>
National
comparison of entry-level training for statutory child protection workers
Dr
Leah Bromfield, National Child Protection Clearinghouse
and
Mr
Robert Ryan, Department of Child Safety, Queensland
Background
Australia
does not have a unified approach to child welfare, rather 8 different
systems
Sharing
information and experiences across jurisdictions may assist to avoid
duplication and to gain maximum benefit from resources expended
Audit of child
protection training project
In
this paper we present preliminary findings from a national audit of
statutory child protection learning and development programs in Australia
This
project was undertaken primarily to enhance the goals of the Australian
Statutory Child Protection Learning and Development Group
Findings
are also of relevance to practitioners and policy makers
Australasian L&D
Group
The
goals of the Group are to:
facilitate the
sharing of training resources;
discuss approaches
to training in each jurisdiction;
discuss what works
and what doesn00 work;
share initiatives
and innovation;
avoid duplication
of effort;
identify commonalities
and differences between approaches in different jurisdictions;
articulate the link
between training, and recruitment and retention;
discuss approaches
and strategies for responding to shared problems; and
support research
to facilitate the above goals.
Responsibility
for CP Training
Comparability
of workforce and trainers
Size
of training units and the number of staff involved in direct service
delivery are not directly comparable across jurisdictions
Multitude
of factors combine to explain such differences, including
Scope of the
training unit
Service demand
Geography
Population
Resources
Child protection
and training staff relative to population size
2
7
120
2,101
202,800
NT
2.6
8
115
4,042
325,200
ACT
-
-
-
2,163
485,300
TAS
5.2
19.6
600
17,473
1,542,000
SA
3
-
1198
3,206
2,010,100
WA
24
24
1432
40,829
3,964,000
QLD
9
-
937
37,523
5,022,300
VIC
29
63
1479
133,636
6,774,200
NSW
CP Trainers
All Trainers
CP Staff
Notifications
Population
Comparability
of CP training
All
training mapped to some extent to national competencies (although only
SA, QLD, and VIC consider their approach to training to be 00ompetency-based00
All
training units reported that they provide training programs for essentially
the same purpose: quality service provision
What is the aim
of the training unit?
00ur mission is to lead
and develop professional practice in our staff. This will directly contribute
to better outcomes for the children and young people whom we serve00
(VIC).
00he Learning and Development
Centre was established to provide training across all classifications
in the organisation in order to ensure that all staff are suitably equipped
to provide excellent service00(SA).
00e develop staff by running
courses that build their capacity to respond effectively to children,
young people and their families00(ACT).
00o improve our workforce
capability and performance by better supporting our staff in the work
they do00(NSW).
Entry-level qualifications
Entry-level
qualification requirement essentially the same in all jurisdictions:
Bachelor degree
in fields such as Social Work, Psychology or Social Sciences
In some jurisdictions
Diplomas also considered (e.g., Victoria)
Western Australia
was the only jurisdiction where a qualification was not mandatory as
part of the entry-level requirements
Entry-level qualification
requirements were lowered in some circumstances (for example, there
are no essential entry requirements for Aboriginal staff in New South
Wales).
Aim of Entry-Level
Training
The
core focus for most programs is around the development of knowledge,
skills and abilities that are required for child protection work
Large
variation in the time frames when entry level training commences
Day 1
Within 6 months
No fixed time
Structure of Entry-Level
Training
The
structure of entry-level training also varies significantly
3-wks training,
time in field, return to training + 1-wk placement with non-gov
7-wk program: 4
practice clinics of 4-days interspersed with time in field
5-day induction,
essential modules to be completed within 2-years
Question for group
00/font>
When
should training start?
Content of entry-level
training
Significant
overlap between Australian jurisdictions in entry-level training, with
the same set of core issues being included in most training programs
Range:
17 - 25 modules in entry-level training
Training
programs in every state and territory made specific reference to working
with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
General
cultural diversity programs were only provided in New South Wales, South
Australia, and Western Australia
Core areas of
training
The
child protection system
Assessment
Interviewing
children
Court
matters
Key
child welfare legislation/legal context
Case
management
Cultural
diversity
Other common training
areas
Other
training areas present in most jurisdictions were:
Dynamics of
child abuse and neglect
Child development
Collaborative practice
Out-of-home care
Responding to hostility
and resistance and denial among involuntary clients
Worker safety, values
and professionalism
Question for group
00/font>
What
knowledge is essential to child protection practice?
Refer - child welfare
topics
Should
you have this knowledge before
you are allocated a case load?
Should
you have this knowledge before you have any
contact with families?
Child welfare
topics
Child
protection
Child
welfare intervention
Separation
and loss
Cultural
diversity
Assessment
Interviewing
Documentation
Court
Child
Welfare Policy and History
Values
and professionalism
Human
Behaviour and Development
Service
Planning
SOURCE: Unrau
and Wehrmann (2003, p. 22)
Assessing competence
Assessment
is conducted to determine if an individual can perform the skills or
tasks required to do a job
Assessment
is not linked to employment status in any jurisdiction, except Queensland
In
QLD, failure to be deemed competent after two re-sits of the assessment
can result in termination
A re-sit
of assessment is part of the process in NSW & SA
In
VIC, practice concerns identified in training are referred to and managed
by regions
In
the ACT, NT and WA there are no formal assessment processes for core
training
Question for group
00/font>
Should
the training program be linked to employment status?
Unique issues
for CP workforce
Internationally,
statutory child protection services (CP) experience difficulty in attracting
and retaining professionals to provide direct services to children and
their families
Graduates
are not 00ob ready00for CP roles - there is a need for specialist
vocational training
CP
organisations are increasingly interested exploring link between training
and recruitment and retention
Retention
Retention
a problem internationally
US
research suggests average turnover of 30-40%
In
US, government established pool of funding for child welfare training
to:
Professionalise
the child welfare workforce
Address the recruitment
problem by providing a viable pool of applicants
Assist in retention
by bonding employees in receipt of Title IV-E funding
Questions for
group 00/font>
Retention
How long have you
been in CP field?
Do you intend to
stay?
What attracts you
to CP?
What are disincentives
to working in CP?
What is most important
in decision to leave?
Would training influence
your decision to stay/go?
Would higher degree
prompt you to stay?
What do you think
about US idea of bonding?
Summary
The
scope and size of training units and the structure of the programs and
how these are implemented vary
All
child protection learning and development units provide training for
essentially the same purpose
The
structure of entry-level training programs vary
The
aims and content of entry-level training is relatively consistent across
jurisdictions
Implications
Policy
Buy places in
training instead of developing own
National skills
passport
Practitioner
RPL when moving
across boarders
Informed decisions
about career development
Trainers
Share resources
- no need to re-invent things
Learn from experiences
of other trainers
Community
sector
could also purchase
training places, share resources,
increased aware
of skills of CP workers
Contact author
Dr
Leah Bromfield
Assistant
Manager, Research Fellow
National
Child Protection Clearinghouse
Australian
Institute of Family Studies
300 Queen
Street Melbourne 3000
(03) 9214
7888
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