Core knowledge and skills – NQSW
Core knowledge and skills
- Direct work
- Identity / Diversity
- Abuse and neglect
- Legal and courtwork
- Permanence, adoption and fostering
Relationship based practice depends on purposeful, effective relationships with children and families, which are both authoritative and compassionate. We should be able to demonstrate a high level of skill in evidence based, effective social work approaches which support change in the children and families we work with. A wide range of knowledge and skills needs to be applied to help build family relationships, resources and resilience so that the welfare of the child remains paramount.
PCF: Professionalism, Values and Ethics, Diversity and equality, Rights and Justice Knowledge, Intervention and Skills, Critical Reflection
KSS/PQS: 1, 2, 6, 7
- Introduction to child and adolescent development – eLearning module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Life Story Work: an introduction – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Case work
- Action Learning Sets
- 1:1 supervision
- Direct work with children (ESCC Single Source)
- Child development (ESCC Single Source)
- Digital toolkit – Child development apps (ESCC Single Source)
- Participation toolkit (ESCC Single Source)
- Neglect toolkit (ESCC Single Source)
As a social work professional you will be engaging with children and families from a range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds and must ensure your practice does not discriminate against issues of race and culture. Factors that impact on identity, such as differences and challenges for LGBTU children and young people, migrant and refugee families, families from BME communities and traveller families will need to be recognised and may be relevant to your assessment or decision making.
PCF: Professionalism, Values and Ethics, Diversity, Knowledge, Critical Reflection
KSS/PQS: 1, 2, 6, 7
If there is no link to course information please email the Training and events team.
Essential
- Equality and diversity – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Cultural awareness in the workplace – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Social model of disability – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Trans awareness – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Awareness of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Racial, ethnic and national equality – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Introduction to Neurodiversity – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Anti-racism – half-day course (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Exploring inclusive practice in your team: racial, ethnic, national and religious diversity – 1 day course (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Microaggressions – 1 day course (ESCC Learning Portal)
Additional learning
- The empowerment approach: neuroinclusive brain-based support for families – 5 half-day course (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Neurodiversity at work awareness – half-day course (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Self-directed learning
- Case work
- 1:1 supervision
- Group supervision
- Equality and diversity – ESCC Intranet (ESCC Single Source)
- Neurodiversity – ESCC Intranet
As a social work professional we must be able to recognise the risk indicators of different forms of harm to children including sexual, physical and emotional abuse and neglect and understand the impact of cumulative harm. Social workers should be aware of harmful practices in specific communities such as female genital mutilation and enforced marriage. Social workers should understand the principle of ‘good enough parenting’ within the historical, cultural, political and social dimensions of parental abuse and neglect, the relationship between poverty and social deprivation, and the impact of stress on family functioning.
PCF: Values and Ethics, Diversity, Rights and Justice, Knowledge, Intervention and Skills, Professional Leadership
KSS/PQS: 3, 5, 6, 7, 10
If there is no link to course information please email the Training and events team
Essential
- Introduction to child and adolescent development – eLearning module (this must be completed prior to the professional workshop below) (ESCC Learning Portal)
- Child protection – 1 day course (ESCC Learning Portal)
Additional learning
- Safeguarding children and young people – eLearning foundation module (ESCC Learning Portal)
- ESSCP: Understanding Neglect for Families and their children; Using the Neglect Toolkit to assess, record and refer families for support – 1 day course
- Neglect Toolkit – ESSCP – launched 2025, includes webinar
- Case work
- 1:1 supervision
- Self-directed learning
- Group supervision
- Critical reflection
- Neglect and child maltreatment – ESCC Intranet – (ESCC Single Source)
- Research on adolescents – (ESCC Single Source)
- Assessing parenting capacity for children on the edge of care
- Children’s needs parenting capacity
Social workers must be able to navigate the family and youth justice systems in England and know how to use legal powers and duties to support families, to protect children and to look after children in the public care system, including the regulatory frameworks that support the full range of permanence options.
Social workers need to participate in decisions about whether to progress a case through pre-proceedings or to make an application to the family court, including the order to be applied for, and undertaking the preparation and presentation of evidence.
Social workers recognise the need to seek advice and second opinion as required in relation to the wide range of legal issues which frequently face children and families involved with statutory services including immigration, housing, welfare benefits, mental health and learning disability assessment, education and support for children with learning difficulties.
As social workers, we must take into account the complex relationship between professional ethics, the application of the law and the impact of social policy on both.
PCF: Professionalism, Values and Ethics, Equality and Diversity, Rights and Justice, Knowledge, Intervention and Skills, Professional Leadership
KSS/PQS: 2, 7, 8, 10
- Public Law Outline – one day course
- Case work
- 1:1 supervision
- Group supervision
- Shadowing in court cases
- Attending legal consultations
- Proceedings and pre-proceedings (ESCC Single Source)
- Legal templates and guidelines (ESCC Single Source)
- Court orders and pre-proceedings (Research in Practice)
Social Workers must be able to decide on the best permanence option, using research to draw evidence-based conclusions and should eliminate drift by identifying the best care arrangement for the child as soon as possible. Social Workers will need to produce high quality case records of the permanence process that are well-considered and sensitively presented, having drawn upon the views and experience of those who know the child.
During this process, Social Workers must be able to also establish effective working relationships with other professionals including agency lawyers, Independent Reviewing Officers and Cafcass and communicate effectively, offering clear rationale for all recommendations.
The Social Worker will support children and families during this transition, supporting the placement and managing disruption and breakdown.
PCF: Professionalism, Values and Ethics, Diversity, Knowledge, Intervention Skills, Critical Reflection
KSS/PQS: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10
If there is no link to course information please email the Training and events team.
- Looked after children – half day course
- Case work
- 1:1 supervision
- Group supervision
- Critical reflection
- Fostering and adoption (Research in Practice)
- Contact (ESCC Single Source)
- LAC and adoption (ESCC Single Source)
- Participation toolkit (ESCC Single Source)
-
Permanence planning (ESCC Single Source)