Evaluation of Social Work Student Placements in General Practice

Social Work Education

Social Work qualifying programmes teach students the necessary knowledge, skills, and values during a series of taught modules. Formal opportunities to integrate knowledge into practice are provided through practice placements in social work agencies. Each practice placement enables agency and/or academic staff to gate-keep entry into the profession, through assessing student competence against agreed practice learning requirements, readiness to practice, and adherence to professional social work standards. This research study seeks to expand our understanding of the incidence of and reasons why students failed their practice placement whilst studying social work on the island of Ireland. On receipt of ethical approval, Practice Teacher reports and minutes of Practice Assessment Panels were used for data collection. Sixtythree students (19 male, 44 female; mean age 34 years) failed placement 2015-2019, with the majority (58.7%) failing first placement. Reasons for failing were categorised into knowledge, skills, values and personal reasons. The most common reasons for failing were a poor understanding of the professional social work role, poor time management, poor written work, the inability to follow direction, limited application of knowledge to practice, and poor professional conduct. Results suggest most students disclosed mitigating circumstances, which affected engagement and competence.

British Journal of Social Work, 2014

This article reports on the evaluation of practice learning opportunities for student social workers within 'non-traditional' placements provided by a major children's charity in England, Scotland and Wales between 2010-12. The student social workers undertook a wellbeing role within the project and the research here reports on the charity's ability to provide a 12 week programme through the use of delivery partners. In particular the research highlights the experiences and perspectives of student social workers, project leaders and HEIs to meet the 6 key roles, and demonstrate working with the legal framework, risk awareness and management and assessment skills. The article also considers how the developments in England will impact upon such placements in the future and their implications for the project. Lastly, the article suggests that these placements are not second-best, but different and raises the more fundamental question as to whether it is becoming easier to practise social work in placements such as these as opposed to those in statutory social service placements.

The Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 2006

This article is a reflective account of my student experiences of practice teaching whilst on placements during the Social Work Degree. I consider what and how my Practice Teachers and on-site supervisors have been able to teach me about Social Work and Social Work skills and what I have learnt about myself as a person and future practitioner. I look at what, I believe makes a good Practice teacher and how different styles of teaching have enhanced my learning. I reflect on the benefits, under the new degree, of increased days on placement and how this has helped me in applying theory, methods and models which are not always easy in the classroom. At the time of completing this article I am three quarters of the way through my last placement of 100 days. I am undertaking my Social Work degree at the University of Northampton, which has a full time degree course of three years and a part time route taking four years. I am due to graduate with a B.A Honours degree in Social Work in July 2007.

Australian Social Work, 2010

Australian social work graduates face an increasingly complex work environment where the role of the social worker is often overlooked or misunderstood. In order to examine the anticipated and concrete practice reality for social workers, this qualitative study examined the expectations of social work students preparing to enter the workforce (n=29) and the experiences of new social work graduates in the workplace (n=9). Findings suggest that undergraduates have a realistic understanding of the challenges they would encounter in practice, including anticipated value and ethical conflicts, and allied professions' conceptions of the social work role. They did not anticipate the busyness of the workplace or the level of supervision offered.

Social Work Education, 2018

Social work fieldwork placements are recognised as a key component of social work education. This article analyses the experiences of students who have completed one social 2 work placement and examines what they felt was most effective in aiding their learning. The innovative methodology used for the research enabled first year students to design an on-line survey which they administered to their second year student colleagues. As a result the first year students gained experience in designing and administering a piece of research, but also gained a greater understanding of what previous students have found assisted their learning on placement. This cross-sectional research surveyed accessed the 2014/15 cohort of year 1 and year 2 Masters in Social Work (MSW) students. It was conducted in two phases: in the first phase a year 1 student-staff team surveyed year 2 students who had just completed their placements, and in the second phase staff researchers surveyed both year 1 and year 2 students who had just completed their placements. Students reported how prepared they felt for placement and also who or what facilitated their learning on placement. Students' perception of the volume of learning on placement was strongly correlated with satisfaction. It is argued that being able to clearly identify types of interaction that enhance students' learning, leads to more positive outcomes for all involved in the placement experience.

Routledge International Handbook of Social Work Education, 2016

In the UK and the USA, social work academics must balance the requirements of research excellence against the time, expertise, and focus needed to ensure students are ready to practice safely and effectively with clients and community members service users and carers. However, there is variation to the extent to which academics have experience in both research and practice. This chapter presents baseline information needed to fully appreciate the nature of the problem by describing academics' demographic characteristics, practice qualifications and experience, and research skills and activity, and concludes with a discussion of the key issues in terms of developing the future social work academic workforce.

British Journal of Social Work, 2010

Evaluating the effectiveness of social work education has become a topic of major interest in the UK in the wake of a succession of child-care tragedies that have undermined confidence in the profession. However, many key aspects of social work education remain under-researched and/or contested and our knowledge of how students acquire and develop professional expertise remains limited. This paper reports on the first part of a longitudinal study aimed at developing evidence-based knowledge in this area by considering student perceptions at different stages of their social work education at Queen's University Belfast. Focusing on the strengths and limitations of preparatory teaching, and their first experience of practice learning, this article considers the impact of demographic factors, including age, gender and experience, on how students experience the learning process. The findings indicate a significant level of disjunction between academic and practice learning and suggest that better integration between these two domains of learning is needed if social work students are to be more effectively prepared for the challenges they are likely to encounter in practice.

Social Work Education, 2009

Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. I would like to dedicate this book to the memory of my beautiful daughter Faith. Her experience as a learner on placement was in part an inspiration for writing a book to assist enablers in their tasks. Tragically Faith died after a battle with cancer during the production of the book and never saw it finished.

2013

This dissertation is dedicated to my wife, Tryphinah Mahlodi Dimo and my late younger brother, Aubrey Tate Dimo who passed away on the 1 st September 2010. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to the following people for the success of this research project: God, who gave me the wisdom, courage and the strengths that I needed to complete this dissertation. I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. JC Makhubele, for his scholarly guidance, support, motivation and his constructive critical comments. May the Lord bless you. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to my employer, the University of Limpopo for the financial support and the opportunity that they have given me. I thank all the participants, both social work students and Social Workers in practice for participating in this study. It was not a futile exercise. I would also like to say thank you to my aunt, Ms. Eva Dimo. I am where I am because of you. Thank you for the parental role that you played in my life. You will always be remembered. Let me say thank you to my siblings, Mathilda Maaga and Tsopo Dimo. Ke a leboga bana ba Mma. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Tryphinah Mahlodi Dimo for her support and understanding and encouragement. My children, Reabetswe, Sekeko and Kholofelo. Thank you all. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE General orientation of the study 1.1 1.6.2 Objectives of the study 1.7 Methodology 1.7.1 Research design 1.7.2 Research approach 1.7.3 Sampling 1.7.4 Data collection 1.7.5 Self-administered questionnaires 1.7.6 Focus group discussions 1.8 Data analysis 1.8.1 Quantitative data analysis 1.8.2 Qualitative data analysis 1.9 Ethical considerations 1.10 Reliability, validity and objectivity 1.11 Significance of the study 1.12 Limitation of the study v CHAPTER TWO Fundamentals in social work fieldwork practice: Aligning theory and practice 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Background information of Social work fieldwork practice 2.3 The purpose of social work fieldwork practice 2.4 The knowledge base of agency-based supervisors 2.5 Modelling into social work professional culture 2.6 The application of theory into practice 2.7 Challenges on integrating theory into practice 2.8 The gap between social work theory and practice 2.9.1 Learning strategies 2.10 How social work students learn in fieldwork practice 2.11 Key players or stakeholders in social work fieldwork practice 2.12 Supervision during fieldwork placements 2.13 Supervisory relationship 2.14 Student-Supervisor relationship 2.15 Supervisory relationship challenges 2.15.1 Environmental 2.15.2 Contextual variables 2.16 Assessment of social work students during fieldwork training 2.17 The process of assessment 2.18 Assessment and `strong objectivity 2.19 Systems of assessment 2.19.1 Self-assessment and peer assessment 2.20 Purposes of assessment 2.21 Objectives of Assessment 2.22 Forms of assessments 2.22.1 Formative assessment 2.22.2 Principles to be observed when assessing formative tasks vi 2.22.3 Summative assessment 2.22.4 Purposes of Summative assessment 2.23 Current Assessment Processes 2.24 Quality fieldwork practice: Student perspectives 2.25 Quality fieldwork education: University perspectives 2.26 Who assess social work students during fieldwork training? 2.27 Tools for assessing competence 2.28 Attitudes of social work towards fieldwork training 2.29 Cooperation and competition attitudes 2.29.1 Positive attitudes towards feedback 2.30 Learning areas for social work students during fieldwork practice 2.31 Challenges experienced by Social work students during their fieldwork training 2.32 The Changing Components of Fieldwork practice 2.33 Changes in the composition of social work students CHAPTER THREE Presentation, analysis and interpretation of data 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Research methodology 3.2.1 Interpretation of data 3.4 Demographic factors of Social work students 3.5 Responses on the ages of the respondents 3.6 Responses on the gender of respondents 3.7 Responses on the existence of theory-less practice in Social Work 3.8 Responses on the alignment between Social Work theory and Practice 3.9 Responses on theory or theories applied in working with clients. measuring tool that is used to assess social work students during their fieldwork training? 3.19 Responses on whether fieldwork practice takes place within the context of supervisory relationship. 3.20 Responses on the extend in which the respondents think that a bad supervisory relationship can affect the student learning 3.21 Responses on factors that the respondents dislike about their supervisor 3.22 Responses from agency-based supervisors 3.23 Responses on the genders of agency-based supervisors 3.24 Responses regarding the qualifications of agency-based Supervisors 3.25 Responses on the number of years in social work practice 3.26 Responses regarding the roles of agency-based supervisors during fieldwork practice 3.27 Responses on whether the respondents think that, there is a link between fieldwork practice and theory viii 3.28 Responses on factors that hinder the integration of theory into practice 3.29 Responses on the Method (s) that are used in social work agency and how students are taught to apply them 3.30 Responses on theory/theories that agency-based supervisors frequently teach students whilst under their supervision? 3.31 Responses on techniques that agency-based supervisors Frequently teach social work students whilst under their supervision? 3.32 Responses on social work skills that the agency-based supervisors frequently teach their students whilst under their supervision and how they should apply them 3.33 Responses about the attitudes that social work students display towards fieldwork practice 3.34 Responses on the significance of social work supervision during fieldwork practice 3.35 Responses on how the agency-based supervisors update themselves with the current information as far as social work curriculum is concerned. 3.36 Responses on whether the respondents have an assessment tool that guides them in their assessment 3.37 Responses on whether the agency-based supervisors involve University-based supervisors when they assess social work students 3.38 Focus group's discussions with social work students 3.38.1 Responses on how theory or theories that have been applied in working with clients 3.38.3 Responses on whether the respondents integrate their social work theory and theories in their intervention 3.38.4 Responses on factors that hinder the translation of theory into practice 3.38.5 Responses on the existence of theory-less practice exist in social work ix 3.38.6 Responses on the personal attitudes students towards fieldwork practice 3.38.7 Responses on whether the respondents get sufficient supervision during block placement and concurrent placement 3.38.8 Attitudes of students' attitudes towards supervision 3.38.9 Responses on whether the respondents think that, agency-based supervisors update themselves with the 90 latest information as the social work curriculum constantly changes 3.38.10 Responses on the significance of assessment during fieldwork training 3.38.11 Responses on whether the respondents understand the measuring tool that is used to assess social work students during their fieldwork training 3.38.12 Responses on the extent in which a bad supervisory relationship can affect the student learning process 3.39 Conclusion CHAPTER FOUR Summary of the major findings, conclusions and recommendations 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Re-statement of the research problem 4.3 Restatement of the aim and the objective and assumptions of the study 4.3.1 Objectives of the study 4.3.2 Assumptions of the study 4.4 Major findings of the study 4.5 Conclusions 4.6 Recommendations BIBLIOGRAPHY CHAPTER ONE General orientation of the study 1.1 introduction The integration of learning into practice is a central goal for all professions. The question of how to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and between the classroom and fieldwork practice, is one which has preoccupied social work education since its very beginnings in universities (Clapton,

Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 2014