Response to DHSC consultation on proposed changes to the Social Work Bursary and Education Support Grant

As the specialist regulator for social workers in England, we welcome the opportunity to comment on the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) consultation ‘Proposed changes to the Social Work Bursary and the Education Support Grant’.

Social work education sits at the heart of public protection, which is our overarching aim at Social Work England. We set education and training standards which we assess and approve all social work courses against. You can only join our register and practice as a social worker in England if you have graduated from one of these approved courses.

As the regulator, we monitor any potential impacts on the future pipeline for the social work profession. As such, we have an interest in ensuring that people receive adequate funding to fully engage in, and successfully complete, their course. We have engaged separately with colleagues from the DHSC and Department for education to understand the scope of the consultation and consider how the proposals align with ongoing developments in children’s social care reform. As the regulator of all social workers in England, we are mindful of the ongoing developments in both adult's and children's social work, including the increasing number working in NHS settings where we are aware there are ongoing issues around parity of esteem.

We also invited DHSC colleagues to use an agenda slot at our education and training advisory forum (ETAF) as a platform to engage with colleagues about the proposed changes and gather feedback. We hope that our feedback helps to shape plans that ensure a social work ready workforce regardless of role or setting.

Consultation feedback

We have not provided answers to the consultation questions provided by the DHSC. Instead, we have commented on some of the main themes within the consultation document, sharing any relevant learning or intelligence from our own regulatory activity.

Take up of the Social Work Bursary

We know from our own engagement that factors such as availability of, and access to, funding are key to informing prospective student’s decisions to study social work. We have also received feedback about some of the challenges students have faced during their studies. This has included challenges associated with the cost of living crisis. As we reported in our recent publication, 'Preparing for practice: social work education in England', student’s living costs and bills have increased. This means in many cases that it is no longer possible for students to rely on bursaries and student finance alone, as they require additional income in order to support themselves. This can lead to concerns by HEIs and placement partners that social work students are working too many hours alongside placement and academic learning, which can contribute to burnout, safety and academic performance issues.

In line with the requirements of our education and training standards, we continue to work with course providers to ensure that they are proactive in signposting applicants and social work students to potential sources of financial support, including the social work bursary.

The balance of funding between undergraduate and postgraduate students

Our recent report also shows data which suggests that a growing number of graduates are entering the profession via post graduate fast track courses or postgraduate apprenticeships, which we believe are popular because they allow students to qualify quickly and earn on the job. We know that there have been some decreases reported in enrolments on traditional routes (which the bursary is available for), which suggests that social work is an increasingly postgraduate profession.

Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) previously published insights on undergraduate student applications. Their analysis showed that social work is the only subject that has more students from disadvantaged backgrounds applying, than from the most advantaged backgrounds. We also know via enrolment data, that social work students are more likely to be female and mature. As a result, this may present additional financial pressures, such as in relation to caring responsibilities or dependents, which could be considered as part of reallocating funding.

Given the shift in course choice and the disadvantaged backgrounds of many social work students, it seems appropriate to consider the balance of support available between different routes, particularly as postgraduate students already face more limited student finance options. Equally, we welcome the review of means testing models to encourage more individual focused models rather than household for those needing to self fund courses.

We would encourage further discussion between the DHSC and HEIs about the proposed changes and implementation of any changes following the consultation. We feel this would be helpful, considering the current climate and the risk that some institutions might withdraw social work courses due to financial pressures if they could encounter increased costs as a result of changes to the existing schemes.

Considerations around placements

Through both our ‘Preparing for practice’ report and intelligence gained through inspections, we have heard about the challenges facing students funding their travel to placement. This issue can be further compounded by difficulties gaining local placements, meaning students may have to travel further afield. This had led to some students seeking support via individual university hardship funds.

We encourage course providers to be transparent about hidden costs associated with study on social work courses. This includes transport associated with placement but can also include the difficulties of managing part time work, particularly when placement days require students to undertake the equivalent of a full working day.

Such issues have impacted students, particularly mature students, who have reported that, had they had a better understanding of these issues before, they may not have applied for the course. Such issues have been amplified by challenges in relation to the cost of living crisis. As a result, it seems appropriate to factor in considerations around placements, alongside income assessing or developing a social work specific hardship fund.

Education Support Grant

We understand that the DHSC received feedback from HEIs as part of their internal review, that it can be difficult to secure high quality practice placements. This has been echoed through our own engagement with the sector. Challenges include the availability and capacity of staff within practice, such as practice educators, to support students, as well as the availability of sufficient placement experiences within the local area. Our first round of reapproval inspections also showed that 4.1% of all conditions applied to courses were associated with placement capacity issues, (see Preparing for practice: social work education in England).

We are currently engaging with practice educators and the wider sector to better understand issues such as training, guidance and recognition needed to support the role. This included a registrant survey, which received over 4,400 responses. 44.4% of current practice educators who responded to the survey selected 'finances' as one of the main barriers and challenges in the role. While arrangements for practice educator pay are made locally, we recognise that the ESG is influential in determining local resources to meet this need, and any changes should be mindful of the impact on this critical role. We also heard examples of where funding models are not meeting need, such as practice educators drawing on savings to subsidise them continuing in the role, and people leaving the role due to costs of travel outweighing payment.

Alongside this, we are developing a comprehensive programme of activity aimed at understanding wider issues around placements, and potential levers or opportunities to address those issues. We will be happy to share key findings with colleagues at the DHSC as they evolve.

I hope the department finds this feedback helpful and we are happy to discuss any of it in more detail if that would be useful. We would welcome additional opportunities to contribute to the next steps in this consultation as we are keen to ensure and support a thriving education landscape for students, HEIs, employers and placement providers.

Yours sincerely

Sarah Blackmore

Executive Director, Professional Practice and External Engagement