The Return to Social Work programme is an initiative developed by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Government Equalities Office (GEO). It will provide free, high-quality training to 200 social workers who have been out of practice for 2-10 years, supporting them to get re-registered with the official regulatory body. The experienced social workers carefully selected to join the scheme, will be offered a free gateway back into the sector.
As well as providing the necessary training, our programme is uniquely designed to mentor, coach and rebuild the confidence of these individuals. In doing so, the programme will increase their resilience, harness the wealth of their experience and knowledge, and ultimately bring them back up to speed so they are ready to join your organisation today. Our programme includes work placements and supervised training, which gives our candidates the chance to get back into the workplace. By using real life case studies and work-based situations to develop their skills, candidates can refresh their knowledge of today’s social work theory, policy, legislation and best practice.
The aforementioned placements will take place within councils that have signed up to the programme. Candidates will then have the opportunity to apply for permanent or temporary positions with participating councils in their chosen location/s, subject to available vacancies.
This programme is free of charge for councils to sign up.
Before signing up to the programme, please review all attached documentation and below, before clicking "Apply for Vacancy" .
As part of your sign up application we will ask you for the following information:
• Your council contact details
• What you can offer in terms of – placements, vacancies (if applicable)
• Contacts details for your placement coordinator/supervisor
• You will be required to attach a signed copy of the Employer Agreement
The programme is divided into two core stages for council participation:
• Stage 1 – Placements: Councils will be asked to host placements for a minimum of 10 days between May and August 2020. Hosting placements will allow our candidates to meet the requirements of the regulator, and give you the opportunity to assess their abilities before considering their suitability for any vacant posts.
• Stage 2 – Interviews: Once our candidates have completed their placements, councils will have the opportunity to interview and recruit them into their vacant social worker positions.
A full overview of the programme can be found in our Employer Information pack attached below. We have also created an Employer Communications toolkit, with templates for multiple platforms, to make sharing the opportunity as easy as possible. In order to attract candidates in your local area, we ask that you use the resources provided.
Before applying, we ask that all councils familiarise themselves with the attached Employer Agreement which you will be required to sign and attach as part of your interest.