Unit Standards Working Group for Youth Work and Social Work. From L-R Back Row: Lloyd Martin, Soro Ramacake, Jan Basill, Neil Ballantyne, Dominic Chilvers. Middle Row: Kirsten Smith, Lisa Hann (sitting), Michael Ross, Jenny O’Connor (sitting), Moana Eruera, Glennis Brook. Front Row: Annabel Prescott (sitting), Rod Baxter (sitting), Maree Tukukino, Amanda Torr, Karin Brown

The Social Services ITO has begun developing degree level unit standards in youth work and social work as a response to the emerging requirement for degrees to be the minimum qualification for professional recognition. Establishing national degrees and degree level unit standards that represent the needs of industry, also provides the ITO with an opportunity to develop a consistent learning pathway for those people who have qualified with either certificates or diplomas

The new unit standards will reflect the needs of the industry both now and in the future. The standards will support technical and professional level graduates who will be able to work through difference and in partnership with other health and social service professionals.

Neil Ballantyne from The Institute of Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS), Scotland

Draft unit standards
The ITO brought together a working group of national and international experts to develop the draft unit standards at a four-day workshop from 27-30 January 2009. Once the draft unit standards are complete they will be sent out to the industry for consultation. The consultation process will include an in depth scrutiny by a social services sector reference group.

Providers will still have choices
Once these unit standards are registered on the National Qualifications Framework, education providers can choose to use them to develop national degrees.

Amanda Torr, project leader, says, “It is important to emphasise that education providers will still have choices in developing qualifications. They can offer their own local (non-standards-based) qualifications. They can offer national qualifications and degrees made up of the unit standards. Or, they can develop qualifications that combine both local courses and national qualifications”.

A provider wishing to offer a national degree based on the new unit standards will still need to have their programme approved by the appropriate approval bodies including the Social Work Registration Board for the social work degree, and be granted accreditation to offer it.

It is anticipated that providers seeking to develop and deliver national degrees will need to be able to include well supported and quality assured work place learning and assessment components within their degrees. They will also need to be actively engaged in research including evidence-based applied research aimed at improving existing practice.

What happens next
After the draft unit standards are developed they will go through a lengthy consultation process. This process will last until May giving plenty of time for interested parties to make submissions. The draft unit standards will also be scrutinised by a social services sector reference group.

Once the consultation period ends the unit standards will be sent to NZQA for approval and registration. It is anticipated this will happen in June and the finalised unit standards will be available for delivery by the beginning of 2010.

How you can become involved
For more information or to request to be part of the process please contact Dr Amanda Torr.