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INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORKERS IN ENGLAND: CHALLENGES AND WAYS FORWARD Shereen Hussein, King’s College London
Cathrine Clarke, General Social Care Council
ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION
Findings form national research on international social workers in England, funded by the Department of Health Trends and profile Views of international social workers in England
Update from the General Social Care Council (GSCC) Recent developments Complexities in recognising social work
qualifications from over 80 countries
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
Builds on a national study funded by the Department of Health examining the contribution of international care workers in England
This strand focuses on the experience of international social workers
Draws on additional data obtained through an online survey and a focus group with newly arrived international social workers
DATA AND PARTICIPANTS
GSCC register of social workers in England who qualified outside the UK up to end of October 2008 (7200 records)
Recent applications and registration data during 2008 and 2009
In-depth interviews with 18 international social workers working in England
Findings of an online survey related to 43 international social workers
Focus group discussion with 7 newly arrived international social workers
BRIEF SUMMARY OF PROFILE
In October 2008, around 8% of social workers in England had qualified outside of the UK No estimate can be obtained for international
social workers who qualified in the UK 32% qualified in two countries: Australia and
South Africa Followed by 13% from the US and 12% from
India International social workers are significantly
younger than UK-qualified social workers and include more men (particularly from certain regions)
RECENT TRENDS
Since 2004, Australia, South Africa, US and India remain top four sending countries
However, a steady increase is observed for EU countries, particularly A8
Last two years saw an increased volume of applications from the EU In 2009 number of EU applications increased by
49% from 2008 Registrations for EU applicants increased by 36%
for the same period During the same period applications from
outside the EU slightly declined by 2%
International social workers perspectives Only 14% reported having ‘great deal’ or ‘major’
difficulties to get their qualifications recognised; most of them refer to experience 5 years or more old.
Major ‘challenges’ while working in the UK is that social work does not offer very good career progression opportunities. This was followed by ‘limited social life’.
Understanding the English culture; being left out of decision making and own culture being not understood by colleagues and employers each was reported by almost a fifth of participants
Two thirds of participants indicated a medium to high level of mobility As indicated by their willingness to move sector/country
within the next 3 years
Main differences in practice
Over half (52%) felt that social work practice in the UK is ‘very’ different from that at their home countries; and 40% felt it’s a ‘bit’ different.
‘Differences’ included: Availability and types of services Nature of practice (preventive vs. reactive) Structure and regulation (positives and
negatives) Resources (government vs. charitable funding) Social work image
Examples of differences in practice A lot more structured regarding national procedures in
Britain than in Germany. A lot more staff turnover in xx which leads to insufficient relationship building with clients. (Germany)
Starting from the historical background, systems and social & cultural differences, to legislation and methodology of implementation, pay rates, approaches, availability of services. Basically, everything is different.’ (Romania)
In Australia Social Workers are held in high regard and one is never reluctant to say what they do.’ (Australia)
‘The level of deprivation and poverty is a lot higher in South Africa. Different needs and challenges to face i.e. an issue like HIV is not a major concern in the UK.’ (South Africa)
Importance of team work
“Building up a good working relationship with your colleagues who you can for information, you know, it’s a gold mine. So it’s important that you don’t isolate yourself. Like you get involved with the team quickly and build up good relationships that they can support you and then, you know, coming form Canada I come with certain attitudes and skills and stuff that benefit them as well. So, it’s kind of a two-way thing.”
(Canadian social worker)
The GSCC efforts and perspective
Increasing levels of applications from within Europe particularly Poland and Germany.
Change of comparator to the degree in 2009 The care council introduced a minimum of 130
days supervised and assessed practice Possible effect on qualifications obtained
from certain (African) countries New, shorter application forms Aptitude tests and interviews
Key Challenges
How to measure the quality and relevance of supervised and assessed practice
European social work qualification frameworks and workforce contexts: Case studies of Poland, German and the Netherlands
Academic levels Professional activities are placed over and above the
academic content Compensation measures
Make up the gaps through an approved training plan Language Temporary social workers
Opportunities and future plans
Diverse workforce Varied experience Knowledge transfer and international
learning Views from different social and political contexts ‘thinking outside the box’
Steps to ‘smooth’ the process Induction and training
Initial and continuous Employer and peer support
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND FURTHER READINGS
We are grateful to the funder, the Department of Health, Social Care Workforce Initiative, to the GSCC for providing necessary data and for all participants
Hussein S., Stevens M. and Manthorpe J. (2010) International Social Care Workers in England: Profile, Motivations, experiences and Future Expectations, February 2010. Final Report to the Department of Health, Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College.
Hussein S., Manthorpe J. and Stevens M (2009) The Experiences of International Social Care Workers in the UK: Findings from an Online Survey. November 2009, Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London.
