Previous Circular No: SWSG1/1995 (cancelled)

Chief Executives Scottish Local Authorities

Copy to: Directors of Social Work/Chief

Social Work Officers

Directors of Finance

CCETSW

Holders of SWSG Guidance Package (circular only)

20 May 1996

Dear Sir/Madam

SPECIFIC GRANT FOR SOCIAL WORK TRAINING: FINANCIAL YEAR 1996-97

Summary

1. This circular sets out the arrangements for specific grant for social work training for 1996-97 and replaces Circular SWSG1/1995. Authorities are asked to send applications for grant to Linda Brennan at the Social Work Services Inspectorate by 30 June 1996.

Background

2. In earlier years grant was divided between 3 categories - community care, residential child care and child protection. During 1996-97 Authorities will be preparing staff who work in children’s services for the introduction of new primary legislation - the Children Act (Scotland) 1995. It will be easier to provide a coherent approach to training for all the staff concerned if one grant category encompasses all eligible training in child care. In 1996-97 grant is to be allocated, therefore, in two categories - ie community care and children’s services.

3. The amount available for distribution for eligible training in the two categories is £3.93 million with £1.31 million allocated to community care and £2.62 million to children’s services. These sums are to be used to provide a 70% grant against expenditure of £5.614 million on training by authorities. The indicative allocations for each authority are identified in Annex 5. In addition, the sum of £270,000 will be allocated separately to help meet the costs of assessed practice placements provided for Diploma in Social Work (DipSW) students.

Aims and Objectives

4. The aim of the grant is to improve both the quality of social work service provision and the management of that provision by increasing the availability of training for relevant staff. The specific objectives are to increase the competence of social work staff working

• in community care

• in service to children and families (including residential child care)

• in social work management.

Funding of job related training for staff working in criminal justice services is included in Scottish Office 100% funding of these services and is not part of the specific grant arrangement.

5. Prior to the reorganisation of local government the scheme was based on the general principle that authorities should maintain the level of expenditure on all social work training [including criminal justice training,] established before the introduction of specific grant in 1992-93 and the expenditure funded by specific grant was additional. The principle that eligibility for specific grant is based on evidence that these core training budgets are maintained will continue to apply. From 1996-97 the baseline core budget will be that for 1995-96, disaggregated in accordance with formulae negotiated with outgoing regional authorities where appropriate. These core budgets as notified to SWSI are listed in Annex 5.

Targets

6. Targets have already been set for 1995 and 1997 and are identified in Annex 1 alongside related objectives. These provide a range of indicators which can be used in assessing the impact of grant. Targets have been introduced this year for local authority staff and organisations contracted with local authorities to provide services to people with sensory impairment. This is in recognition of the importance of these areas of work and the low priority previously given to training for relevant staff. A longer timescale has been set for the achievement of these targets.

7. Authorities should direct their plans and expenditure towards achieving the targets. SWSI will be monitoring achievements in relation to targets and authorities should include relevant information as requested in the summary of their training plans.

Planning Staff Development and Training

8. In planning for the effective delivery of social work services authorities need to ensure that their strategies and objectives include attention to staff training and development requirements throughout their social work services. Human resource issues should be addressed in authorities’ Community Care Plans and in plans for children’s services; annual plans for services in criminal justice already include a section on staff training. The information gathered for these planning statements and the priorities, targets and resources identified in them can be brought together to form the basis for the authorities’ training plans.

9. As part of the management of their human resources authorities may want to produce training plans. Mindful of the burdens following reorganisation, the provision of training plans as part of the specific grant application is not required by the SWSI. However, a statement of staff in post and their qualifications held should be expressed in numerical form as per the tables in the grant application. The application for specific grant cannot be processed in the absence of these completed tables. SWSI will use these to help with monitoring and analysing progress. Where authorities do compile training plans, it is suggested that they should be sent to Geraldine Doherty at the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW), 78-80 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3BU. This will help CCETSW identify education, training and qualification needs across Scotland in line with authorities’ workforce requirements. A suggested framework for developing training Plans can be found at Annex 4.

Collaboration

10. In recent years important gains have been made through authorities collaborating together to provide training. The advantage of collaboration is likely to be even greater for unitary authorities. It will help to ensure continuity for staff already embarked on training leading to vocational and professional qualifications; to make best use of scarce training resources; and to maintain a broadly based set of programmes cost effectively. It is important that authorities determine at an early date the special organisational arrangements that will most effectively facilitate collaboration with neighbouring authorities and educational establishments and facilitate links with independent sector agencies. ‘Lead Authority’ arrangements may well provide the most satisfactory structure in the future.

Eligible Expenditure

11. The activities and staff groups in community care and children’s services that are eligible for grant in 1996-97 are those identified in Annex 2. It is for each authority to establish its own priorities within each area of grant and authorities should demonstrate that grant is to be used for additional training in the specified areas. Authorities may vire between the two sub-heads of grant to a maximum of 20% of the sub-head being reduced, but any authority wishing to exceed this limit must notify SWSI.

12. Voluntary agency and private sector staff require training opportunities to maintain service standards. Staff training costs should be included when formulating contracts and purchase of service agreements. This point is made clear in the Directions for Purchasing Community Care (see Circular SW13/1994). Authorities may also provide grant directly to voluntary organisations to meet specific training priorities.

13. Social work authorities will wish to make opportunities for joint training with other agencies that provide services to children and adults. They may wish to fund these initiatives jointly or to set fees for participation in training events which take account of the types of agencies concerned and their ability to pay.

14. The systematic evaluation of the impact of training will greatly assist authorities with making the most effective use of available resources. Now that the grant scheme has been in operation for four years, authorities should give greater attention to evaluation. In recognition of its importance the definition of eligible expenditure includes studies to evaluate training programmes. Authorities may spend up to one per cent of their indicative allocations for this purpose; they may choose to pool resources with other authorities to purchase evaluation studies.

Arrangements for Allocating Grant

15. Annex 3 contains the form to be used when applying for grant. Completed forms should reach the Social Work Services Inspectorate by the date shown. The formula used for determining authorities’ Grant Aided Expenditure in social work forms the basis on which grant has been allocated, but with Island authorities’ allocation being maintained.

Practice Placements

16. The provision of assessed practice placements for students studying for the DipSW is a well recognised local authority responsibility and resources to assist their provision are included within the Grant Aided Expenditure settlement. It is not always easy for authorities to make placements available and in recognition of the increasing demand for placements of the high standard required by the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW), a proportion of Specific Grant (£270,000) will be allocated to authorities to give additional assistance with meeting their responsibility to provide sufficient placements of adequate quality.

17. Allocations will be made on the basis of the actual number of placements provided. Using the CCETSW placement fee (£17 per day) and taking the average length of placement to be 70 days, an average fee of £1,190 per placement has been calculated. Authorities are eligible for payment from specific grant of 35% of this fee (£416) for each assessed DipSW placement of not less than 50 days which they provide. Claim forms will be issued twice during the year; in July for the period 1 January to 30 June 1996 and in January 1997 for the period 1 July to 31 December 1996. Payments for placements that begin in the first period but carry over into the second will be made only if claimed in July; similarly payments for placements beginning in the second period that continue after 31 December can be claimed only in January 1997. Any adjustments for placements that began before 31 December 1995 and continue after 31 March 1996, and thus become the responsibility of a different local authority are for the relevant authorities to negotiate. Payments for placements beginning in the period January to June will be made to the unitary authorities.

Monitoring

18. The Inspectorate will monitor the use of grant by examining progress towards national targets, scrutinising mid year and end of year monitoring forms and claims for payment of grant. Authorities must also submit a financial statement endorsed with the signature of the relevant authority’s Chief Finance Officer. These forms should be returned no later than 31 August 1996.

Claim and Monitoring Forms

19. Claims for grant should be made twice a year on the forms that will be issued in October and February. In October authorities will also be asked to provide revised estimates of expenditure for the rest of the year.

Summary of Action Required

20. Set out below is the time for the completion of tasks.

21. Grant is available for payment only within the financial year 1996-97. Authorities should note that any overpayments of grant made in one financial year will be recovered in the next financial year. All monies retrieved are returned to Treasury and are therefore lost to specific grant. Authorities should ensure that their final claim reaches SWSI by the due date and, thus, in time for payment to be made before the year’s end.

Note

22. The annexes to this circular have been sent to Chief Executives of Scottish Local Authorities, Directors of Social Work/Chief Social Work Officers and Directors of Finance and CCETSW. Copies of the annexes are available to other interested parties by contacting Linda Brennan.

Contact Point

23. Enquiries relating to this circular should be made to Linda Brennan, Social Work Services Inspectorate, Room 37b, James Craig Walk, Edinburgh EH1 3BA (Telephone 0131 244 3530). [ To holders of the SWSG Circulars and Guidance Package: This circular should be placed in Section C1 of the volume containing "Training" circulars. Circular SWSG1/95 is now cancelled.]

Yours faithfully

ANGUS SKINNER

Chief Social Work Inspector

SOCIAL WORK SERVICES INSPECTORATE

TRAINING TARGETS

* Equivalents are as outlined in Social Work Services Group Circular SW9/93

SOCIAL WORK SERVICES INSPECTORATE

SPECIFIC GRANT 1995-96

24. Activities Eligible for Grant

Funding will be available in relation to the specific objectives of the scheme and within the limits of grant available to meet

• the costs of additional staff employed to provide training and work-based assessment;

• the costs of training purchased from other sources;

• the costs of providing training to meet the requirement of the EU Directive on health and safety at work;

• the non-salary costs of staff undertaking training including the payment of course fees and travel expenses;

• the provision of additional materials, hire of premises and other administrative costs for the purposes of training and assessment of competencies;

• expenditure on evaluation of the impact of training, up to 1% of indicative allocation;

• expenditure on practice placements for students undertaking the Diploma in Social Work in accordance with the arrangements specified in paragraphs 19-20 of the Circular.

Note

Salary costs of staff seconded for training are not eligible for grant, but the costs of providing replacement staff or cover is eligible, up to but not exceeding the salary and associated costs of the staff replaced.

25. Eligible Staff Groups

• Community Care

Senior social workers, social workers, social work assistants, occupational therapists and assistants, home care organisers and staff, care managers, community alarm organisers, officers in charge, assistants and other care and rehabilitation staff in residential, domiciliary and day care services.

• Children’s Services

Social workers and social care staff in all fieldwork (including prison and hospital), residential and day care settings; foster parents and other domiciliary care staff; officers in charge, assistants and staff working in residential child care settings.

• All Programmes

Top, senior and middle managers, inspection and registration officers, advisory and training staff.

26. Type of Training Courses Eligible

• Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs)

(a) training of assessors for SVQs;

(b) training which enables staff to acquire SVQs and the HNC in Social Care.

• Secondments to qualifying courses

Salary costs of staff seconded for training are not eligible for grant, but the cost of providing replacement staff or cover is eligible.

• In-service training

Training in identified areas organised on an in-service basis for relevant staff in field, residential, day or domiciliary care services; induction training; participation in Open University and other open learning programmes which do not lead to qualifying or post-qualifying awards.

• Post-qualifying training

Short courses, post qualifying and advanced training for qualified staff on CCETSW and other relevant accredited programmes.

• Training in management and supervision

Training for staff with management and/or supervisory responsibilities. This category includes specific courses in the management of child care and community care practice as well as education and training in social work management generally.

• Interprofessional training

Training opportunities may include courses designed for staff who will be engaged in interdisciplinary work with other professionals in local authority legal departments, health boards, general practice, police, education, housing and local voluntary and private sector agencies.

• Non-accredited training

Short courses and other training events run by agencies external to the local authority and not accredited within the qualifying and post-qualifying systems.

SPECIFIC GRANT FOR TRAINING 1995-96

APPLICATION FORM FOR ALLOCATION OF GRANT

2. Name and address of social work department contact:

3. Please state planned total expenditure by your authority on social work training (including in criminal justice) for 1996-97.

4. Amount of grant applied for in 1996-97 (should not exceed the indicative allocation)

Please send by 30 June 1996 to:

Linda Brennan

Room 37B

Social Work Services Inspectorate

James Craig Walk

Edinburgh

EH1 3BA

5. Costs of activities eligible for specific grant proposed for 1996-97

STATEMENT OF STAFF IN POST AND QUALIFICATIONS HELD AS AT 1 APRIL 1996 A

COMMUNITY CARE

SOCIAL WORK SERVICES INSPECTORATE

A FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIAL WORK DEPARTMENT TRAINING PLANS

Introduction

27. The importance of developing a strategic and planned approach to the management and resourcing of training for social work department staff has become clear with the implementation of community care policy, the introduction of national standards for work in criminal justice, and now with the need to plan ahead for the implementation of the Children Act (Scotland) 1995.

28. The following guidance is offered to local authorities to assist them in the formulation of training plans and to facilitate the monitoring and review of the operation of the plans. Training plans are primarily to meet the authorities’ management requirements. Where authorities do compile training plans it is suggested that they should be sent to Geraldine Doherty at the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW), 78-80 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3BU which has been commissioned by the Government to promote training in social work. This will help CCETSW identify education, training and qualification needs in Scotland in line with authorities workforce requirements.

Structure and Content of a Training Plan

29. A training plan should relate to the whole of the social work department’s training programme for the year and should be set within the longer term training strategy. It should include plans for staff at all levels of the organisation and staff working with all client groups.

30. The plan should be set within the policy context of the social work department and should flow from the strategies and objectives set out in plans for community care, criminal justice services and children’s services. The training plan, therefore, will show how the training strategy relates to the priorities of the department as a whole. This in turn should lead to a statement of policy for staff development and training.

31. The training plans should include:

• training provided by the department’s training section

• programmes, for example, in management development, which are provided by other departments of the local authority

• training purchased from external organisations

• vocational training

• professional qualifying and post-qualifying education and training.

Training Objectives

32. The objectives flow from the department’s priorities and statement of policy. They will also take account of the national standards for work in criminal justice, objectives identified in Community Care plans and the targets set out in Annex 1 of Circular SW1/96. It is essential that training plans take full account of service plans for the relevant period. Training objectives should be shown in relation to data about the size of the workforce, qualifications held and any training needs analyses carried out. The plan should include information about the means, timescales and estimated costs of achieving the training objectives. Much of the information can be summarised in tabular form on the attached annexes.

33. The plan should show what progress was made towards achieving the objectives in the previous year. Tables should show how many staff in different categories have undertaken different types of training, how many have successfully completed their programmes and where possible the costs of these achievements.

34. Priorities for the current year should be outlined, along side expected outcomes. Outcomes should be expressed in terms of the number and type of qualifications to be achieved by staff undertaking training.

Evaluation and Review of Plans

35. Training plans should outline how the impact of training will be assessed by:

• staff who receive it

• users of services provided by staff receiving training

• those who manage staff receiving training

• senior managers.

It is unlikely to be possible for assessment by all these categories to be made every year. However, over time local authorities will be able to develop a programme of evaluation that includes all these perspectives.

36. Regular monitoring and review of plans will be necessary to allow adjustments to be made and to ensure best use of resources. The plan should include a statement about the intervals at which review will normally be carried out.

SOCIAL WORK TRAINING - SPECIFIC GRANT TO REGIONAL COUNCILS

INDICATIVE ALLOCATIONS 1996-97