DfE scraps social work leadership training scheme

Social work charity Frontline, which has run the Pathways programme since 2022, had been expecting the funding to be extended for a further two years but has been told by the DfE that it will now end this July.

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More than 1,500 aspiring social work leaders have participated in the Pathways programme in its first two years, and it was anticipated that around 2,000 would have enrolled on it over the next two years.

However, giving evidence to the Education Select Committee today (Tuesday) in a session focused on children's social care, Frontline's chief executive Mary Jackson confirmed the government had chosen not to continue with the programme. 

She told MPs: "We were commissioned to run the Pathways programme, we trained 1,800 managers across the country in different levels of the social work system – that was a two year project with a possible two year extension but we found out last week that that programme has not been extended."

She added that the programme had been "very popular with local authorities" and a "great example of a programme that aims to catch people at the start of their career and take them through to just prior to director level".

In a statement, Frontline said the decision was “entirely unexpected” in light of the “very positive feedback” the programme had received.

“The DfE has been absolutely clear that this was not based on the quality or impact of the programme, but was rather due to hard budget decisions and departmental priorities,” said the Frontline statement.

“We only shared the decision with local authorities this morning and have already heard from a number of DCSs and others expressing their disappointment at this announcement.”

The decision means that for the first time in nearly a decade there is no government investment in social work leadership below director level. Frontline said it plans to raise the issue at an upcoming meeting with children’s minister David Johnston.

The statement added: “While we appreciate the government is facing a difficult financial situation, the same is true of local authorities, and we believe that investing in leadership development for children’s social workers is crucial. It helps to ensure effective social work support for the hundreds of thousands of children and families that need it and creates an environment where social workers feel valued and empowered, which is vitally important given the current recruitment and retention crisis.”

The Pathways programme is run in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council and Foundations, the What Works Centre for Children & Families. It offers training for supervisors, middle managers, heads of service and practice leaders.