What (a) Difference a Degree Makes: The Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree in England

Abstract

This version is available at https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/9811/ Strathprints is designed to allow users to access the research output of the University of Strathclyde. Unless otherwise explicitly stated on the manuscript, Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Please check the manuscript for details of any other licences that may have been applied. You may not engage in further distribution of the material for any profitmaking activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute both the url (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/) and the content of this paper for research or private study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge.Any correspondence concerning this service should be sent to the Strathprints administrator: strathprints@strath.ac.ukThe Strathprints institutional repository (https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk) is a digital archive of University of Strathclyde research outputs. It has been developed to disseminate open access research outputs, expose data about those outputs, and enable the management and persistent access to Strathclyde's intellectual output. SummaryAfter many years of debate in the UK about the need for a degree-level qualification in social work, the arguments for a minimum degree-level qualification were accepted. The requirements for the degree in England were developed drawing on work from a number of sources, including a benchmark statement for undergraduate degrees in social work and focus groups with stakeholders. The new degree in England, launched in 2003, involves one extra year's study; improvements in the qualifying standard for social work; and specific curriculum and entrance requirements. At the time of launching the degree, the government department responsible for funding (Department of Health) commissioned a three-year evaluation of the implementation of the new degree to establish whether the new qualifying level leads to improvements in the qualified workforce. The aim of the evaluation is to describe the experiences of those undertaking the degree, collect the views of the various stakeholders about the effectiveness of the degree and measure the impact of a degree-level qualification on those entering the workforce. This article, written by the team undertaking the evaluation of the England degree, explores the reasons for the methodological approach adopted and the issues that have arisen in setting up the research.

Ready for Qualified Practice? A Comparative Study of Capability for Critical Reflection and Analysis of MA Social Work and MA Step Up to Social Work Students at the End of Second Placement

“…Use of vignettes is seen as a suitable method to assess the capability to reflect (Carpenter, 2005) and this has been successfully used (MacIntyre, et al, 2011;MacIntyre & Green Lister, 2010, Orme et al, 2009). MacIntyre 6 et al (2011 concluded that this enables assessment of outcomes in relation to acquisition of knowledge and skills (see Carpenter, 2005).…”

'My Expectations Remain the Same. The Student Has to Be Competent to Practise': Practice Assessor Perspectives on the New Social Work Degree Qualification in England

“…The study methods have been described in detail elsewhere (Orme et al, 2007). In summary, practice assessors who had worked with students from five undergraduate and four postgraduate social work qualifying programmes in six different higher education institutions (HEIs) in England were invited to complete a questionnaire asking about their experiences as a practice assessor, their views of aspects of student performance, the issues they faced as assessors, and their demographic and professional backgrounds.…”

Exploring the Place of Values in the New Social Work Degree in Scotland

“…The new degree was part of the same, UK-wide drive for improvement across all aspects of social services noted in the previous section. On the whole, the degree was welcomed by academics who have long argued for a degree-level qualification (Orme et al, 2009) but, at the same time, it is another demonstration of the tensions between the professional desire for improvement and the centralised drive for increased accountability. Its introduction recognised, albeit belatedly, the complexity of the social work knowledge base and reinforced the extent to which professional ability is based on sound academic and practice skills.…”

“…The tensions apparent in practice, linked to the Government's drive to standardise processes and outcomes, are now mirrored in social work education. On the one hand, an honours degree is appreciated because it emphasises the complexity of professional practice and the need for sustained academic inquiry (Orme et al, 2009). On the other hand, the increasing emphasis on standardised outcomes is reducing the scope of what students are taught and how they are assessed.…”