Government seeks contractor to deliver accreditation of social workers

The government has announced the next stages for the assessment and accreditation of social workers as part of its reform programme.

The Department for Education has published a tender document seeking a contractor to set up a system to assess and accredit children and family social workers in England.

The document outlines that the Department wishes 8,000 social workers to be accredited between November 2017 and December 2018.

The contractor will need to provide:

1. Assessment centres on a regional basis;
2. Recruitment and training of assessors and observers;
3. Recruitment and training of actors for simulated observation;
4. Preparing and expanding a pre-existing digital platform to be ready for National roll out
5. Design and implementation of a system for result feedback to employers and individuals including a database for securely storing results;
6. Design and implementation of a system for dealing with retakes, concerns, queries and appeals processes.

The accreditation of social workers is part of the government’s plans for social work reform which will also see an exemption clause introduced which would give the Secretary of State a power to enable local authorities in England to test different ways of working.

The department will be running a number of product surgery information days in advance of issuing the formal invitation to tender.  Anyone interested in attending one of these events should email the Department at NAAS.DELIVERYTENDER@education.gov.uk

Learn more about WillisPalmer:

We are a national network of independent experienced social workers, psychologists, forensic risk assessment experts and qualified therapists.

WillisPalmer is the UK’s largest provider of independent social workers, psychologists, forensic risk assessment experts and qualified therapists. We are able to help with a range of multi-disciplinary assessments.

WillisPalmer has been providing expert reports since 2004, serving local authorities, solicitors and independent organisations throughout the UK and overseas. As a social work owned and operated company, we ensure that children remain at the centre of everything we do.

Whether you’re looking to venture into the world of independent social work or want to instruct one of our experts, we are here to help and look forward to working with you.

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