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Northern Ireland Office

Answer

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many social workers within the Province have completed degree courses; and how many individuals commence training in social work in the Province in each of the last five years. [220661] Angela Smith: The Degree in Social Work, which recently replaced the Diploma in Social Work (DipSW) as the professional social work qualification, had its first intake of students in Northern Ireland in September 2004. There are, therefore, no social workers in the Northern Ireland social work workforce holding this qualification as yet. No information is held centrally on other degrees held by social workers. This is not a requirement for employment as a social worker. The Northern Ireland Social Care Council has advised that over the last five years the numbers of new students commencing training for social work in Northern Ireland are as shown in the following tables. Diploma in Social Work (DipSW): Student intake _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Academic year Postgraduate route1 Undergraduate Non-graduate route3 Employment based Total route2 route4 2000-01 87 25 40 78 230 2001-02 87 24 36 125 272 2002-03 88 29 31 99 247 2003-04 (Final intake) 82 29 40 115 266 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. l Postgraduate route leading to the award of DipSW (and a Master's Degree). 2 Undergraduate route leading to the award of DipSW (and a Bachelor's Degree). 3 Non-graduate route leading to the award of DipSW (and a Diploma in Higher Education). 4 These are students seconded from employment, including from 2001, new trainee schemes. Degree in Social Work: Student intake _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Academic year 2004-05 (First intake) Relevant Graduate Route1 102 Undergraduate Route 172 Total2 274 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 Those students who have a previous relevant degree can complete the degree in 2 years. 2 Total includes students employed as Regional Social Work Degree Trainees by HSS Trusts and Voluntary Sector employers.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

431 c1886W;431 c1878-80W; 220661

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Degrees Qualifications Northern Ireland Social workers

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk