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National Objectives for Social Work Services in the Criminal Justice System: Standards - General Issues
CHAPTER 6: STRATEGY FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING
85.This chapter outlines the strategy which SWSG has adopted for the education and training of managers and practitioners providing social work services in the criminal justice system in order to secure the implementation of National Standards and the achievement of national objectives. The objectives of this strategy are to ensure:
85.1that staff managing and providing the service are acquainted with the standards, and the objectives and priorities which underlie them;
85.2the staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to implement the standards and to provide an effective and efficient service.
86.The strategy builds on opportunities currently available for education and training specifically related to providing social work services in the criminal justice system. It also seeks to take account of new developments in the wider system of education and training for those professionally involved in social work and social care. The Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work is responsible for promoting social work education and training in Scotland having regard to Scottish Office policy objectives and the requirements of social work agencies.
87.The main components of the strategy are:
87.1Induction training for all staff carrying responsibility for implementing the National Objectives and Standards;
87.2Programmes of advanced study to encourage innovation and excellence in standards of management and practice
87.3The promotion of a planned approach to qualifying training to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of students obtaining the Diploma in Social Work aware who have given particular attention to criminal justice related social work as part of their study;
87.4Opportunities for non-professional staff which may lead to relevant vocational qualifications (SVQs);
87.5An ongoing programme of training for all staff.
Local Authority Responsibilities
88.Local authorities have a general responsibility to ensure that all staff providing criminal justice social work services have the necessary competence to do the job to the required standards.
89.As part of its wider responsibilities for workforce planning and development, it is essential for each local authority to undertake regular training needs analyses linked as appropriate to the requirement to review the training needs of individual staff annually. These analyses should contribute to the preparation of a job related training strategy for each authority updated annually based on the main components listed above.
90.Whilst each authority has the responsibility for developing, implementing, and evaluating its strategy, the training opportunities available must meet the following standards and criteria to be eligible for Central Government funding. The standards and criteria will be subject to regular review and, if necessary, amendment in the light of experience. Where local authorities are considering using independent sector agencies to provide training services and have doubts about their suitability for this purpose, they should consult SWSG.
General
91.The strategy developed by each authority should:
91.1Include the identification of specific training objectives, targets and performance indicators for each planning cycle;
91.2Be related to departments' plans for consolidating and developing criminal justice social work services;
91.3Provide for a continuum of training opportunities for staff;
91.4Utilise training materials which, wherever possible, will be useful to staff in their day to day work;
91.5Be planned and detailed to make the most cost-effective use of recourses, including the options of developing collaborative programmes between authorities, using common training materials, and buying in training expertise.
92Where services are provided by independent sector agencies on behalf of a local authority, the authority must ensure that the relevant training standards and criteria are specified in the contractual arrangements. The authority should therefore consult with these agencies and take their training needs into account as far as possible when preparing their departmental training strategies.
93Local authorities should set in place procedures for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of their training strategies.
Induction Training
94.Induction training is training which is intended to build on the existing knowledge and skills of staff and to prepare them to carry out their work within the overall framework of the National Objectives and Standards
95.All staff involved in providing services must complete an induction programme. Any new staff who are subsequently appointed should also undergo an induction programme.
96.The induction programmes should be of a minimum of 3 days duration including any follow up days.
97Induction programmes should provide a basic grounding in the main objectives and service standards for all staff.
98Induction programmes should also address the specific needs and requirements of groups of staff carrying responsibility for managing, delivering, and monitoring the full range of services covered by the National Standards.
99Induction programmes should be linked to departments' plans for a continuing programme of training.
100.Advanced Training
101.Advanced training is training which promotes high quality management and service delivery within a broader continuum of staff development and post-qualifying studies. Opportunities for advanced training are available through the MSc In Advanced Criminal Justice at Edinburgh/Stirling Universities and through other relevant courses on aspects of management and practice.
Qualifying Training
101.Local authorities will wish through membership of their local training consortia to ensure that attention is given in the development, accreditation and re-accreditation of Dip SW courses to the availability of opportunities for qualifying students to study social work in the criminal justice system as one of the recognised 'pathways'.
Vocational Qualifications
102Local authorities should seek to ensure that opportunities for staff to obtain relevant vocational qualifications are incorporated within their overall programmes.
Ongoing Education and Training
103Each local authority must develop an ongoing education and training programme which takes account of opportunities and developments in the fields of advanced, qualified, and vocational training and which makes use of a whole range of resources including departmental training staff, training institutions and agencies.
104It will be the responsibility of line managers to ensure that the training needs of staff members are reviewed annually and proposals for ongoing training made which will enhance specific areas of competence.
105Training opportunities should be provided to enable staff members to develop competence in the areas identified.
106It will be the responsibility of lines managers to assess the impact of ongoing training on the effectiveness of the work of those staff members for whom they are responsible.
Financial Implications
107.Local authorities will require to consider how available resources can best be distributed between induction training and the other elements of their overall training strategies. The approved costs of job related training are included within agreed levels of budget in the 100% funding arrangements and any doubts over the eligibility of a particular training option should be referred to SWSG. Secondment to qualifying training is not eligible for 100% funding but SWSG will consider whether to allow the costs of assessment for SCOTVEC vocational awards.
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