Social Work 2000 - High Profile Recruitment Campaign

The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has launched a high profile recruitment campaign to recruit high calibre social workers to support children and families.

The drive is part of the Government's wider social work reform programme being delivered by CWDC to widen entry routes into the profession, enhance support for practitioners and encourage former social workers back into the profession.

Called 'Be the difference', the campaign is inspired by real life stories to illustrate how social workers apply their training, skills and expertise to everyday objects to make major breakthroughs with children and families.

CWDC Chairman Sir Paul Ennals said:

If we want a world-class social work profession, we need to attract the brightest, best and most committed people to the profession. Social workers are unsung heroes and do a difficult job, often in extremely challenging circumstances - but it is a great profession to join. This recruitment campaign aims to attract high quality candidates from wide-ranging backgrounds to think about a career in social work."

The campaign is phase two of the new social worker recruitment campaign launched two weeks ago by Secretary of State for Children, Ed Balls. The campaign follows on from the Social Work Transformation Fund for children's social work announced by Government in May 2009, which includes:

1) Sponsoring 200 university places from September 2009

2) Extending the Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW) pilot to all new children and families' social workers joining statutory and voluntary services from this September

3) Funding a practice-based Masters in social work to start in early 2011 so that social workers can continue to develop further their knowledge, skills and expertise

4) Introducing an Advanced Social Work Professional Status programme to encourage excellent and experienced social workers to stay in front line roles

5) Delivering coaching and development for frontline social worker managers to boost leadership and management skills

'Be the difference' follows the successful 'Help Give Them a Voice' campaign in which celebrities gave their voice to the vulnerable children and adults who need the support of social workers every day. Since the launch of this campaign more than 7,000 people have expressed an interest in becoming social workers.

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, said:

I want us to reach out to the public in a way that captures their imagination and challenges their preconceptions, encouraging people from all walks of life to give serious consideration to a social work career and I believe the advertising campaign will help achieve this.

"The recruitment campaign is just one aspect of our work to transform the profession; we have invested £109 million in the workforce over the next two years. I want social work to be a high-quality, self-confident profession, understood by the public and deservedly valued by them for the crucial job social workers do, often under really tough circumstances.

"If we're to achieve this there's a high priority on giving social workers the training and support they need, and this requires action in a number of different areas. For example, we have agreed to implement the advice of the Social Work Task Force on how to improve the technology social workers use.

"It is also clear that social workers need better training and support - especially those who are new to the job - which is why I have rolled out the Newly Qualified Social Worker programme. On recruitment, I have introduced a graduate sponsorship programme, a new on-the-job training route and a scheme to help former social workers return to the profession. "

Anyone interested in a career in social work or would like more information should go to http://bethedifference.cwdcouncil.org.uk or call 0300 123 1220.

Ends

About 'Be the difference'

Taking centre-stage in the 'Be the difference' campaign are seemingly ordinary household items including a kettle and bouncy ball, illustrating how social workers apply their training, skills and expertise to everyday objects to make major breakthroughs with their clients.

The TV campaign was directed by iconic portrait photographer Charlie Crane with print creatives shot by renowned still life photographer Jenny Van Sommers. Actors Imelda Staunton is amongst those lending their voice to the campaign.

About CWDC

The Children's Workforce Development Council leads change so that the thousands of people working with children and young people across England are able to do the best job they possibly can. We want England's children and young people's workforce to be respected by peers and valued for the positive difference it makes to children, young people and their families. We advise and work in partnership with lots of different organisations and people who all want the lives of all children and young people to be healthy, happy and fulfilling. http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/

About the social work reform programme

CWDC's social work programme is a comprehensive three-year programme of activity that will drive and support improvements in the way social workers are recruited, trained and supported to work with children and families in England. CWDC's programme receives £32m of funding from the DCSF and tackles the significant challenges that face the children and families social work workforce today.

Government funding for children and families' social workers over the next two years now totals £109m. This includes the £58m Social Work Transformation Fund for children's social work announced in May 2009

The key reform programme strands are:

Newly qualified social worker pilot
The newly qualified social worker programme supports social workers in their first year of employment. It enables employers to provide tailored induction and high quality supervision and training against a set of outcome statements.

Early professional development
This programme follows on from NQSW and supports children's social workers in years two and three of their first job.

Advanced social work professional status
This status will recognise those reaching continuous excellence in children's social work.

Graduate recruitment
Encouraging high calibre graduates from other disciplines to the social work profession.

Return to social work
A pilot programme to encourage and support people to return to enter the social work profession.

Marketing campaign
A national advertising campaign to educate and challenge perceptions of social work.

Social work degree placements
Working in partnership with Skills for Care and GSCC to support employers in providing high quality placements for trainee social workers.

Piloting innovative ways to tackle recruitment and retention issues
Working with local authorities in the West Midlands and in West London to explore ways of addressing recruitment and retention challenges.

Piloting ways of reshaping teams
Creating new ways of working, so that social workers can spend more time with children and families.

Developing the coaching and supervision skills of first-line managers
A programme of support for first-line managers to build confidence and develop the skills to support teams.

Peer support programme
For local authority middle managers to share best practice and build confidence in leading and managing change.

Developing a practice-based master's degree
Working closely with national partners to develop an employer-based programme at a master's level. This aims to provide social workers with complex cases, with the appropriate level of education, knowledge and skills.

Career framework
Working with employers and key stakeholders to develop a career framework for social workers working with children and families in England.

An 'on the job' training route to qualifying as a social worker
To develop an initial training programme for those who already work with children to train to become a social worker.