Enhancing the readiness to practise of newly qualified social workers
Status
Completed: 28 November 2019
Project Details
A collaborative, three-year project that aimed to develop a professional capabilities framework, clarifying the capabilities of newly qualified social workers and social workers at experienced and advanced levels of practice.
The project included social work academics from Open Polytechnic, The University of Auckland, Massey University, the University of Canterbury and the University of Otago. The Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) was represented on the project’s advisory group.
Aims:
The overall aim of the project was to develop an evidence-informed, industry agreed, professional capabilities framework that:
- informs the design of pre- and post-qualifying social work education programmes
- sets clear expectations for the capabilities and continuing professional development of social workers
- provides a common reference point for the development of a consistent national career structure.
Methodology:
The project adopted a mixed approach to project design, with each of its three phases beginning with a scan of the relevant literature.
- Phase one (2016) focused on mapping the curriculum using documentary analysis to analyse the curriculum of the 17 social work degree programmes recognised by the Social Workers' Registration Board. Focus group discussions were held in a sample of institutions. This phase answered the question: what is the content of the current social work curriculum in Aotearoa New Zealand and how does it relate to the ten core competencies of the board?
- Phase two (2017) used survey and interview methods to study the readiness to practice of newly qualified social workers as perceived by graduates, managers and service users. This phase addressed the question: how well prepared are newly qualified social workers to enter professional social work practice and how is their learning being supported and enhanced in the workplace?
- Phase three (2018) used the evidence collected during the previous two phases to work with employers, regulators, service users and educators on the co-production of a professional capabilities framework. It answered the question: what are the professional capabilities, including cultural capabilities, we should expect of newly qualified social workers and of social workers working at beginning, experienced and expert levels of practice?
Team
Neil Ballantyne
project co-leader
Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Open Polytechnic
Dr Liz Beddoe
Project co-leader
Associate Professor of Social Work, The University of Auckland
Dr Kathryn Hay
Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Massey University
Dr Jane Maidment
Professor of Social Work, University of Canterbury
Shayne Walker
Senior Lecturer in Social Work, University of Otago
Caitlin Merriman
Research Assistant
Open PolytechnicStatus
Funding
$324,474.00 (excl GST)
Key Findings
Key Recommendations
A literature scan written to support the first phase of Enhancing the Readiness to Practice. The aims of the literature review are to introduce social work education in Aotearoa New Zealand and to explore the rationale for two aspects of our proposed methodology - curriculum mapping and the development of a taxonomy of Terms for Indexing Social Work Education in Aotearoa New Zealand (TISWEANZ).
- 16 April 2017
This document outlines the scan of the relevant national and international literature on the readiness to practise of newly qualified social workers, with an emphasis placed on literature from England.
- 6 December 2017
A literature scan of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) in England which outlines clear and reasonable expectations of social workers at each stage of their career. This literature scan explores the levels of capabilities, the effectiveness of it and challenges that may be faced.
- 30 August 2019
This summary maps out the key elements of each of the three project reports and includes some highlights from each phase. It addresses each project phase in turn and ends by listing project reports and academic publications drawing on the project data.
- 27 November 2019
This document outlines the methods to be used by the Enhancing the Readiness to Practise project to develop a taxonomy of social work education topics.
- 6 December 2016
This document reports on the analysis of curriculum documents, or course descriptors, used by the Enhancing Readiness to Practise project to develop a taxonomy of social work education topics.
- 6 December 2016
This is the second draft of the taxonomy to identify key educational topics from the social work curriculum —Terms for Indexing Social Work Education in Aotearoa New Zealand (TISWEANZ).
- 6 December 2016
An impact statement that details the outputs that have been produced from this project and how they are currently being used by social workers and in government.
- 30 August 2019
This report discusses phase one of the Enhance R2P project, which focuses on the question: What is the content of the current New Zealand social work curriculum and how does it relate to the ten core competence standards of the Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB)?
- 27 November 2019
This report discusses phase two of the Enhance R2P project, which focuses on the question: How well-prepared are Newly qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) (social workers in their first two years of practice) to enter professional social work, and how is their learning being supported and enhanced in the workplace?
- 27 November 2019
This report discusses phase three of the Enhance R2P project, which focuses on the question: what are the professional capabilities, including cultural capabilities, we should expect of newly qualified social workers and of social workers working at beginning, and experienced, levels of practice?
- 27 November 2019