XN000022-1982-11-10 — Page 16

JEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1982

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AS A FIRST STEP, HE SAID, THE UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE HAD BEEN ASKED TO INVITE THE UNIVERSITIES TO EXPAND THE IR INTAKES OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS THE POLYTECHNIC HAD ALREADY RESPONDED BY INCREASING ITS INTAKE OF STUDENTS AT DIPLOMA LEVEL THIS YEAR.

+BUT LARGER STUDENT INTAKES INTO TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS CANNOT PRODUCE MORE TRAINED SOCIAL WORKERS ON THE GROUND FOR SEVERAL YEARS: WE ARE THEREFORE ACTIVELY PURSUING OTHER SHORT AND MEDIUM TERM MEASURES RECOMMENDED BY THE WORKING PARTY, + MR ROWLANDS ADDED.

ONE OF THESE WAS THAT THE DEGREE GRADE OF SOCIAL WORK OFFICER SHOULD BE OPENED UP TO NON-SOCIAL WORK DEGREE HOLDERS WHO WOULD THEN BE GIVEN PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK TRAINING WHILE IN THE SERVICE.

SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT WOULD PERMIT THE RECRUITMENT OF MORE MATURE CANDIDATES WHO HAD DEVELOPED A SENSE OF VOCATION FOR SOCIAL WORK, BUT WHO FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER STUDIED OTHER SUBJECTS AT UNIVERSITY.

MR ROWLANDS SAID THE ADVICE OF THE STANDING COMMISSION ON CIVIL SERVICE SALARIES AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICES WAS BEING SOUGHT ON APPROPRIATE ARRANGEMENTS,

ANOTHER KEY RECOMMENDATION OF THE WORKING PARTY WAS THAT WHETHER SOME JOBS IN THE SOCIAL WORK FIELD COULD IN PRACTICE BE DONE SATISFACTORILY BY STAFF HAVING NO FORMAL SOCIAL WORK

QUALIFICATION,

MR ROWLANDS SAID GOOD PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE IN THIS RESPECT AND HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT AS MANY AS 100 SUCH POSTS SHOULD BE FOUND IN THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT.

ON THE STANDING COMMISSION'S NO. 8 REPORT, THE SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE STRESSED THAT THE REPORT DID NOT DEAL ONLY WITH SOCIAL WORK STAFF BUT WAS IN FACT A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT COVERING MORE THAN 60 RELATED CIVIL SERVICE GRADES.

MR ROWLANDS SAID ALSO THAT THE SOCIAL WORK ASSISTANT GRADE HAD BEEN CLASSIFIED AS ONE OF THE POLYTECHNIC DIPLOMA GRADES, THE REVISED STARTING PAY FOR WHICH IS $3 460, WELL ABOVE THE AVERAGE STARTING PAY REPORTED BY THE POLYTECHNIC FOR ITS DIPLOMA HOLDERS GENERALLY.

AND ALTHOUGH THE STANDING COMMISSION RECOMMENDED A LOWER STARTING POINT FOR SOCIAL WORK ASSISTANTS, IT RECOMMENDED AN INCREASE TO THE TOP OF THEIR PAY SCALE.

A FURTHER POINT WAS THAT THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE DID NOT SUGGEST THAT THE REVISED PAY SCALES FOR THE SOCIAL WORK ASSISTANT GRADE HAD HAD ANY EFFECT ON THE NUMBERS OF YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN EMBARKING ON A SOCIAL WORK CAREER. BUT THE SITUATION WOULD BE WATCHED CLOSELY, HE SAID.

IR ROWLANDS