News Archive 2001
Click on the titles below to check out 2001 news and press releases relating to NISCC. Earlier material for previous years can be accessed by clicking on the links on the left hand side.
"80 Per Cent of Social Care Workers Here Have No Qualifications Relevant to their Jobs"
(DHSSPS NI Press Release 27 March 2001)
Around 80 per cent of the 30,000 social care workers here have no qualifications relevant to their jobs. "If we are to provide the highest possible standards of care, this is simply not good enough, both for social care workers and for the 150,000 people they serve", the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Bairbre de Brún, said today.
The Minister said improving this situation was the main reason for setting up the new Social Care Council, which she announced would start work in October this year. "I shall be looking to appoint members from a broad range of related interests, and will be closely monitoring developments to ensure successful delivery," she said.
The Council has a wide remit and also replaces both the previous Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work and the Training Organisation for the Personal Social Services. Ms de Brún said the new body will promote high standards, both in the conduct and practice of social care workers and in their training.
The Minister said a wide number of services were delivered by social care workers - who ranged from professional social workers to care assistants and home helps - and who worked in a variety of settings, including nursing homes and clients' own homes.
"Social care workers deal with many difficult and distressing human problems. I know that the vast majority carry out their duties diligently and conscientiously, but unfortunately this is not always the case.
"There have been instances in every part of these islands of unacceptable standards of conduct and of vulnerable people, including children in care, suffering harm and abuse," she said.
The Minister said the new Council would have two key roles. She said: "It will register and regulate the workforce and draw up codes of practice, both for social care workers and their employers. It will also ensure that staff are properly trained and qualified to do their jobs.
"Education, training and qualifications must be to a high standard, fit for their purpose and meeting the needs of the social care workforce. The ultimate aim is to raise the quality of the services provided and put in place better safeguards for the protection of those being cared for.
"The new Council will register the social care workforce, beginning with qualified social workers. Other high priority groups to be registered, include team leaders, all care staff in residential childcare and heads of residential homes," she added.
The Minister said that the definition of social care worker would be very wide. It will include not only people working in residential homes, but also those involved in the provision of personal care in other settings, including day centres or a service user's own home.
"Employers will be able to check that individuals employed as social care workers are registered. The Council will be able to remove unsuitable people from the register, thus making them unemployable in this sector.
Similar councils in Great Britain will also maintain registers, and there will be cooperation between all four councils as well as a new body to be set up in the South of Ireland," said the Minister.
New Resource Pack and Mobility Study "Crossing Borders"
(NISCC October 2001)
Crossing Borders, a resource pack for social workers, is part of a joint project between NISCC and the National Social Work Qualifications Board (Republic of Ireland) to facilitate workforce mobility. The pack provides practical resources, references and contact material in areas vital to social work practice in both jurisdictions. It will help those from elsewhere in the UK and Europe, wishing to take up employment here, to understand the legislation, policy and service delivery structures.
Crossing Borders resource pack was produced as a result of the recent Crossing Borders Social Work Mobility Study published earlier this year by CCETSW NI and NSWQB. This report provides a comprehensive description of social work education and practice in the North and South of Ireland. The study and the resource pack together form a useful introduction to social work in both jurisdictions.
UK agencies can purchase Crossing Borders resource pack for £10.00 & post/packing from The Bookshop at Queens, University Road, Belfast (Tel: 02890 666302). Republic of Ireland agencies can purchase copies from NSWQB. (contact details below).
Limited free copies of the mobility study are available from both NISCC and NSWQB
For further information about this project contact:
Eilis Barry
Social Work Education Adviser
NISCC
Tel: 02890 417600
Fax: 02890 417601
email: eilis.barry@niscc.n-i.nhs.uk
Eilis Walsh
Director
NSWQB
Tel: 003531 6766281
Fax: 003531 6766289
email: nswqb@nswqb.ie
Image Boost for Social Work Education and Training in Northern Ireland
(NISCC Press Release 17 October 2001)
SOCIAL WORK, WORKS for people in our society needing help and support is the message from Northern Ireland Social Care Council. NISCC is taking forward a promotional campaign developed by CCETSW Northern Ireland to raise the profile of social work as a career choice. It aims to stem the falling numbers of applicants to social work programmes and improve social work's image.
Using Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety funds, PR and advertising contracts have been awarded to promote social work as a positive and realistic career choice in Northern Ireland. The campaign seeks to encourage more people to consider social work as a career choice and to increase public understanding of the valuable contribution social workers make in Northern Ireland.
Mary Stewart, previously Head of CCETSW (Northern Ireland), explains the need for such a campaign. She says:
"In a society that is becoming more technology orientated, students and those considering career changes are more aware of the employment opportunities that exist in these fields. We need to ensure that students appreciate the employment opportunities that exist in the social care domain. There is a demand for new social workers, 93% of newly qualified social workers were employed in Northern Ireland (1997/98 survey)."
"This campaign highlights the diverse nature of employment open to those with a Diploma in Social Work, which ranges from working in the criminal justice system, to becoming an Education Welfare Officer, to working with the elderly etc. We hope it will also demonstrate to the general public the inclusive nature of the profession and the improvements it can make to peoples lives."
Key stakeholders, including practitioners, employers, students, trainers, service users and carers have been working with the team to identify core messages for the campaign. Good news promotion has begun, with articles appearing in national and regional press as well as internal newsletters and bulletins. A campaign including TV and radio advertising will be launched in October 17 to run during the DipSW application period.
Boost for Social Work Training
(DHSSPS NI Press Release 17 October 2001)
The Minister for Health Social Services and Public Safety, Bairbre de Brún, today announced her intention to improve social work training by introducing an Honours Degree course in Social Work. This will be the first such course here.
The period in training will also include, for the first time, a full year in supervised practice after which students will be assessed to see if they meet the standards for registration as fully qualified social workers with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.
The Minister's decision follows consultation on the proposals in Reforming Professional Social Work Training, which was published in October 2000.
Explaining why the course was being introduced, the Minister said: "Social workers have a very difficult job. They deal with all sorts of people with many different problems. It is important therefore that they are equipped with the best training and experience available. This is why I have decided to introduce this new degree course, which will add to the range of courses already available.
Confirming that she also intends to introduce more immediate improvements to social work training, the Minister said: "I am aware that many respondents to the consultation feel that current training falls short in giving new social workers the confidence they need to practice in this demanding field of work.
"However, many also commended the post qualifying training arrangements for social work and the help these gave, particularly to newly qualified staff. With this in mind, I am asking the Chief Social Services Inspector, with the co-operation of the HSS Trusts, to put in place arrangements for all newly qualified social workers from 2003 to begin the first part of post qualifying training immediately."
Stressing that it was more important than ever for people from all walks of life to train as social workers, the Minister said: "The social work profession has an enviable record of recruiting from as wide a population as the population it serves. It is my intention to ensure that this continues and that support is available to more mature people who wish to train as social workers, perhaps after following a different career or wishing to return to the workforce. It is this range of experience that benefits the profession as a whole."
Graduates in other disciplines or related subjects wishing to study for the degree, would be able to benefit from exemptions from some modules.
The Minister concluded: "The main aim of these improvements is to ensure that social workers are properly equipped to carry out effectively the difficult and changing task that society has given them."
Appointment of Members to the Northern Ireland Social Care Council
(DHSSPS NI Press Release 1 October 2001
Health, Social Services and Public Safety Minister, Bairbre de Brún, today announced the appointment of 23 members of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.
The Council, operational from 1 October 2001, will play a key role in the Department's commitment to raise standards in the field of social care. The appointments are as follows:
Mr Richard Black
Mr Mel Byrne
Mr John (Roy) Catney
Mrs Alyson Dunn
Mr Greg Kelly
Ms Janeen (Jan) Maconachie
Mr Patrick McAteer
Mr Lee McDermott
Mr Brendan McKeever
Mr John Rafferty
Mrs Margaret Shevlin
Mrs Eleanor Taggart
Mr Brian Brown
Mrs Jacqueline Carroll
Mrs Linda Davison
Mr Jonathan Giles
Mr Kevin Lawrenson
Ms Fiona McAleenan
Mrs Lise McCullagh
Mrs Gillian McGaughey
Mr Brendon Murphy
Mr Richard Reid
Mr James Smyth
In announcing the membership of the NISCC, the Minister said: "Membership of the Council brings with it substantial responsibilities. The aim of the Council is to protect the public through improving safeguards for vulnerable people, raising the standards of social care practice and strengthening the professionalism of the workforce. I look to the Chair and members to achieve this aim. The composition of the Council reflects the widest range of key interests and I am confident that each member will make a full contribution to the successful discharge of its functions."
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