Following months of investigation, The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of adults services reported that social workers from the South Tyneside Council are delivering a high standard of care to elderly people.

The CQC inspectors met with elderly people and their social carers, staff and managers from South Tyneside Council and overall were very satisfied with the quality of the services provided.

Inspectors said:

“We saw evidence of a range of good provision and commissioned services, these included specialist services for people with dementia, palliative care and home care.”

Another area the inspectors also looked at were the arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable adults, and found that performance was adequate.

The commitment and quality of services provided by South Tyneside social workers should be an example to be followed by other social workers around the country and should also serve as an inspiration for others thinking of starting a career in social services.

The commitment and quality of services provided by South Tyneside social workers should be an example to be followed by other social workers around the country and should also server as an inspiration for other thinking of starting a career in social services.

Our last post reported on the government launching a campaign to encourage retired qualified social workers to go back to social work.

To aid the government campaign, social work agencies across the country started to go through their databases and send out letters and emails to retired but qualified social workers.

Barbara MaCarthur, an 82 year old who retired from social work in 1982 received one of these letters asking her to return to the profession. Macarthur is aware of the lack of social workers in the UK said:

“I knew they were desperate for social workers, but I didn’t think they were this desperate!”

The social work agency who sent Mrs. Macarthur the letters said that they were not aware of her age and the problem occurred because they used a database of previous employees to send out emails and letters.

There are many positions to be filled in the social care area, if you know any friends who are qualified social workers or you are one of those qualified social workers looking for work do not hesitate to contact Restart Resources.

Continuing from where we left on our last post, in this post you’ll find detailed information of what qualifications are required to become a social worker in the UK.

To become a social worker you will need to study for an honours degree or a postgraduate degree in social work, the course must be approved by the General Social Care Council (GSCC).

To get on an honours degree you will need at least five GCSEs (A-C) including English and Math and at least two A levels or equivalent such as a BTEC National Diploma or NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care.

Some colleges and universities may also grant access to students with a Higher Education qualification or relevant work experience, so it is best to check with them what qualifications are required.

When you apply for a course you’ll also need to pass a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) background check.

Honours degrees in social work are 3 year full time courses, there are some part-time and distance learning courses but you can only do these courses if you are already working in the social area and have with the support of your employer.

For the full time courses, your time will be divided between classes and supervised work placements that will train you to work with a wide range of service user groups as well as prepare you to offer a comprehensive range of experience to employers when you start work.

In case you already have a degree, you may only do a two-year postgraduate degree in social work instead of three years. After completing your honours degree or postgraduate degree you must register with the GSCC, visit their site for detailed information about how to register.

GSCC is also the commission that approves all full-time, part-time and distance learning courses in the UK, with the exception of the Northern Ireland that has its own Social Care Commission, the NISCC (Northern Ireland Social Care Community).