Thursday 7 November 2013

Thumbs down to Frontline

Community Care has found evidence that many social workers share my doubts about Frontline, the scheme to fast-track ‘high-flying’ graduates into social work.

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2013/11/05/social-workers-believe-frontline-will-have-negative-impact-on-practice/#.Unt3__nIYhY?cmpid=NLC|SCSC|SC019-2013-1107 

Apparently almost 80% of those surveyed did not believe the scheme would address current staffing issues.

I think Frontline is the wrong scheme aimed at the wrong issue. One of the respondents is quoted as saying:

 “ We don’t need high flyers, we need emotionally intelligent workers. They are tackling the issue from the wrong angle.”

That is spot on. 

And I believe that the real issue is not recruitment so much as retention, an issue that Frontline does nothing to address.