 farflungphotos_150.jpg "world map (c) farflungphotos")
We are obliged by European law to have a system in place to allow social workers from outside the UK to register with us. The GSCC applies European law to all international applicants to provide one system for all. International social workers must have an equivalent qualification that meets the UK standard to allow them to be registered.
Social work is practised differently throughout the world, which has made the task of assessing equivalence complex and challenging. In many countries such as India, social work is carried out in communities and industrial environments where health inequalities, poverty and child exploitation feature as standard social work practice. The term 'caseload' is also a different concept in some countries such as those in Africa where entire villages and communities may be covered by a single social worker. In Europe specialist and dual discipline training, such as studying social work with another subject, adds another layer of complexity.
All of these factors demonstrate that there is no single international concept of social work. Social work is influenced by cultural and historical traditions within the country of practice. Unlike health professions where there is common agreement about clinical practice, social work has no such agreement.
We now have experience and expertise of assessing social work qualifications from over 80 countries. Last year we received 1,108 applications from 25 EEA countries and 36 countries outside the EEA. The vast majority of these applications required a detailed assessment because the particular course was unknown to us. There are 84,940 social workers registered with the GSCC, of which 6,729 qualified outside the UK.
......The last point I would like to make is the comment "In Europe specialist and dual discipline training, such as studying social work with another subject, adds another layer of complexity". As a DUAL qualified individual, who studied two disciplines simultaneously in the UK, at a UK university, I do not see how this comment holds water, as I qualified as both a Social Worker and a Mental Health Nurse. I utilise both skills and feel that the level and depth of training I received was fundamental to my practise and complemented it in its entirety. However in the UK the drive towards integration has not been successful and still there is a need to look at this again in greater depth. The advantages and benefits of dual trained practitioners outweigh the ‘complexities’.
Richie Morrison
28 Sep 2010
.....In relation to the differences in caseload, should this matter in defining what social work is about. I believe we have to concentrate on what the core activities of social work include and the values that we have as individuals and as professionals; this is where the issue of equivalence should be examined. The theories that underpin our practice are universal, yet the models we utilise are so varied and are developed in relation to the people we serve.
Richie Morrison
28 Sep 2010
I have just read this article with much frustration. In simple terms social work is working with individuals, groups or communities who are disadvantaged, living in poverty or have social issues that may or may not be complex in nature. This is what I was educated in concerning the spirit of social work.
Social work does differ greatly from one area to the next, but this is also mirrored in the UK, with differing pockets of needs depending on cultural mixes, poverty and disadvantaged groups. The difference in social work is the legal and statutory frameworks that we work within and local or national resources at our disposal. This article states that health have a common agreement of what clinical practice is, yet this differs across the board. An RMN in this country would not necessarily have the same training or focus as someone working as an RMN in the USA, for example. Nor do the clinical skills mirror each other...........
Richie Morrison
28 Sep 2010
