Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to attract (a) people and (b) mature students into social work careers with children and young people.

The department has two fast-track social work training programmes, designed to recruit and train high quality graduates for a career in social work.

Step Up to Social Work has been in operation since 2010 and is targeted at graduates with experience of working with vulnerable children, young people and/or families. To date over 2,300 new social workers have qualified through Step Up.

The Frontline programme was launched in 2014 and is targeted at individuals who would not ordinarily consider a career in social work, and under its objectives as a charity works to promote the profession more widely. To date over 1,600 social workers have qualified through Frontline.

The social work bursary, introduced in 2003, helps to support undergraduate and postgraduate students on university based social work programmes. The department also funds Teaching Partnerships, bringing together educators and employers to improve the standards of initial social work education and assure a local supply of practice ready social workers.

The social worker degree apprenticeship started in March 2019, with over 1,600 starting on this new route into the profession since its launch.