SOCIAL WORK FAST TRACK PROGRAMMES - TRACKING RETENTION AND PROGRESSION

The overall aim of this research study is to investigate the longer-term outcomes for Frontline cohorts 1 to 5 and Step Up cohorts 4 and 5, such as employment destinations, rate of career progression and retention within child and family social work; through tracking, surveying and interviewing. The Contractor has agreed to use all reasonable endeavours (via tracking, surveying and interviewing) to achieve the following objectives to identify: 1. the employment destinations and trajectories of fast-track graduates after they complete the Step Up or Frontline programmes; 2. the retention rates within social work over time for each of the fast-track cohorts; 3. whether fast-track graduates entering social work progress to supervision or leadership roles and if so, how quickly; 4. the longer team career plans and aspirations of fast-track graduates; 5. the destinations of fast-track graduates exiting the programmes before completion, those completing the programmes but choosing to not enter social work, and those entering social work but subsequently leaving, and why; 6. the push/ pull factors affecting retention in child and family social work amongst fast-track graduates; 7. whether the typology of career trajectories developed in previous Step Up studies are transferable to Frontline graduates, and what this typology says about supervising and managing the workforce; 8. the coping strategies employed by fast-track graduates and what impact these strategies could have on future workforce management.