The government is planning to redirect money used for social work student bursaries into a national Frontline graduates development scheme. This could have potentially devastating consequences for the future of social work provision – and for the most vulnerable service users – across the south-west of England.
Even though a decision on the scheme has yet to be officially announced, students at my institution, Plymouth university, are already preparing for the worst and considering how they will be able to continue their studies. Without the bursary, the cost of training to become a qualified social worker would be beyond their means.
First-year students raised their concerns with me last week. Student spokesperson Paul Tippet said: “Without the bursary, many students may have to leave the programme, as they will not be able to balance the need to earn additional income with the demands of university, nor afford to be over £30,000 in debt on qualification.”
Data from our 2015 intake found that almost all students applying to the social work programme come from the far south-west, meaning they have strong local connections to the area in terms of work, housing, friends, family networks and their children’s education.
The local nature of our students and their commitment to remain living and working in this area is borne out by employment figures, which suggest the significant majority of our qualifying students go on to work in the far south-west.
Without homegrown social workers, employers will need to attract graduates from outside the area. This could prove difficult given that earning potential is far lower than in other regions. With Cornwall identified as the second poorest region in northern Europe [pdf], the attraction for qualified social workers relocating to the south-west from other regions could be seriously compromised.
While some may be prepared to relocate, the importance of local social work programmes for local people should not be underestimated, not least because this is arguably a stronger motivating factor than salary. Social work graduates want to work in the south-west because they already have an established life here. From an employer’s perspective this provides stability in service delivery and helps address issues of retention.
A recent evaluation of Frontline found differing views of retention between students at higher education institutions and Frontline students. At high tariff universities, 30% more students were expected to stay in the profession for more than seven years, opposed to five years for the majority of Frontline graduates.
This mirrors the Teach First experience. Teach First, the parent of Frontline, was developed in 2003 to address the same perceived issues facing social work; poor quality of graduates and recruitment and retention issues. However, the government’s own figures reveal that even among Teach First ambassadors, just over a third leave teaching after two years. After five years, only half were still teaching.
Is this relevant to the current debate? I think so, and so presumably does Josh MacAlister, Frontline’s chief executive. He has already established a link with the civil service fast stream for Frontline participants who decide they do not want to be directly involved in social work.
MacAlister told Varsity magazine he wants Frontline trainees who leave the programme and choose a career path other than social work to “remain committed to the mission” by entering the civil service. According to him, government social work policymaking needs more people who understand the job.
However, more civil servants writing policy will not solve the problem if there are no social workers on the actual frontline.
Playing smoke and mirrors with social work education funding will do nothing to improve the current situation, and may well leave those who require social work services in areas such as the south-west significantly more vulnerable.
Arguably, pitting higher education bursaries against schemes such as Frontline is not the issue. The real issue is this: regardless of how students are educated, successive governments have demonstrated little real interest or understanding of social work and the lives of those who require services. Instead, they blame anything but their own decision-making for the current situation that both service users and trainee social workers find themselves in.
The Social Life Blog is written by people who work in or use social care services. If you’d like to write an article for the series, email socialcare@theguardian.com with your ideas.
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