Here are some of the most common questions we receive about PQ. Included are brief answers which you may find helpful for yourself or in advising others. Please remember that these are only answers to a few sample questions. More detailed information is available in other sections of the website and in PQ guideline and policy documents. If you have any suggestions to add to the FAQs list, please email the Enquiries Team or call 028 9041 7600.

What is a PQ award in the NI Framework ?

There are three types of PQ Award; Specific, Specialist and Leadership and Strategic. Each of them recognises achievement to a certain standard by a qualified Social Worker who has shown competence and development in their practice. All of them require work at post-graduate Masters level and you can opt to seek academic achievement at Masters Degree level from the appropriate university. The Social Worker can evidence this competence and development in a number of different ways (see question on Pathways below)

How can I fit in doing an award with my job ?

You don’t have to complete an award all in one go. The awards can almost always be done in small manageable sections and you will get recognition for each section that you complete. This is the case whether you do an award by the Individual Assessment Route or through most of the Accredited Programmes (see below for explanation of these routes). You will usually receive support from your agency. Many agencies provide support groups, help with payment of fees and allow candidates study time.

Why is it important for me to obtain a PQ award ?

• It is a challenging, satisfying and often enjoyable way of proving your competence.
• It is one way of showing continuous professional development as required by NISCC for re-registration.
• Working through one of the programmes will provide you with training, new knowledge and skills. This is particularly true of the qualifications for specialist roles e.g. ASW, Practice Teacher or Family Therapy. This will increase your confidence in your ability to provide a better service.
• It proves to others that you have the knowledge and skills to do your job effectively – particularly important if you work in a multi-disciplinary team. In an increasingly competitive environment, it is a measure of your and ability and commitment which will be attractive to prospective employers.
• Increasingly the DHSSPS and the Health and Social Care Board, in order to ensure that Social Work staff are properly trained and competent to do their job, is requiring employers to meet targets for Social Work staff with PQ awards. As a result your employer is even more likely to support you and fund you to work towards an award.

How can I get a PQ Award at Masters level if I don’t have a degree in the first place ?

In the past there were a number of routes to a Social Work qualification and some people qualified without doing a degree. The new Framework recognises this and allows people to prove their competence at degree level by completing a 2000 word assignment which is academically marked. Once this has been completed successfully you can proceed through the Framework as you wish

What do I need to do to obtain an award ?

If you are interested in working towards a PQ award your first step is to enrol with the NISCC PQ Team. You should be able do this through the person in your agency who is the PQ representative. They will guide you through the enrolment process. Names of agency representatives are available on the website and if in doubt give us a call. To obtain an award you need to provide evidence that you have met the three core requirements (all awards) and the appropriate PQ requirements as outlined in the NI PQ Framework for your chosen award. There are six PQ requirements for the Specific Award and nine each for the Specialist and for the Leadership and Strategic Awards. The requirements are available from the PQ representative in your agency and on the website.

Are there a number of ways for me to obtain an award ?

Yes. There are several pathways to obtaining an award.

• You can submit work for individual assessment by, for example, completing a portfolio of your own work, by writing an assignment based on a particular piece or pieces of work, by presenting a piece of work verbally to a panel or by having work assessed by direct observation.
• You can use APL (accreditation of prior learning) to show through a short written submission how work done or a course completed has met the requirements for an award.
• Alternatively you can apply through your agency to complete one of the courses run by one of the universities, colleges or other bodies who provide accredited courses. Some of these courses will allow you to achieve an entire award by completing the course successfully. Others will give you two, three or more requirements. In some courses you can complete only the modules which are relevant to you thus achieving part of an award.

How flexible are the systems for achieving a PQ Award ?

Fairly flexible. As well as getting recognition for partial completion of an award some requirements are interchangeable between the Specialist and Leadership and Strategic Awards. You can also transfer up to 3 requirements from the former Advanced Award into the new Leadership Specialist and Strategic Award. You can’t transfer any element of the former PQ award into the new Framework.

What happens if I change job and want to show competence in a new area but I already have an Award ?

 It is likely that throughout your career in Social Work which may span several decades you will want to continue to develop and update your practice in whichever field you are working – as a main grade, a senior, or consultant level practitioner, or in a management role. There is no limit to the number of awards you can do and increasingly you will be expected to have an award in your chosen field both as evidence of competence and if you want to progress in your career