SOUNDS GOOD IN THEORY

1. SOUNDS GOOD IN THEORY PQ AND EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT – Colin Young, Judith Evans, Linda Brunt Eve ReesYoungc1@cardiff.ac.uk

2. Linda Brunt • Team Manager • Rhondda Cynon Taff

3. Workshop Overview • Origins • Organisation • Structure • Content • Candidates’ Experience • Exercise • Points for Discussion

4. Origins of the South WalesPQ Community Care Programme • No equivalent to the PQ Child Care Award in Wales • Training Officers from Caerphilly, Newport, Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Bridgend, The Vale of Glamorgan and Monmouth worked on a plan for an equivalent course for social workers in adult services • The agencies approached the local HEIs. UWIC and Cardiff University were interested

5. The Welsh Context • South Wales demography: urban Newport Cardiff and Swansea, small ex mining towns in the valleys and rural South West Wales. • Distinct multiple cultural identities. Welsh language and culture; Welsh Assembly Government social policy and legislation : (e.g. Welsh Language Act 1993 requirements)

6. The Welsh Context • The root – UK Government White Paper in 1998 – advent of new Labour’s policies in health and social care • Since then, different policies, implemented at different times around the UK, e.g:

7. Distinctive Welsh Policy – Examples

8. Judith Evans Programme Co-ordinator UWIC

9. Implications for the programme • Contractual relationship between 13 agencies, commitment to pay for set numbers, range of adult service workers, language of assignments, assessment, mentoring, externals. • Example of Anti-Oppressive / anti-discriminatory practice, within a bi-lingual context

10. Agency commitment

11. Core Strengths of the programme • Agency driven… high commitment to management, course content and assessment. Formal agency contract • Teaching from tutors up to date with local practice • Very good administration: advance planning, clear communication and information sharing, careful tracking of candidates. • Clear standards of practice were presented to those from a variety of agencies

12. Core Strengths of the programme. 2 • Ideas for change came from the candidates, the tutors, the Assessment Panel or the Management Committee and was taken up in development groups when needed. • Support from agencies for Practice Mentors who guided and advised candidates. • Line managers involved in verifying work of candidates • Effective dialogue between college and agency markers regarding the assignments

13. Dr Colin Young • Tutor Cardiff University Eve Rees • Tutor UWIC

14. Structure • Module 1 Contemporary issues in Community Care……..1 assignment. Teaching material started from the perspective of day to day practice • Module 2 The Law and Regulation– critical for employer engagement - 2 assignments • Module 3 Networking and Multi Agency Working. Informal presentation plus an assignment • = 60 PQ credits for the three module programme

15. Structure 1 • Module 1 – e.g. user /carer input, reflective practice, risk management within the context of organisational practices (e.g. POVA) - Prof. Tom Horlick-Jones. • - addressed contemporary developments in practice across a range of service user / carer groups. • See handout

16. REFLECTIVE PRACTICE – Schon (1983) • Candidates having a deeper knowledge than they are aware of. • Asking reflective questions – being prepared to be “constantly surprised” by responses. • Every situation encountered is a complex contradiction of the familiar and the unique

17. Structure 2 • Module 2 - Law teaching 2 parts teaching split between Cardiff University and UWIC – • Part 1 – legislation, guidance and judgements - law quiz, law test using a given scenario – facilitated by Martin James, Operational Manager, Cardiff Council • Part 2 - Regulation (see handout)

18. Structure 3 • Module 3 – completed the sequence – partnership working, focus on skills

19. Assessment • Assessment Panel of tutors plus one rep from each agency • All assignments read by a tutor and agency panel member • Struggles between knowledge and practice issues. • As both were of equal importance candidates could fail for either.

20. Results (n =23) (n = 14) (n = 26)

21. Candidates’ comments • Mod.1: “Session on D/deaf awareness was very informative and thought-provoking.” “Useful day – now I feel more enthusiastic about my job.” • Mod.2: “Really think I’m starting to get it now! Head is still trying to take it all in – overall very good and so interesting” “An excellent course delivered effectively in a way that is of great practical use in practice settings”

22. Group ExerciseUsing Success as Audit (Prof. Johannes Herwig-Lempp, Merseburg University) • Asking for recognition of success • How did you do it? • How could you apply what you have learnt to future experiences? • Asking for recognition for oneself and from others • Recording success as part of an organisation’s audit

23. Service user Involvement • Service user input on the teaching of module 1 • Material presented at 2 “involvement events” organised by the Coalition of Disabled People – service user input on module development for new PQ MSc course commencing Oct. 2008

24. What have we learned • If agencies come up with the idea initially they are more committed to continued partnership and prepared to work on content, management and assessment. • A good administrator improves everything. • Being responsive to change was possible when Assessment Panel, Management Committee and Practice Mentor reps worked together on issues. • Annual update of material was necessary to reflect social policy changes. • Candidates valued the opportunity to step back from the emotional impact of their work and see the work in the wider context

25. Questions for discussion • How applicable are the issues raised to your own workplace setting – what have you learnt and how could you apply it? What would you do differently? • What are the obstacles? • What things have we missed?

26. References: • Herwig-Lempp, J (2005) Lets talk about Success! Guidelines and 6 arguments why to talk about success. Unpublished paper. Merseburg University. • Schon, D (1983) The Reflective PractitionerAldershot: Ashgate.