Welsh govt invests £8m in social work training

Social workers in Wales have received a funding boost to the tune of £8 million to improve training standards across the sector.The Welsh government has provided the cash injection in order to equip professionals in the field with the skills they need to change the way social work and care is viewed in the public eye, BBC News reports.According to deputy minister for social services Gwenda Thomas, it is crucial that people delivering front line care have the right qualifications to carry out their roles to the best of their ability.She added: "I set out an ambitious and deliverable programme in Sustainable Social Services: A Framework for Action, which I believe is improving provision of social services across the spectrum."The funding is part of a package worth £11.6 million and the remaining £3.6 million is set to be dished out by local authorities.It comes after the Care Council for Wales recently revealed it is planning to spend £1.8 million in the next six years on improving the quality of social work practice across the nation.The money will concentrate on training experienced social workers, senior practitioners and consultant social workers and will help them achieve greater professionalism.Rhian Huws Williams, chief executive of the body, said learning and development is central to securing high-quality services and a fully-trained workforce is essential to delivering proper care."This investment is vital to ensure staff have the skills required to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in Wales," he remarked.In order to make the new round of funding go further, it might be a wise idea for the government to roll out e-learning initiatives and train social workers to use online resources that can be accessed in their spare time.Indeed, Welsh education minister Leighton Andrews recently spoke of the benefits of e-learning and talked about a £39 million initiative being launched that is seeking to provide every school in the country with an internet connection.