Bridging the Divide: Joint Appointments in Social Work Education

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Bridging the DivideJoint Appointments in Social
Work Education

• JSWEC July 2005
• Lucille Allain, Christine Cocker, Paul Dugmore

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Why Joint Appointments?

• Different developments in social work education
  (e.g. new qualifying degree, new PQ framework
  etc)
• Linking this to practice
• Macro thinking
• increase in practice placement days
• performance management framework - this is a key
  indicator within DIS
• Links between industry and academia are seen as
  desirable by a range of government departments
  and in the business world.

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So why this presentation?

• We bridge the divide
• Have first hand experiences of these roles,
  albeit in different structures, and the demands
  and challenges of such roles
• Joint Appointments create new career pathways
  for people who value being involved in social
  work practice and learning and development.
• Strategic learning and Research Advisory Group
  (StLaR) www.stlarhr.org.uk

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Literature

• Minimal literature from a social work
  perspective
• Main focus has been on posts involving staff in
  education and direct practice
• More of a developing interest in these types of
  posts because of the added advantages to both
  organisations re strategy policy development
  research opportunities learning and development
  opportunities etc.

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Literature 2 Management of the Partnership

• The key message of the research is that in joint
  appointments we need to apply everything we
  already know about good management practice in
  appointing a person to any organisation, and add
  new approaches to support the partnership
  dimension of the appointment. A joint
  appointment requires flexibility from both
  organisations, but this should not amount to a
  suspension of effective management practice.
• (Office for Public Management, 20019)

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Literature 3 Establishing a Partnership

• Find a Shared Goal
• Build upon identified strengths and assets
• Build trust gradually
• Find a common currency
• Vision, understanding and clarity are key
• Representation
• Good communication.
• Plamping et al, 20001723-1725

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Literature 4 Ingredients for successful working

• Effective champions within the organisations to
  drive the agreement forward
• Commitment to joint working, supported by
  education and awareness training
• Good communications within the authority and
  partner organisations
• A history of dialogue between the different
  sectors
• Enough time to develop a stronger understanding
  of each others organisation and activities.
• Craig, et al (1999)

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Literature 5 Challenges

• Consultation
• Member/officer involvement
• Partners
• Joint working and shared information
• Resources
• Staffing issues
• Being aware of each organisations priorities
• Accountability and openness.
• Democratic Health Network (www.lgiu.gov.uk/dhninde
  x.taf?id4156)

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www.opm.co.uk
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Joint Appointments in Social Work

• A feature in professional education for
• Teachers
• Health Professionals.
• New developments in social work with joint
  appointments between HEIs and Local Authority
  Social Services Departments.

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Different Models

• Located in Chief Executives Service in HR or
  Development Learning
• Childrens Services
• University full-time.

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Models Middlesex University and London boroughs

• Barnet
• Haringey and Enfield
• Tower Hamlets

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Barnet Model

• Time split equally between the two organisations
• Responsible for
• Student placements
• Employment Route Scheme
• Graduate Trainee Initiative
• Supporting staff undertaking Post-Qualifying
  awards
• Training and staff development initiatives
• Supporting staff to access research through the
  creation of a research web-site.

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Haringey and Enfield Models

• Time split equally between the two organisations
  - Responsibilities
• Trainee social work scheme
• EBR students
• Supporting trainees at Middlesex in agency
• Finding practice learning placements
• Recruiting practice assessors
• Expanding placements into independent sector
• DIS
• Selecting people onto Practice Teaching Award
• Teaching on Practice Teaching Award.

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Tower Hamlets Model

• Time spent 100 in the university
• Positive Action Scheme with 2 routes
• Direct access paid training allowance for
  Graduates
• Entry level work in LA as unqualified SW prior
  to beginning university, and paid salary whilst
  studying
• About to be expanded to include
• 18 plus scheme
• Employment route
• A new academic member of staff will work with
  these students a different model
• Role of joint appointment is to support students
  in the university and act as bridge between the
  LA and the University (and vice versa)
• Additional innovations
• Practice Teachers course run by the University
  in TH will be delivered in 2005-06
• Research.

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Perspectives-What can these models offer to
social work education?

• The student perspective
• The Social Services senior management
  perspective
• The Higher Education Institute perspective.

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Student Perspective

• Good for students as we have a person who is
  linked in to local authorities and this helps
  with placements
• Supports the development of links between
  research and practice and this helps local
  authority social workers
• Champions the cause of social workers access to
  research in the workplace
• Helps with continuing professional development in
  the local authority
• Strengthens links between theory and practice
• It makes me feel supported and reassured.

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Student Perspective

• Local authority can keep up-to-date with issues
  relating to the course and implement any changes
  around areas of recruitment, students employment
  etc
• All students have the same access to management
  and support in relation to their course
• Joint appointee knows both sides and this
  increases efficiency
• Better service for the trainees
• Can express any concerns we have as
  students/employees, getting support with our
  university work, discussing any problems
• Being able to pass information to the joint
  appointee to pass to our employers.

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Barnet Management Perspective

• Positives
• A foot (and head) in both camps assisting social
  workers to keep abreast of research
• Anchors social work teaching in the real world
• Cost sharing- leading to full time commitment for
  half time money.

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Barnet Management Perspective Positives (cont.)

• An in house source of advice/information for
  staff at all levels re. education, training and
  research
• A bridge enabling access to HEI resources
• A champion for the borough with direct positive
  consequences regarding recruitment.

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Barnet Management Perspectivedifficulties/complex
ities

• Arranging relevant meetings when not working in
  the alternate base
• Competing workload pressures and deadlines
• Differing pace of work and priorities
• Differing organisational cultures.

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Haringey Management Perspectives

• Gives the LA, as a key stakeholder, a presence
  voice at the academic table
• Provides practitioner perspective to the
  development of programmes
• Links to the university's practice placement
  programmes, partnership working with other
  agencies in consortium
• Greater commitment to and from each organisation
  has given greater stability to partnership
• Provided good basis from which to launch a
  trainee social work scheme.

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Haringey Management Perspectives

• Universities are "carved up" geographically,
  geographically, making it difficult for agencies
  to operate outside of consortium arrangements
• Once the teaching year starts, there is little
  "time" flexibility - joint posts are often
  victims of their own success and quickly generate
  enough work to fill more than half a post.

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Tower Hamlets Management Perspectives

• Direct access to the management and delivery of
  the programme
• Quality because the programme is better resourced
  i.e. student tutor ratio
• Support for the tutorial model that MU operates
• Better communication of the employer perspective
   
• Quality management of our positive action scheme
  (early
• intervention when things go wrong)   
• Fewer student complaints and worries
• Increased student confidence in the programme
• Sharing of information about new ideas ways of
  working
• Better placement co-ordination
• Placements on time.

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Tower Hamlets Management Perspectives

• Students are more confident about their role and
  they
• have higher standards and expectations
• Employer confidence in the university to produce
  high quality well educated students
• Equalities students with special needs are fully
  catered for
• BME students enabled and supported because the
  joint appointee has special awareness of their
  needs and issues
• Confidence that the service user is getting a
  skilled practitioner
• Funding might be an issue for some SSD's however
  its an investment that pays for itself.

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HEI perspective (Benefits)

• Discussions around allocation of placements,
  learning needs of students, needs of practice
  assessors planning for placements, takes place
  in a timely fashion
• The post being embedded in both organisations
  leads to speedy, collaborative, time efficient
  work, and outcomes that are mutually beneficial
• Enable smooth communication between two
  organisations. they enable the potential of a
  proper realisation of the integration of practice
  and HEI provision.

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HEI perspective (Benefits)

• Consistent number of high quality placements
• Consistent stream of EBR students - high success
  rate re recruitment
• Relationship between 2 organisations means people
  can be involved in interviews, PAP etc
• Keep current in relation to area of practice
• Informs teaching
• Quality of students.

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HEI perspective (Difficulties)

• Can be too demanding for the staff concerned -
  operational and strategic management, teaching,
  research, writing
• Divided loyalties?
• Posts can be time-limited
• Lots of work for the staff having to negotiate
  two different organisations
• Lack of full time availability in either
  organisation may lead to difficulties.

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Tensions competing priorities

• RAE
• Delivery Improvement Statement (DIS)
• Research teaching
• Publications
• Work in LAs recruitment, training and staff
  development.

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Challenges/Lessons to learn

• Structural Now social services doesnt exist
  the structure doesnt easily fulfil the
  requirements.
• Promotion although employed by the university
  full time, only the work done for university
  counts. Would need to leave joint appt post if
  promoted
• 2 part time jobs increased responsibilities
  bureaucracy
• Can joint appointee represent both agencies
  equally?
• Rationale has changed over time.

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Challenges/Lessons to learn 2

• Definition of joint appointment not the same as
  someone being seconded
• Joint management
• Application of existing terms and conditions
• Joint appointee to be located within a group that
  has collective responsibility for social care
• Administrative/clerical support.

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The Future?

• More mileage in joint appointments economies of
  scale attached to EBR candidates - University
  saves resources
• Agencies want EBR students for RR
• DH requirements experience of statutory duties
• Helps admissions placements
• Joint appointment in voluntary sector.

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Group Exercise

• 1. What do you understand by the term
  Partnership?
• 2. What qualities do successful partnerships
  have?
• 3. What difference would a joint appointment
  post make in your HEI/Social Work Department?
• Where might it add value for students, HEIs and
  LAs
• Where might the tensions be and how might they
  best be resolved?