Practice Education Network for Social Work (PENSW): Evaluation of an online resource

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 81-96
Author(s):  
Jackie Plenty ◽  
Heidi Dix ◽  
Louise Barley
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Online Resource ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Education Network ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
Practice Education

The Practice Education Network for Social Work (PENSW) is an online resource for networking and sharing knowledge and information that is accessed by all the professionals and partner agencies involved in providing social work placements and supervising social work students at the University of Suffolk (UOS) in the United Kingdom (UK). This research explored the ease with which such networks can be set up, and offers an evaluation from network members. Given limited national resources and the need to provide more localised resources; this evaluation demonstrates the importance of providing an easily accessible virtual space for organisations and professionals to access resources, network, and share best practice. The findings suggest that all social work training programmes should consider providing a localised network to support the social work placement process by ensuring that supervisors of social work students have access to necessary  documentation, research, and information so that they can effectively fulfil their roles, and stay connected to the programme provider and other professionals involved in social work student practice placements.Keywords: social work placements; supervision; networking; resources; information sharing; practice education.

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.

scholarly journals What influences practice educators in determining appropriate learning opportunities for social work students on their final practice learning placement?

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-62
Author(s):  
Claire Bates
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Practice Education

Abstract: Within social work education in the UK practice education has been subject to regular and substantive change and continues to have the potential to be fragmented as a result of practice learning taking place in a variety of organisations and settings as well as students having on site and off site practice educators. In this pilot research study individual semi structured interviews were used to gather data from 6 experienced practice educators who supervised students across both the statutory and voluntary sector, including those practicing independently as ‘off site’, to establish what influences practice educators when determining appropriate learning opportunities for social work students on their final placement. Findings indicated that practice educators draw on a variety of influences to determine appropriate learning opportunities for final year social work students, not relying on a single tool or mechanism. The research was undertaken in order to hear the voice of Practice educators and develop a better understanding of the process of supervising students on placement and to work towards enhancing future practice.Keywords: practice education; practice educator; social work education; placements; pcf; learning opportunities

scholarly journals Human geography and questions for social work education

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Pat Wilkinson ◽  
Gavin Bissell
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Human Geography ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Work Training ◽  
Work Education

Despite a sometimes implied lead, in the social work literature, of social work training over health training in the area of values, since the decline of community social work in the 1980s health training has developed a focus upon the physical environment which seems set to leave social work education trailing behind in the area. This paper therefore explores inter - professional overlap in the area of human geography, and in particular its relation to professional identity and the core social work value of social responsibility. Finally, it outlines ways of raising awareness of the physical environment among social work students, and in doing so seeks to break free of the placement/learning environment dichotomy and link social responsibility to the campus experience itself.

scholarly journals Empty space or sacred place? Place and belief in social work training

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-47
Author(s):  
Greta Galloway ◽  
Pat Wilkinson ◽  
Gavin Bissell
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Empty Space ◽  
Field Education ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sacred Place ◽  
Sacred Spaces ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Work Training ◽  
Key Questions

This paper highlights common errors in social work students’ approaches to faith/spirituality and place whilst on field education placement. It briefly investigates the Christian conception of sacredness and space which often underpins such errors.The issue is exemplified by contrasts between Aboriginal Australian conceptions of place and spirituality and the mutually exclusive conceptions of these spaces, held by many non-Aboriginal welfare practitioners in Australia. This paper suggests some ways in which social workers, including social work students, could engage with spirituality, inclusive of geo-socio-political materiality, in their work, where appropriate, with Indigenous, migrant, refugee or colonial settler populations.The paper engages critically with literature on cultural competence in relation to issues of land, and the identity one gains from connection to land, and spirituality. This paper concludes by identifying key questions for placement students and educators seeking to respond appropriately when interfacing sacred spaces of the ‘other’.

scholarly journals HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes among social work students: A comparative study

2021 ◽  
pp. 002087282110046
Author(s):  
Oscar Labra ◽  
Augustin Ependa ◽  
Isis Chamblas ◽  
Gabriel Gingras-Lacroix ◽  
André Antoniadis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Aids Knowledge ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Hiv Aids

The article describes a quantitative cross-sectional study of a sample of 674 university students enrolled in social work programmes in four countries: Belgium, Canada, Chile and Switzerland. The study aimed to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes among participants. The median HIV-KQ-18 score for the sample was 14.0, which Carey and Schroder classify as indicating borderline low levels of knowledge. Based on the results, the authors argue that social work education and training programmes should more comprehensively address HIV/AIDS within their curricula to better equip future social workers to challenge stigmatising and exclusionary practices rooted in long-standing lack of knowledge and erroneous beliefs about the disease.

An Exploration of Issues affecting the assessment of social Work students on practice placement in England

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 68-82
Author(s):  
Bridget Caffrey ◽  
Helen Fruin
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Current System ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Work Training

The authors of this practice note acknowledge the centrality of practice learning in social work training in England. They recognise it is a defining feature of social work training. However they critically discuss the current model used to assess social work students on placement in England; a process prompted by research one of the authors presented at the 12th International Conference on Practice Teaching and Field Education in Health and Social Work, September 2018.The PN reviews persitant issues in the assessment of students on placement  and argues these have been exacerbated by changes to practice within the English  higher education system and social work practice. They argue the current system is fundamentally flawed and encourage the SW profession  to reflect using imagination and creativity to envisage alternative ways to assess students practice and to identify new ideas to pilot. 

Supervising fast track social work students on placement: examining the experiences of trainee practice educators

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 47-63
Author(s):  
Diane Apeah-Kubi
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Work Training ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
The Impact

The last decade has seen the introduction of fast track (FT) social work training programmes as an alternative to 2-year postgraduate courses: Step Up to Social Work began in 2010, joined by Frontline in 2014 and finally Think Ahead, a mental health-focussed social work training programme, in 2016. With the popularity of these courses (Skills for Care analysis of HESA data, 2018), and the uncertainty around the continuation of bursaries, X University validated its own FT social work programme in 2017. While there have been evaluations of the impact of the aforementioned FT training programmes, there is nothing publicly available examining the experiences of the practice educators who assess these students. Using end-of-placement feedback data from a sample of 14 trainee practice educators, this article will discuss their experience of assessing FT students, including how the students performed on placement and the educators’ views of their own training programme. Some educators noted a physical and emotional impact on students and a struggle with some to engage in reflective practice. Comments regarding the fast pace of both the FT and practice education programme were also made. Recommendations for the training and support of practice educators supervising FT students will be identified and discussed.   Keywords: fast track, social work education, practice educator, placement

scholarly journals Peer-Led Group Supervision A model to support and inspire social work students to be ‘active discoverers and constructors of their own knowledge’.

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Strang
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Group Supervision ◽  
Group Setting ◽  
Pilot Model ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Intended Learning Outcomes

This article reviews the research findings from a student evaluation of a pilot study of peer-led group supervision for undergraduate social work students at a university in the UK. The definition, purpose and concept of peer-led group supervision are considered and the pilot model and intended learning outcomes described. The student evaluation provides positive feedback that this group setting allowed for support, knowledge exchange and an opportunity to discuss learning from placement experiences. Constructive student feedback enables further discussion in regard to the logistical set-up of this group learning environment and the role of an observing Practice Educator/link tutor. Recommendations are made for how this model can be developed in the future to further the learning opportunities for social work students using this peer-led group supervision model.

scholarly journals Transparency of Assessment in Practice Environments. An extension of the TAPE Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 83-95
Author(s):  
Clare Stone
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Assessment Practice ◽  
Name Change ◽  
Innovative Model ◽  
Potential Use ◽  
Practice Education

Following research into UK social work students’ experiences of assessment, ‘Author’ (2018) concluded that not all students appeared to be aware of who contributed towards their assessment nor what constituted reasonable assessment practice. The Transparency of Assessment in Practice Education (TAPE) Model was offered to the practice learning community as a tool to engage academics, practice educators and students in dialogue about assessment during placements. The purpose of the TAPE model is for all stakeholders to explore expectations to avoid misunderstandings and ambiguity about assessment. This article explores the potential use of the model within wider contexts of learning and assessment including the assessment of the users of services. The wider application of this innovative model suggests a name change to Transparency of Assessment in Practice Environments.

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