BJSW Advance Access originally published online on August 14, 2007
British Journal of Social Work 2009 39(1):161-178; doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcm095
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What (a) Difference a Degree Makes: The Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree in England
The authors are members of the team responsible for the Evaluation of the Social Work Degree Qualification in England.
Joan Orme is Professor of Social Work at the Glasgow School of Social Work, a joint school of the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde.
Gillian MacIntyre is a Research Associate at the Glasgow School of Social Work.
Pam Green Lister is the MSW Qualifying Course Director at the Glasgow School of Social Work.
Kate Cavanagh is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Applied Social Science at the University of Stirling.
Beth R. Crisp is Associate Professor in Social Work in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University.
Endellion Sharpe is Managing Director of Sharpe Research.
Jill Manthorpe is Professor of Social Work and Director of the Social Care Workforce Research Unit at King’s College London.
Shereen Hussein, Jo Moriarty and Martin Stevens are Research Fellows in the Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London.
Correspondence to: Professor Joan Orme, AcSS, Glasgow School of Social Work, Sir Henry Wood Building, Jordanhill Campus, Southbrae Drive, Glasgow, G13 1PP, Scotland. E-mail: j.orme{at}socsci.gla.ac.uk.
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Abstract |
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After many years of debate in the UK about the need for a degree-level qualification in social work, the arguments for a minimum degree-level qualification were accepted. The requirements for the degree in England were developed drawing on work from a number of sources, including a benchmark statement for undergraduate degrees in social work and focus groups with stakeholders. The new degree in England, launched in 2003, involves one extra year’s study; improvements in the qualifying standard for social work; and specific curriculum and entrance requirements. At the time of launching the degree, the government department responsible for funding (Department of Health) commissioned a three-year evaluation of the implementation of the new degree to establish whether the new qualifying level leads to improvements in the qualified workforce. The aim of the evaluation is to describe the experiences of those undertaking the degree, collect the views of the various stakeholders about the effectiveness of the degree and measure the impact of a degree-level qualification on those entering the workforce. This article, written by the team undertaking the evaluation of the England degree, explores the reasons for the methodological approach adopted and the issues that have arisen in setting up the research.
Keywords: social work qualification, evaluation, professional training, education, research methods
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