scholarly journals ‘They thought I wasn’t good enough for social work practice’

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-35
Author(s):  
Alberto Poletti ◽  
Ann Anka
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Assessment Criteria ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Personal Problems ◽  
Clear Information

The few studies of why social work students fail their practice learning opportunity (PLOs) have been undertaken through the lens of practice educators, lecturers and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with no input from students. Using qualitative interviews; this research explores the reasons for failure from the perspective of the students. The findings identified a number of interrelated issues such as previous work experiences, family history and personal circumstances as the rationale for what led those interviewed into social work. Issues such as ill health, personal problems and lack of clarity around assessment criteria as well as perceived lack of support from HEIs were identified as some of the factors that led students to fail their practice learning experiences. Recommendations from those interviewed included the suggestion that HEIs should, at the recruitment stage, provide clear information about the implications of failing practice learning opportunities and clarify what type of support for is available for those who fail. The students interviewed also echo the desire expressed by the HEIs and practice educators for clearer assessment criteria/frameworks and a more supportive process for all parties.

scholarly journals Early placement breakdown in social work practice placements

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-74
Author(s):  
Catherine Dove ◽  
Caroline Skinner
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Close Correlation ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Personal Problems ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
Work Placement ◽  
Supervisory Experience

Eighteen social work placement breakdowns have been examined since the advent of the ‘new’ degree in social work at Kingston University. These constituted ‘early’ breakdown as opposed to students completing but failing their full 100 day placement. The study spanned the period from 2004 to 2007. The objectives of the study were to:• Increase understanding to help to retrieve failing placements• Improve management and support to all those involved• Develop ‘Good Practice Guidelines’ and learning materials• Provide a better social work service to those service users and carers in receipt of a service from social work students at Kingston UniversityThe study identified a complex mix of interrelated factors, resulting in a plethora of strong emotions. A close correlation was noted between the matching of a student experiencing poor health and personal problems with a poor supervisory experience or a team with too high expectations of the student.

scholarly journals Finding the way forward

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-63
Author(s):  
Jean Gordon ◽  
Moira McGeoch ◽  
Audrey Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
The West ◽  
Combination Of Methods ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Work Education

Locating sufficient student practice learning opportunities (PLOs) has been a long-standing challenge in social work education. This article highlights key findings of a study carried out in the West of Scotland to inform a move from a reactive approach to regular crises in PLO provision towards the development of a long term strategic plan for social work practice learning in the region. The study involved a combination of methods, including literature review, local audit, focus groups and consultation with individuals and organisations in the West of Scotland and the rest of the UK. The study found local and national evidence of innovation in developing new models of practice learning to meet the demands of 21st Century social work in Scotland as well as a growing concern that an emphasis on finding sufficient PLOs should not compromise the quality of the learning opportunities available to social work students. Some of the study’s implications for practice learning in the West of Scotland and further afield are explored.

On a Wing and a Prayer! An Exploration of Students’ Experiences of External Supervision

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Cleak ◽  
Ines Zuchowski ◽  
Mark Cleaver
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Supervisory Relationship

Abstract Field education is a core component of social work courses globally and has been recognised as providing significant learning opportunities to develop professional practice. Evidence highlights the strong correlation between student satisfaction with their supervisory relationship and their satisfaction with placement, but current practices have resulted in more reliance on placements with a variety of supervisory arrangements, which may be compromising a quality and supportive supervisory relationship. This article reports on an Australian online survey of 284 social work students about their experience of supervision, focusing on 119 students who received external supervision. Both quantitative ratings and qualitative comments showed that students generally described their external supervision as valuable and offered space to reflect critically on practice. Nevertheless, many felt disadvantaged without a social work presence onsite and not being observed or observing social work practice. Concerns were raised about task supervisors who offered supervision ‘on the run’ and had limited understanding of social work roles and values. Many students struggled on placement and felt that, once placement was confirmed, they received minimal support from University staff. Findings should alert field education programmes that students require consistent and ongoing involvement.

Service Learning: The Effect on BSW Student Interest in Aging

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-43
Author(s):  
Judy Singleton
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Cognitively Impaired ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Adult Day Care

Strategies for developing and putting into practice an experiential aging-rich learning curriculum for baccalaureate social work students are presented. Specific service learning opportunities required of students in class assignments are discussed. Included in these are projects involving micro social work practice skills with cognitively impaired older adults and macro skills used in completing a retirement center's wellness program assessment and an adult day care program's market ing/community outreach plan. The critical component of reflection for both service learning and field practica is analyzed. A continuing need for faculty to network in both the aging and social work communities is explored as a technique for enhancing experiential learning opportunities for students.

Using Anticarceral Feminism to Illustrate the Impact of Criminalization on the Lives of Individuals in the Sex Trades

Affilia ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 088610992097856
Author(s):  
Moshoula Capous-Desyllas ◽  
Deana Payne ◽  
Meg Panichelli
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Sex Trade ◽  
Intersecting Identities ◽  
The Impact

This research study is informed by anticarceral feminism to understand and highlight the experiences of violence and oppression that individuals in the sex trade experience as a result of police stings, raids, and incarceration. We present findings from 23 in-depth, qualitative interviews with men, women, and trans individuals who were arrested in the Los Angeles sex trade. More specifically, we explore experiences of violence that occurred interpersonally, systemically, and institutionally. Such experiences examine police violence, arrest and incarceration, coercion, and client violence. The findings from this research shed light on the impact the criminalization of sex work has had on research participants in terms of their physical health and mental health, economic security and opportunities for growth and education, and their sense of freedom and autonomy. We also attend to the role that intersecting identities might have played during their encounters with the police. This study explored these aspects while being mindful that the policies and procedures followed by the police are born out of a carceral state. We conclude with antioppressive and antiviolent implications for social work practice, policy, research, and education as we imagine the next decade of social work in relation to sex trade.

Using a Strengths-Based Perspective to Change Perceptions: An Exploratory Study

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Karen Rice ◽  
Heather Girvin
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Change Perceptions ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Negative Perceptions

Child welfare is a field plagued with negative perceptions, which have the potential to influence how caseworkers approach their practice with families. As a result, a child welfare course emphasizing the strengths-based approach to practice with families was developed to better prepare students for engaging families and building a helping alliance. The researchers sought to examine whether this new course exerted a positive influence on undergraduate social work students' perception of the parent/caseworker relationship. Compared to undergraduate students not enrolled in this course, at post-test students enrolled in the Child Welfare course more positively perceived the parent/caseworker relationship than they did at pretest. Implications for social work practice and pedagogy are discussed.

scholarly journals Roles of Positive Psychology for Mental Health in UK Social Work Students: Self-Compassion as a Predictor of Better Mental Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 2002-2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Kotera ◽  
P Green ◽  
D Sheffield
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Self Compassion

Abstract Despite high shame about mental health symptoms among UK social work students, positive psychological approaches to their mental health have not been investigated in depth. Emotional resilience has been a core skill in social work practice; however, its relationship with mental health is still unclear. Therefore, the primary purposes of this cross-sectional study were to (i) examine the relationships between mental health and positive psychological constructs, namely resilience, self-compassion, motivation and engagement and (ii) determine predictors of mental health in UK social work students. An opportunity sampling of 116 UK social work students (102 females, 14 males; 96 undergraduates, 20 postgraduates) completed 5 measures about these constructs. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. Mental health was associated with resilience, self-compassion and engagement. Self-compassion was a negative predictor, and intrinsic motivation was a positive predictor of mental health symptoms. Resilience did not predict mental health symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of self-compassion to the challenging mental health of UK social work students; they caution against the overuse and misunderstanding of resilience in the social work field.

Recruiting and Engaging Men as Fathers in Social Work Practice

2014 ◽  
pp. 235-260
Author(s):  
Joseph Fleming ◽  
Andrew King ◽  
Tara Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Engaging Men ◽  
Current Knowledge Base

Evidence in the research literature suggests that men are usually not engaged by social workers, particularly in child welfare and child protection settings. Mothers also tend to become the focus of intervention, even when there is growing evidence that men can take an active and important role in a child's development in addition to providing support to the mother and family. Whilst there have been some promising developments in including men in social work practice internationally, there remains a gap in the research regarding the engagement of men as fathers in Australia. Given the growing relevance of the topic of fathers, the purpose of this chapter is to add to the current knowledge base, to support social work students and practitioners to engage with men in their role as fathers, and to offer an evidence-based practice model that may assist social workers in their work with men as fathers.

Positioning Social Justice: Reclaiming Social Work’s Organising Value

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1652-1668
Author(s):  
Dassi Postan-Aizik ◽  
Corey S Shdaimah ◽  
Roni Strier
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Core Value

Abstract This article explores the value of social justice as a shared ethical ground for social workers worldwide. Constructions and interpretations of social justice are deeply affected by different perspectives, contested positions and unequal power dynamics. As societies become ever more diversified, these may hinder the centrality of social justice as a core value. Drawing on data collected from participants in a binational interprofessional seminar on social justice in multi-cultural societies, this qualitative study is based on interviews and visual analysis with 16 American and 15 Israeli social workers and social work students. Findings suggest that social justice remains a core value although it is both an organising and disorganising, unifying and dividing concept. The study explores the positive contribution of positionality to help gain a broader understanding of social justice and navigate challenges in implementation, practice and education in diverse and conflicted settings. Practical implications for social work practice and education are discussed.

scholarly journals Talkin’ Bout iGeneration: A New Era of Individualistic Social Work Practice?

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1238-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Fenton
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
New Era ◽  
Generational Changes ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This article considers the impact of generational changes on the new cohort of social work students most of whom were born post-1995, and therefore belong to ‘iGeneration’ (iGen). This article is especially concerned with the finding that the generation before iGen is more right-wing authoritarian than all post-war generations and what this might mean for the future of social work should that trajectory continue. A study was undertaken to examine the attitudes of 122 iGen students in first-year university course in Scotland. Results show that mean attitudinal measures were right-wing authoritarian in relation to crime and punishment and to unemployed people. Social work students aligned more in their attitudes with their primary education colleagues and less with their less authoritarian community education colleagues, and, overall, the iGen cohort was significantly more right-wing authoritarian than their older colleagues. In essence, there was evidence to suggest that an individualistic, self-sufficiency neoliberal narrative had been quite profoundly internalised by the iGen cohort of students. Implications of a new individualistic practice are considered, and suggestions for social work education programmes are made.

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