Information for all courses

Course accreditation Our Systemic Practice course is accredited by the Association for Family Therapy as equivalent to the Foundation Course in Family Therapy (the first year of a four year qualification course in family therapy). The Centre for Systemic Social Work Supervision and Management course is in the process of applying for accreditation for our Systemic Supervision course. In the meantime, students who wish to use this course to build to a more advanced qualification can use the APEL route (accreditation of prior learning and experience) to access a postgraduate course, e.g. MSc in Systemic Family Therapy.

Core valuesThe Centre for Systemic Social Work is committed to providing a learning context in which participants and staff feel safe and respected. The Centre privileges attending to power and difference and aims to create a culture of appreciation and integrity. It is our expectation that Centre staff and participants will adhere to these core values and contribute to a learning environment in which different values, beliefs and perspectives can be shared openly and constructively.

Confidentiality The centre for systemic social work is committed to ensuring the safety and dignity of course participants, their colleagues and the families they work with. We therefore expect that all references to families are anonymised and we remain mindful of sharing identifying information. With regard to participant confidentiality, we expect that discussions that take place within groups are not shared with other audiences. If you have any concerns regarding confidentiality, please discuss with your course tutor.

Attendance There is a minimum attendance requirement of 90% or thirteen out of the fifteen course sessions on the Systemic Practice course. For the Systemic Supervision course the attendance requirement is 80% or twelve out of the fifteen course sessions.

Complaints policy If you have any concerns about your course, please speak to one of your tutors or the Coordinator for the Centre for Systemic Social Work. Where possible, we will aim to resolve your complaint informally. If you wish to make a formal complaint, please write to the Coordinator for the Centre for Systemic Social Work (see above), who will investigate your complaint and respond to you in writing.

Appeals If you are dissatisfied with the response you have received to your complaint, please write to:

Caroline Pipe, Clinical Director
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
1st floor – pink zone, Town Hall
Hornton Street
London
W8 7NX
Email: caroline.pipe@lbhf.gov.uk

The Clinical Director will respond to your complaint in writing. If you are dissatisfied with the response you have received from our Clinical Director, you have the right of appeal to the chair of our Steering Group:

Steve Miley
Director of Family Services
Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, Town Hall
King Street
London
W6 9LE
Email: steve.miley@lbhf.gov.uk

Anti-discriminatory practice The Centre for Social Work is committed to the Council’s Corporate Equalities Policy and will implement this policy in the context of our training as follows.

Staff training All Centre for Social Work staff and trainers are expected to participate in discussion of equal opportunities awareness and anti-discriminatory approaches at regular team meetings and training sessions.

Content and delivery of training There is an expectation that our trainers develop ways to examine their own assumptions and use of language, avoid the use of racist and other stereotyped comments and avoid offering support for such comments from students. Trainers will support students to familiarise themselves with the cultural context and culturally specific issues facing their clients in relation to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The academic content of all training courses will be designed to incorporate an equal opportunities perspective so that all course materials will reflect anti-discriminatory practices.

Evaluation Our evaluation framework will explicitly measure the ability of our trainers to model and support students to apply anti-discriminatory practices.

Provision of user-friendly training premises The Centre for Systemic Social Work will aim to make its training venue welcoming to all students regardless of their background. All students will be asked to identify any adaptations or facilities they will need to get maximum benefit from the training. Necessary adaptations and aids will be arranged at the earliest opportunity in collaboration with the student’s employing organisation.

Professional standards The content of each of our courses is underpinned by The AFT Code of Ethics and Practice and The AFT Code of Ethics and Practice for Supervisors. These documents are included for your reference in the Key Policies section starting on page 49. The standards of practice that the Centre promotes are also aligned with the HCPC Standards of Performance.

Entry requirements Both our Systemic Practice and Systemic Supervision courses are foundation courses that aim to meet the needs of professionals working within a social care context. Participants are expected to have a first degree, or be able to demonstrate relevant qualifications or experience of working with children and families. All students will be expected to be in a work context in which they are able to work directly with children and families.

Accreditation of prior learning Where a candidate does not have a social work degree or other relevant professional qualification, please contact the Centre for advice on whether an applicant has the required level and amount of experience needed to complete their chosen course successfully. This method of entry to a course is known as the APEL route (accreditation of prior learning and experience). Where a student is accepted onto one of our courses without a prior professional qualification, it is important to note that he or she might not be employed as a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist in the NHS.

Entry process Your entry onto the course will be determined by your manager’s assessment that you meet the above criteria, that the course fits your continual professional development plan, and that your attendance is endorsed by the relevant policies in your local authority. Selection will be through discussion or interview with your line manager. Your line manager will liaise with the named leads in each authority who will refer participants to the Centre for Systemic Social Work for enrolment.

Learning support The Centre of Systemic Social Work offers all students support to meet their learning needs. We do this is a variety of ways:

• Students who do not have a first degree will be invited to prepare for the course by doing some additional background reading.
• Students are asked to fill in forms giving details of their learning history and needs in order to assist the tutors to be mindful of their needs when teaching.
• Students can book face-to-face or telephone one-to-ones with their tutor or co-tutor at any time.
• If a tutor notices that you may be struggling with aspects of the course they will invite you to a one-to-one meeting.
• Students can access formal and structured support from an Educational Psychologist via the Centre coordinator.
• All teaching days will offer a range of learning activities to help students with different learning preferences.

It is also the student’s responsibility to ask for support and to speak to their line manager, who will also be able to support them within their own local authority.

Access to further systemic training Following successful completion of either the Certificate in Systemic Social Work or the Diploma in Systemic Social Work Supervision and Management, students are eligible to progress to the intermediate systemic training course offered by the Centre for Systemic Social Work.