Standards of Proficiency For Social Workers
Standards of Proficiency For Social Workers
Standards of Proficiency For Social Workers
Background 2
Standards of proficiency and Irish approved qualifications 2
Recognition of professional qualifications 3
Standards of proficiency 3
Domain 1 Professional autonomy and accountability 5
Domain 2 Interpersonal and professional relationships 9
Domain 3 Effective communication 10
Domain 4 Personal and professional development 11
Domain 5 Provision of quality services 12
Domain 6 Knowledge, understanding and skills 15
The following documents must be read in conjunction with each other by applicants for
recognition of professional qualifications:
The Health and Social Care Professionals Act, 2005 (as amended) (HSCP Act, 2005)
provides for the establishment of a Social Workers Registration Board, whose functions
include establishing and maintaining a Social Workers Register. Registration will allow a
person to use the title Social Worker.
The object of the Social Workers Registration Board is to protect the public by fostering
high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and
competence among social work registrants (HSCP Act, 2005: Section 27(1)).
This system of statutory regulation is designed to ensure professional conduct and the
maintenance of high standards of professional education and training among social
workers, regardless of whether they work in the public or private sector or are self-
employed.
All applicants who hold professional qualifications gained outside the Republic of Ireland
(ROI) must first have their qualification recognised by the Social Workers Registration
Board before an application for registration can be made.
One of the functions of the Social Workers Registration Board is to set the standards of
proficiency for social workers. The standards of proficiency are the threshold standards
required for the safe and appropriate practice of the profession in Ireland. They are the
knowledge, skills, competencies and professional attributes for the safe practising of the
profession. The standards of proficiency are the standards required for all entrants to
the register.
Irish approved qualifications for entry to the register are at the following level:
If you were awarded your Social Work qualification outside the (ROI) and are interested
in working here you must firstly apply to the Social Workers Registration Board to have
your qualification recognised. You cannot apply for registration until your
qualification is recognised.
The Social Workers Registration Board is designated as the Competent Authority under
European Union (EU) legislation - Directive 2005/36/EC for the purposes of recognition
of professional qualifications for applicants from the European Economic Area (EEA.
A Competent Authority under EU legislation is any authority or body e.g. regulatory body
or professional body empowered by the State to validate professional qualifications.The
Registration Board may also recognise professional qualifications from outside the EEA.
For further detailed information about Directive 2005/36/EC log on to the European
Commission website: www.ec.europa.eu. Please also read the CORU Guidance notes
regarding application for recognition of international qualifications
Standards of proficiency
This section sets out the standards of proficiency required of graduates from an Irish
approved programme for the safe and effective practice of social work. They are the
minimum standards necessary to protect the public and are required for entry to the
Register for Social Workers.
They are also the standards of proficiency required of applicants with professional
qualifications obtained outside ROI.
All applications for recognition of professional qualification (s) obtained outside of the
ROI will be assessed against these standards of proficiency. Applicants must
demonstrate to the Registration Board that their professional qualification(s), additional
education and training and / or work experience gained in the profession meets the
minimum standards of proficiency required. Evidence must be provided as part of the
recognition application process.
The standards of proficiency explain the key obligations for a graduate in the profession
and are accompanied by specific indicators, which provide more detail. The standards
are highlighted in bold i.e. 2.1 with the specific indicators listed below them i.e. a, b, c…
Graduates will:
1. Practice within the legal and ethical boundaries of their profession to the
highest standard.
a) Act in the best interest of service users at all times and within the
boundaries of their profession.
b) Respect and, so far as possible, uphold the rights, dignity and autonomy
of every service user, including their role in the diagnostic, therapeutic and
social care process.
Graduates will:
a) Respect the confidentiality of service users and use information only for
the purpose for which it was given.
Graduates will:
b) Understand the issues associated with incapacity and how to deal with
service users who are not capable of giving consent.
a) Know the limits of their practice and know when to seek advice or refer to
another professional.
e) Recognise that they are personally responsible for, and must be able to
justify, their decisions.
Graduates will:
a) Understand the need to practise safely and competently within their scope
of practice.
Graduates will:
Graduates will:
c) Demonstrate the skill of writing reports, articulating the situation and drawing
appropriate conclusions.
d) Be able to select, move between and use appropriate forms of verbal and
non-verbal communication, including listening skills, with service users and
others.
h) Understand the need to provide service users (or people acting on their
behalf) with the information necessary to enable them to make informed
decisions.
Graduates will:
Graduates will:
b) Identify needs and advocate for the resources required to meet the needs.
Graduates will:
6. Use of safe work practices at all times in the interest of service users and
staff
a) Understand the need to maintain the safety of both service users and
those involved in their care.
b) Empower service users to manage their wellbeing and recognise the
need to take responsibility for meeting their own needs with the
support of professionals.
a) Keep accurate, legible and timely records and recognise the need to
handle these records and all other information in accordance with
applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
a) Gather information, including qualitative and quantitative data that help to evaluate
the responses of service users to their intervention.
c) Recognise the need to monitor and evaluate the quality of practice and the value of
contributing to the generation of data for quality assurance and improvement of
programmes.
d) Recognise important human factors and risk management measures, learn from
adverse events and communicate learning.
Graduates will:
b) Be aware of the role of audit and review in quality management, including the use of
appropriate outcome measures.
e) Understand the value of reflective practice and the need to record the outcome of
such reflection.
Graduates will:
Graduates will:
Graduates will:
c) Understand how to identify, prevent and manage risk and adverse events
and demonstrate an openness to learn from errors.
f) Recognise the need for safe environments for practice, which minimises
risks to service users, those responsible for them, and others, including
the use of hazard control and infection control.
Practice placement learning enables students to acquire the standards of proficiency for
the social work profession and become safe, competent practitioners willing to accept
personal and professional accountability for their work.
Learning initially developed within the academic component of social work programmes
must be integrated into practice through the experience and supervision offered by
structured placements within social work settings.
Requirements
a) Students must spend at least 1,000 hours in practice placements, 350 hours of
which must be in one block and full-time.
b) The selection of practice reflects the scope of social work practice settings in
which the social worker normally operates.
c) The placement should provide the student with a minimum number of hours of
supervision by a practice teacher each week.
d) Practice teachers will have relevant social work qualifications, at least two years’
relevant practice experience and competence, and be in their current post for a
minimum of one year where possible. Practice teachers should be fully informed
of the expectations, organisation and arrangements for the placements. In
addition, they will have undertaken appropriate training to enable them to carry
out their role effectively and efficiently and will normally be located in the same
practice setting as the practice students.