As reported here, ISWS Ltd are proud to announce that we have successfully developed a Level 4 Qualification in age assessment, regulated on the Government’s Regulatory Quality Framework (RQF).
We are really excited to launch our first cohort of training starting in March 2022 and we thought it might be useful to put together some FAQ’s about the qualification.
We think that age assessment is a really important element in social work practice. Current case law dictates that social workers have to be trained in age assessment; however, no guidelines exist that detail what this training should entail. As a company, we have always strived to deliver the best possible training outcomes to ensure that social workers feel empowered and confident to undertake their age assessments using both best practice and trauma informed principles. We have long felt that a qualification in this field will improve social work practice and elevate the quality of age assessments across the board. We will aim to have all Level 4 Qualified practitioners suitably confident to lead an age assessment upon completion of the course.
No, but we would obviously love to have them on the course! As previously stated, case law states that social workers have to be trained in age assessment, the Level 4 Qualification will not only evidence that your social workers are trained but that they have also met standards set by the Government’s RQF.
Yes – we will still be offering our single day training, which is usually delivered over 2 consecutive mornings and is a great introduction to the age assessment process. Similar modules are covered but the Level 4 qualification goes into significantly more detail than the 1-day training course allows.
ISWS Ltd spent a lot of time considering the appropriate level to pitch the age assessment qualification. The Level 4 qualifications are academically equivalent to the first year of a Batchelors degree and are vocationally equivalent to existing management training qualifications. Therefore, we feel that this level suitably recognises the professional standards expected from a qualification in this subject field.
The course comprises 30 hours of guided learning time in total, with delegates expected to complete a high-quality portfolio that meets the qualification criteria and reaches the set standard before gaining their certificate. Our course is delivered over 7 weeks, with live teaching days once a fortnight.
Learners will be required to attend 4 teaching days, delivered remotely via Microsoft Teams and asked to complete short assessment pieces (homework!) in between. At the end of the 7 weeks, participants will be required to submit a portfolio, which will be graded before being sent to an external quality assurer for assessment.
Our courses will be limited to 15 participants, in order to maximise the learning experience. They will be delivered to individual/independent social workers and to Local Authority Childrens Services who may wish to train a cohort of their own practitioners. Please do get in touch to see how we can facilitate this for you.
It is really important for us to find that perfect balance between getting the most out of the qualification whilst not putting social workers under additional pressure. We believe that we have developed a qualification that is going to enhance practitioners’ knowledge and expertise as well as provide them with the tools and resources to empower them to undertake their roles with confidence.
In order to achieve this, we use a wide variety of assessment methods that don’t overly rely on long essays. Our methods include group presentations, facilitated discussions, written work and report critiques to assess the practitioners as the qualification progresses. Learners will be required to submit a portfolio for assessment; therefore, participants will need to ensure they are able to commit to the qualification hours in conjunction with their work caseloads before starting the course.
The cost of the course will be £800 (+VAT) per learner.
Training Dates:
4th March 2022
18th March 2022
1st April 2022
8th April 2022 (to accommodate Easter Holidays)
If you would like to sign on to the course, please email info@isws-ltd.co.uk and we can send you our booking form and further details.
We LOVE talking about age assessments, if you’ve got any questions about the new qualification drop us an email, we can talk for hours on this subject and will gladly answer as many questions as you can throw at us!
