Ofsted survey reveals positive impact of social care training

Ofsted have recently published their first national annual survey of social worker’s views, and it reveals a workforce who are positive about the continued training they receive.

The survey, entitled ‘Safeguarding and looked after children’, is based on 4,141 responses from social work practitioners working in services for children and young people across local authorities in England. It was conducted between February and April this year.

The responses indicate that the majority of social workers feel well supported by their line managers and are receptive to training. Just under two thirds felt that the training on offer was relevant and sufficient for their role. The concept of training itself was perceived positively by practitioners, with many commenting that continued training was beneficial to their work of safeguarding.

However, the survey did reveal areas in which improvements are required. Just one in five social workers felt that they had adequate time to work effectively with the children and young people on their caseload. Many respondents suggested that this could be resolved by increasing staffing levels and implementing a more effective system for managing caseloads.

Internal communication seems to be another key problem area. Only 50% of practitioners surveyed felt informed about issues relating to local serious case reviews and aware of any updates to policies or procedures. In addition to this, respondents generally said that they did not feel encouraged to communicate their ideas for improvements or to comment on the management of services.

Finally, of those surveyed, 3,514 of which were employed on a full-time basis while 657 were part-time workers, many reported that induction programmes were insufficient preparation for the job role.

Commenting on the findings, Matt Dunkley, Vice President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), said: “Some of the results of this survey are reassuring for those of us managing children’s services – training and supervision are at the heart of strong social work practice so it is important that most social workers who responded felt that their employers provided them with sufficient opportunities to improve their skills and reflect on their practice. [...] A confident and skilled workforce is vital if we are to improve our efforts at keeping children safe.”

Perry Leeks, Operations Director at First Response, says: “There are always improvements that can be made and, as has been stated, it is important to never get complacent and to always focus on delivering the best quality service that you can.

“What is encouraging is the fact that the social care workforce is so receptive to continued professional development and feels positive about training. Training is a fundamental part of good practice and, if this is already working effectively, the sector stands in a strong position to improve other areas which are currently falling behind.

“We offer a wide range of training aimed at those who work with children, from Paediatric First Aid to Child Protection training, for more information please call us today.”