Professionally Competent and Confident - Level 8

Students need to be given opportunities to develop confidence in their skills and take the initiative in defined areas of work. This could involve case scenarios where students are given particular responsibilities within the larger group. In this instance where students are learning with other professionals, for example in health or education, they could begin to explore power dynamics and professional integrity. A possible role play would be a child protection case conference, and links could be made to some of the findings of the O'Brien report in to the death of Caleb Ness (2003).

Students need to have input into the value and purpose of supervision. In particular they need to be clear about the role of supervision on the decision making process. In relation to child care and protection, students should be equipped to expect a quality of supervision that will enable them to discuss complex and 'grey areas' of concern about a child's wellbeing. Students should expect that one of the purposes of supervision is to have their assessments challenged.

Students need to have an understanding of the limits of the social work role and the responsibilities of other professionals. For example, adult service users may have misinformed views about the power social workers have to remove their children. This can inhibit honesty about the nature of a problem. Workers in all settings need to be aware of the range and limits of social work powers so that they can be accurate in their discussions with children, young people, parents, carers and other professionals.

Students need to become increasingly responsible for managing their own learning. For example, students might be asked to investigate what child protection procedures apply to a range of organisations, or whether different authorities have supervision policies. Every student going on practice learning opportunities should have read that agency’s child protection procedures and be able to demonstrate that they are clear as to their responsibility (and its limits).

Students should have the opportunity to build on the initial input on the use of authority, with clear links made between this and the teaching on risk and vulnerability and intervention in childcare and protection.

Students should be able to start to demonstrate that they understand the concept of accountability and have started to think about how this would apply to their practice in relation to child care and protection. Case scenarios and role plays might be used to encourage students to clarify with tutors what they should do in particular instances - for example if they are involved in a home visit and a child is unattended.

During practice learning opportunities, students will be required to make informal and formal presentations of their assessments, and they will be required to be given opportunities within HEIs to develop their confidence in this area. Students should be able to present information accurately and confidently in the HEI setting before going on a practice learning opportunity.