Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Assembly for Wales
Y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg | Children, Young People and Education Committee
Gwaith dilynol ar Ymchwiliad y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg i Wasanaethau Mabwysiadu yng Nghymru | Follow-up to Children, Young People and Education Committee’s Inquiry into Adoption Services in Wales
AS 13
Ymateb gan : Cyngor Gofal Cymru
Response from : Care Council for Wales
Overview Question
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What are your views in the Welsh Government’s progress in respect of the 16 recommendations and the 25 ‘detailed actions’ set out on pages 5-11 of the Committee's report. |
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Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this follow-up enquiry. The Care Council for Wales is a Welsh Government sponsored body, responsible for regulating and developing the social care workforce. Since the Committee’s initial inquiry we have undertaken a range of actions in relation to child protection and adoption.
Recommendation 15 of the Children and Young People’s Committee’s Inquiry into Adoption in 2012 was that “the Welsh Government should work with the Care Council for Wales and the WLGA to review the social work workforce strategy as relevant to adoption.”
Since then the Care Council has worked with WLGA, ADSS and others to establish a framework for social workers’ Continuing Professional Education and Learning (CPEL)[1]. The Framework builds on the social work degree which provides the basis for professional social work practice and further development. The CPEL Framework equips social workers with the advanced knowledge, skills and qualifications they need as they progress through their career. The Framework is intended to support the retention of experienced social workers at the front line and to help staff work effectively alongside individuals, families and communities to promote well-being. Children’s services form an important part of the framework and a senior officer form the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service was a member of the CPEL Implementation Group.
The framework is made up of four programmes. The first of these is a consolidation programme for newly qualified social workers. It includes a specific emphasis on safeguarding and working in complex situations, including with vulnerable children. It deals with statutory interventions on behalf of children, including fostering and adoption.
The second is the Experienced Practice in Social Work Programme, which is for social workers in their third year of practice and beyond. Some social workers will undertake the full programme and others will choose to undertake relevant modules, which includes specialist area of enquiry, which are ideally suited to children’s services and adoption. The third programme is for Senior Practice in Social Work which includes the opportunity to undertake a specialist area of inquiry or research and staff can and do take the opportunity to study adoption practice. The fourth programme, which started this year, is for Consultant Social Workers. In order to complete this qualification, staff can take the dissertation route, which could cover any aspect of children and families.
The Ministry of Justice’s Family Justice Review[2] also issued recommendations for the Care Council for Wales in November 2011, which dovetailed with the Committee’s recommendations. In response to the Review we produced a training programme for social workers who work in the family justice system and a suite of resources to enhance the knowledge and skills of social workers.
We commissioned ‘Child Law for Social Workers in Wales’[3] and this has been updated on a regular basis. It has provided social workers with a guide to understanding and applying child law, understanding the implications of judicial decision for practice. We are also working with Cardiff Law School to develop a guide to Children’s Social Care Law in Wales.
The Care Council will continue to take cognisance of developments in adoption policy over the next years and ensure that social work education and learning is informed by the research. Similarly we will be pro-active in ensuring that all our partners in the care sector are kept up to date. The results of the All Wales Adoption Cohort[4] study and the development of the Welsh Government’s Looked After Children are two important examples of developments we will wish to share widely. |
Question 1
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What are your views on the recruitment, assessment and preparation of adopter parents? |
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Please refer to our answer to the overview question |
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How could this be improved? |
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Please refer to our answer to the overview question |
Question 2
Question 3
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Do you think there is sufficient information and support for children and young people including access to quality life-story work? |
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Please refer to our answer to the overview question |
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How could this be improved? |
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Please refer to our answer to the overview question |
Question 4
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What post-adoption support for children, young people and families (including from social services, education, health and mental health services) is available and what more could be done in this area? |
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Please refer to our answer to the overview question |
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How could this be improved? |
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Please refer to our answer to the overview question |
Question 5
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Are there any other issues you wish to draw to the Committee’s attention? |
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Please refer to our answer to the overview question |