Children's social care workforce Training and professional development

No matter where you start or what path you want to take, there are always opportunities to progress and develop in children’s social care. Maybe you'd like to work with children, young people and their families, specialise in a certain area, or take on more responsibility.

We're passionate about developing and empowering individuals to deliver a quality service and achieve outcomes for the children, young people and the families we support, and giving our staff opportunities which support their development and enable career progression.

There are many vocational qualifications at all levels to help you to build a truly rewarding children’s social care career.

Our offer includes:

Induction

Introducing you to Shropshire Council and the visions, aims, priorities and core values of our Children’s Social Care Team, and with contributions from senior managers your induction will involve face to face input as well as access to online modules.

Your induction will be specific to your role, and will ensure that you have all the knowledge, skills and opportunities you need to be an excellent social worker in Shropshire. This will include workshops specifically focusing on relationship-based practice, chronologies, quality standards, 'Virtual School', early help, domestic abuse and interagency working. This list isn't exhaustive.

Training opportunities

We offer a wide range of corporate and children’s social care training opportunities, including a combination of face to face and online delivery.

Our Quality and Assurance team is an established part of Children’s Social Care, representing Shropshire Council at regional forums on workforce issues for social work and social care alongside other local authority partners, and providing training and offering a comprehensive range of learning and development opportunities from short, accredited courses to bespoke courses.

We support the professional development of social workers co-ordinating and developing placements for social work students, and a robust programme for the assessed and support year in employment (ASYE) for newly qualified social workers. 

Key areas of training include:

• Restorative practice
  
• Relationship-based practice
  
• Graded Care Profile 2
  
• Achieving best evidence
  
• Shropshire risk assessment framework training
  
• Supervision for managers and social workers
  
• Domestic abuse risk assessment for children (DARAC)
  
• Access to Research in Practice regional events through our membership
  
• Secure base model
  

Apprenticeship opportunities

Apprenticeship opportunities are a unique, new way of developing professional, job-specific skills whilst remaining in employment and earning a salary.

Our first cohort of apprentice trainee social workers commenced in January 2020, working within Children’s Social Care whilst also studying for their social work degree, providing a gateway to training as a social worker.

Formal accredited development opportunities aid career progression, courses include:

• Team Leader/Supervisor – Level 3
  
• Children, Young People and Families Practitioner in Children’s Residential Care – Level 4
  
• Children, Young People and Families Practitioner within the Community – Level 4 
  
• Coaching – Level 5
  
• Children, Young People and Families Manager in Children’s Residential Care – Level 5
  
• Children, Young People and Families Manager within the Community – Level 5
  
• Social Work Degree – Level 6