Intergrating the common core of Skills, Knowledge and Understanding into Social Work in Wales

The Common Core of Skills, Knowledge and Understanding for the Children and Young People’s Workforce in Wales has been proposed for adoption by the Welsh Assembly Government. However, the social work degree programmes in Wales have not yet successfully integrated the Common Core into their curriculum content. In particular, 2 areas have been shown to need further emphasis and expansion: child development; and communicating and engaging with children. The aim of this project was to provide university tutors and practice educators with the opportunity to come together to explore materials and methodologies which would enhance their capacity to integrate these aspects of the Common Core within their programmes. The central focus of the project was 2 workshops, one held in North Wales with 11 attendees and the other in South Wales with 17 attendees. The participants were asked to discuss effective teaching and learning approaches, with the aim of identifying examples of good practice. They were also asked to provide written summaries of teaching and learning strategies and exercises which would be incorporated into the resource pack. This report sets out the main issues explored in the workshops and outlines a number of recommendations. It also provides a tentative curriculum outline developed by the workshop facilitators drawing on these recommendations.