scholarly journals The journey towards professionalism in social work

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 72-91
Author(s):  
Marie McNay ◽  
Jean Clarke ◽  
Roe Lovelock
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Analytic Process ◽  
Occupational Standards ◽  
Competence Framework ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Reflective Skills

Achieving clear evidence of competent professional practice for social work students is a challenge for social work educators. This issue became more critical in the UK with the onset of the DipSW outcome-based competence framework which, we argue, limited the process of learning and development for students and practice assessor assessments. This article argues that the (unintended) consequence of this approach is a less analytic process for developing practice and consequently, for many students, less well developed assessment and reflective skills. Therefore, the article attempts to explain these issues and offers an example of a process at Brunel University that we believe was significant in helping students develop much better analytical and reflective skills than had happened with the DipSW and is happening with the National Occupational Standards currently. We believe this process enables educators to be more confident about their assessment of students’ ability to practice at an appropriate standard and to make that recommendation.

Reconfiguring professional autonomy? The case of social work in the UK

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Chandler ◽  
Elisabeth Berg ◽  
Marion Ellison ◽  
Jim Barry
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Professional Autonomy ◽  
The Third ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk

This chapter discusses the contemporary position of social work in the United Kingdom, and in particular the challenges to what is seen as a managerial-technicist version of social work. The chapter begins with focus on the situation from the 1990s to the present day in which this version of social work takes root and flourishes. The discussion then concentrates on three different routes away from a managerial-technicist social work: the first, reconfiguring professional practice in the direction of evaluation in practice, the second ‘reclaiming social work’ on the Hackney relationship-based model and the third ‘reclaiming social work’ in a more radical, highly politicised way. Special attention is devoted to a discussion about how much autonomy the social workers have in different models, but also what kind of autonomy and for what purpose.

The Key to Learning: Engaging Undergraduate Students in Authentic Social Work Research

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 47-62
Author(s):  
Carol Hostetter ◽  
Sabrina Williamson Sullenberger ◽  
Leila Wood
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Millennial Students ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Student Grades

Social work educators highlight the value of research skills, and students often resist. Millennial students seek social connection and relevance in their educational experiences. The results of a study designed to investigate whether engaging students in authentic research increases their research knowledge and skills are reported. Forty-eight undergraduate social work students in a research method class conducted a study of adolescents’ views on poverty. In addition, students worked in teams to conduct quantitative surveys on a poverty-related topic of their choice. Three types of data were collected to evaluate the research question: student grades, a midterm evaluation of the team aspect, and an end-of-course reflection. Students’ grades were high, their perceptions of the course at midterm were predominantly positive, and their final reflection showed that the large majority (86%) thought the course design helped them improve their research knowledge and skills.

Teaching for Transformation: Master of Social Work Students Identify Teaching Approaches That Made a Difference

2019 ◽  
pp. 154134461986594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thecla Damianakis ◽  
Betty Barrett ◽  
Beth Archer-Kuhn ◽  
Patricia Samson ◽  
Sumaiya Matin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Master Of Social Work ◽  
Engagement Strategies

Transformative learning captures the process by which students engage in their learning, experience a change in perspective, of themselves or society, and then enact their new understanding. The purpose of this 4-year, four-cohort study was to identify the transformative learning experiences of Master of Social Work students and specific student engagement strategies they felt made a difference in preparing them for professional practice. Six focus groups ( n = 40) were conducted using established focus group methodology. All focus groups were audio recorded, professionally transcribed verbatim, and subject to qualitative content analysis. Students identified six themes in student engagement strategies that facilitated their transformative learning, including transformative aspects of the curriculum, experiences with peers, qualities in their relationships with faculty that fostered critical reflection, a sense of identity, and mentoring. This study will help educators better identify teaching strategies to engage students in their personal and professional transformative learning.

scholarly journals Applying anti-oppressive approach to social work practice in Africa: reflections of Nigerian BSW students

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Amadasun ◽  
Tracy Beauty Evbayiro Omorogiuwa
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose As the next generation of social workers in a continent bedecked by oppressive customs, it is cardinal that the voices of social work students be heard. This study aims to share the reflections of Nigerian BSW students about anti-oppressive approach to professional practice. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted among fourth-year social work students at one of the elite universities in the southern region of Nigeria. Findings Results reveal that, although willing to challenge oppressive practices, social work students are ill-equipped to apply anti-oppressive approach to social work practice in Nigeria. Research limitations/implications This study makes an important contribution to the field and to the existing literature because the findings have broader implications for social work education in Nigeria. Practical implications In enforcing the suggestions of this study, it is expected that social work education will become able to produce competently trained students who are only knowledgeable about anti-oppressive social work but are equally prepared to address Nigeria’s myriad oppressive practices that have long undermined the nation’s quest for social development. Social implications The application of the anti-oppressive approach to social work practice is integral to ridding society of all forms of overt social injustice and other forms of latent oppressive policies. Originality/value Suggestions are offered to Nigerian social work educators toward ensuring that students are not only well equipped in the understanding of anti-oppressive social work but also ready to apply this model to professional social work practice following their graduation.

People First: A Case Study in Partnering with the Community

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D. Bordelon
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Community Organization ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Macro Practice ◽  
People First

This case study demonstrates the process by which a class composed of senior social work students learns macro practice values and skills by partnering with a community organization. The products of this collaboration emerge from the real-life problem scenario in which students, community partners, and the social work educator collaborate to develop the skills necessary to resolve problems. Through community partnership, social work educators are in the position to expand the opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills, and provide opportunities to practice community organization within the classroom setting.

Performance Evaluation Using a Rubric: Grading Student Performance in Practice Courses

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Eileen Widerman
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Use Of Self ◽  
Performance Expectations ◽  
Social Work Educators

This article promotes performance evaluation using a rubric as a useful approach to assessing the extent to which social work students meet the complex learning objectives of practice courses. This approach permits assessment of qualitative competencies, such as use-of-self, and facilitates the reduction of multiple evaluation criteria to a single grade. It guides students in completing assignments, details performance expectations, and provides meaningful feedback to both student and instructor. Using a process recording as an example, the article describes how to construct, introduce, apply, and evaluate a rubric. The importance of grounding the rubric in the knowledge base of the course and submitting its content for student and peer input are stressed as a means to enhance its validity and address some of the disadvantages associated with its use. The author encourages social work educators to develop, explore, and empirically assess this, and other, nontraditional approaches to assessment.

scholarly journals Intersectional impact of multiple identities on social work education in the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Chi-pun Liu
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Learning Difficulties ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Learning Difficulty ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Work Training ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Uk

Summary The study reviews the records of 671 social work students and graduates including the seven intakes from the first cohort in 2003/2004 to the intake in 2010/2011 to examine the interacting effect of learning difficulties, ethnicity and gender on the completion of social work training at a university in the South East of England. Findings Among the students, 79.9% of them were female, 50.1% were black, 27.9% white, 10.7% Asian and 11.3% other ethnicities. A majority of students did not report any disability. Among those who did ( n = 84), 52.3% ( n = 44) reported a learning difficulty. The percentage of students who have successfully completed the training is 76.4%, a completion rate that is comparable to the UK's national figure. Having controlled the confounding variables, hierarchical logistic regression identified the risk factor for dropout from undergraduate social work programme as black female students with learning difficulties (odds ratio = 0.100, 95% confidence interval = 0.012–0.862, p < 0.05). Findings suggested that students with multiplicity of identities, i.e. being black and female and with a learning difficulty, have a lower probability to complete the programme successfully. Applications Strategies for tackling the intersecting disadvantages of race, gender and disabilities in social work training should embrace three principles: providing continuous support, focusing on how the support is provided and addressing contextual and structural barriers.

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