Overview
Standard 6: Continuing professional development
Social work organisations should prioritise continuing professional development (CPD) for their employees. They should ensure practitioners have time, resources, and support to access mandatory and optional CPD. This gives practitioners opportunities to develop knowledge and skills throughout their careers and helps them to practise safely and legally.
Ensure that new practitioners are supported in their need to develop necessary skills. The Assessed and supported year guides development for social workers in adult social work. The Early Career Framework gives specific guidance for social workers in children and families social work. It covers the development they need to do more complex work.
Social Work England requires practitioners to record CPD. They do this to show their employer, the public, and the regulator that they meet these standards. This ensures compliance with Social Work England's CPD professional standard. You should establish:
A health check asks practitioners to express their level of agreement with various statements about CPD including:
Read more about Employer standard 6: CPD on the Local Government Association website.
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