ASYE

By Tim Nicholls.

One of the aims of the ASYE Programme is to support a newly qualified social worker (NQSW) to transform their practice knowledge at the point of qualifying into practise expertise by the end of the Programme. The vehicle for achieving this is the development of their critical thinking and analysis skills. Four specific support arrangements of the Programme are designed to facilitate this, including workload reduction and protected development time.

The longitudinal research shows that when these arrangements work well they make a difference to the development of NQSWs, notably in their confidence in managing complex cases and in their level of practice capability. The experience of the National Moderation Panel, which scrutinises NQSW portfolios in adult settings from across the country, indicates that it also impacts positively on the portfolio evidence presented. Our own evaluation reinforces this, particularly in the dimension of the NQSW demonstrating they can draw critically on theoretical perspectives and research to inform decision-making. This dimension is crucial to the exercise of practise expertise.