Workers angered by training refusal

three-year

social work course recommended by Lord Clyde before his report had

even been published.

All sections of the

social work profession have been campaigning for a three-year course

for a long time and saw Lord Clyde's recommendation as vitally

important.

Lord Clyde said in his report from the eight-month Orkney Inquiry:

''Training to work with the wide variety of clients who now seek social

services, including the complex work in matters of child sexual abuse

which has only recently acquired a considerable prominence, cannot be

adequately undertaken in two years.''

Lord Clyde noted that a three-year course appeared to be common in

most EC countries and recommended its introduction in Britain as soon as

possible.

On Monday, copies of the report were distributed to regional and

island councils, health boards, chief constables, directors of social

work and education, children's panels, and reporters to the panels.

The report was accompanied by a long letter from the Scottish Office

outlining the Government's response which, on training, stated: ''The

Secretary of State has noted Lord Clyde's arguments for the extension of

the basic training of social workers to three years.

''Such an extension, however, continues to be ruled out for the

present on the grounds of cost implications.''

The Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work in

Scotland said that it would support an extension of the course but this

could not be achieved in Scotland alone. It would be likely to cost an

additional #53m a year, of which #5.3 would be required in Scotland.

Yesterday, Mr David Colvin, Scottish Secretary of the British

Association of Social Workers, said: ''We are dismayed to hear that the

commitment to a minimum training of three years for the

Diploma in Social Work, which was recommended by Lord Clyde and

in previous reports

in England, may not

be implemented because of the economic circumstances.

''Society continues to lay more and more responsibilities on social

workers' backs without adequately voting the resources to ensure that

their basic training is improved.''

Miss Mary Hartnoll, Grampian's director of social work, who is also

secretary of the Association of Directors of Social Work, said: ''We are

very disappointed. The profession really needed this extra year. Social

work is becoming more and more complex and you simply cannot pack it all

into two years.''

Miss Hartnoll said the Government's refusal to implement this

recommendation could only serve to undermine the force of Lord Clyde's

report.

Mr Douglas Turner, of The Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of

Cruelty to Children, was also disappointed: ''As far as social workers

are concerned, it really is the cornerstone of the report. It is not

that two-year trained social workers are not trained but, with all the

extra demands made on them, it really is critical that the training is

extended.''

Earlier yesterday, the RSSPCC, which had been criticised in Lord

Clyde's report for its role in interviewing the Orkney children, held a

news conference to respond to Lord Clyde's report.

General secretary Arthur Wood confirmed that the society had stopped

interviewing children suspected of having suffered sexual abuse. This

was because of a general move towards local authorities taking a more

active role in the child abuse field.

Mr Wood denied that his staff had been out of their depth in the

Orkney case.