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<p>Investing in the social workers of the future is essential to building a profession
that is best able to protect and care for vulnerable children and families.</p><p>The
Frontline and Step Up to Social Work fast-track programmes demonstrate clear value
for money and effectiveness in supporting the government’s commitment to improving
the recruitment and retention of social workers. Both programmes account for an increasing
proportion of postgraduate social work enrolments. Investment in fast-track social
work programmes, alongside university social work education, supports local authority
social worker recruitment by providing top quality training to candidates who may
not have previously considered social work as a career.</p><p>An evaluation of Frontline,
conducted by Cardiff University and published in March 2016, found Frontline participants
to be highly skilled in their practice quality. The report is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/frontline-pilot-independent-evaluation"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/frontline-pilot-independent-evaluation</a>.</p><p>A
further study, undertaken by Cardiff University to track the retention and progression
of Frontline and Step Up to Social Work graduates, found no evidence that attrition
rates for fast-track trained social workers at 18 months after qualification are higher
than they are for social workers trained via mainstream programmes. The report also
found that social workers trained by fast-track programmes demonstrate good progression
and high job satisfaction. The final report was published in December 2021 and is
available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-work-fast-track-programmes-tracking-study"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-work-fast-track-programmes-tracking-study</a>.</p>
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