The roll out schedule
Exactly which social workers assessment and accreditation should apply to (e.g. those doing statutory functions)
How to treat agency staff and those moving in to child and family services
Informed by a series of regional events.
Will be set out in consultation document.

13. What next…
In October we expect to…
Publish the practice endorsement guidance
Publish a consultation document, including proposals on the shape of the assessment
Launch the procurement process for a delivery partner
In the autumn we will….
Further develop the content of the knowledge and simulated observation
Work with phase 1 local authorities on logistics of rollout
Start employer endorsement in phase 1 areas
In the spring we will…
Publish consultation response
Appoint delivery partner
Between 2017 and September 2018
Accredit workforce in phase 1 local areas
PLEASE LOOK OUT FOR THE CONSULTATION AND MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION!
importantly, in your verbal explanation I'd like you to set out that we'll be asking a question in the consultation about whether the focus for A&A should be on those who carry out statutory functions or not and which ones - this has come out of many of the roundtable meetings we've been to

14. And finally…
From 1 October DfE s are changing, you can contact us at: