The end of false choices

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 158-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh MacAlister
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work System ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Measuring Outcomes ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Work First

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to expose and dispel some outdated dilemmas and straw men that have drawn attention away from debates of substance in social work. The paper presents what Frontline believes to be the substantive dilemmas facing the social work profession, as it looks into the future. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on the insights and experiences of the past four years during which Frontline has been innovating in the field of social work education and leadership development. Findings Building a better social work system requires addressing several important questions, namely, whether social work; first, is a practical or intellectual task; second, is a generic or specialist profession; third, focuses on social or therapeutic change; fourth, requires bureaucrats or change agents; and fifth, involves measuring inspections or measuring outcomes. Originality/value The paper sets out the key dilemmas facing the social work profession, which must be debated and addressed in order to build a better social work system.

Social work education and the Bologna Process

2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 566-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaime Marcuello-Servós
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Instruments And Techniques ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The Bologna Process

The aim of this article is to analyse and describe social work education and its professional context in Spain. Specifically, it analyses new degree implementation as a consequence of the Bologna Process over the last 10 years. It posits some ideas about the social sciences beyond the dominant paradigms with the aim of overcoming corporatism. It concludes that social sciences could be used as a toolkit where several instruments and techniques may be useful in tackling social problems in a transdisciplinary way and in systems thinking. What one is able to solve and learn in the present is more interesting than remaining in the past and asking about one’s background.

scholarly journals In defence of a university social work education

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
June Thoburn
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
University Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the particular characteristics and strengths of mainstream undergraduate and postgraduate university education for social workers. Design/methodology/approach A brief summary of the establishment of the honours degree or M-level qualification as the requirement for registration as a social worker in England is followed by a summary of the main aspects of “mainstream” social work courses. The values underpinning a “student” rather than a “trainee” route into social work are explored and some limited comparisons made with recently introduced fast-track specialist programmes. Where relevant, the student experience is contrasted with that of fast-track specialist trainees. Findings The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential impact on the social work profession and on agencies providing social work services of the cuts over the past few years in the numbers of students on “generalist” mainstream social work programmes. Research limitations/implications This is a conceptual paper. It recognises that more information is available on long-established university programmes than on the more recently available fast-track routes into social work and cites relevant research. Practical implications The paper points to the changing balance between numbers entering social work in England via mainstream and fast-track specialist programmes and argues for a fuller debate amongst all stakeholders as to whether this change is in the interest of the profession and those who need social work services. Social implications The author argues that the unequal level of funding between the different entry routes into social work is distorting choice (for students and future employers) between fast-track specialist and mainstream social work education. It is hypothesised that differences between the curricula and learning experiences of the two routes may have an impact on the social work service available to vulnerable people across age and needs groups. It also points to a potentially negative impact on social work education and the knowledge base of the reduction in numbers of academics with both social work practice experiences and research qualifications. Originality/value This is an original paper that draws on the author’s experience and the published research and grey literature cited.

An Emerging Resource in U.S. Social Work—Professional Education of Bachelor Degree Personnel

1979 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-33
Author(s):  
Allie C. Kilpatrick ◽  
Gary L. Shaffer
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The U.S

Baccalaureate social work personnel in the United States have gone through a significant transformation during the past decade. Always a significant part of the social work labour force, they are now being prepared to assume a profes sional role. The two studies discussed in this paper highlight some of the current trends in Batchelor of Social Work programmes which have been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 1974. As this transition continues into the 1980's, the Baccalaureate practitioner will play an increasingly important role in the delivery of social services in the U.S.

Appraising social work curriculum in India: learners’ perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richi Simon
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Community ◽  
The Social ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Education In India ◽  
Work Education

Purpose This paper aims to understand the social work curriculum as perceived by the learners of the master’s degree programme. The study compares the perception as held by students’ originating from the same and different faculties regarding the curricular aspects of social work education in India. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a qualitative approach. It is a case study-based paper whereby the participants were selected using multi-phase sampling, universities were selected using purposive sampling and 106 students were selected using quota sampling. Semi-structured online interviews were taken using an interview guide and transcribed. Inter-coder reliability was tested using Cohen’s kappa. The paper used grounded theory to analyse data. Findings The study suggests a significant difference in the perception of curriculum between those originating from the same discipline and other faculty. It was found that the learners perceive the curriculum to be obsolete in addressing contemporary concerns and needs serious reframing. Research limitations/implications As the study uses the case study method, it has been limited to four universities of Madhya Pradesh state of India to analyse the cases effectively. Further, only the domain of social work has been explored in the study. Thus, the results may lack generalizability. Further studies can also be conducted to test the propositions suggested. Even similar studies can be carried out with other disciplines. Also, the study being cross-sectional leaves scope for future comparative and longitudinal studies. Practical implications The paper presents some interesting perceptions of the student community, which can be used for redesigning and revising the social work curriculum. Such appraisals if done by every educational institute can bring significant reforms in the present education system of India and make it at par with the global standards and responsive to the contemporary needs of the society. Further, with such training, social workers can be true change agents. Social implications The study can play a significant role in the redesigning of social work education in India. Thus, directly or indirectly benefit the entire society. Originality/value The paper addresses the concern to include the current student community in curriculum design to ensure quality curriculum.

文 献 回 顾: 中 国 社 工 教 育 发 展 十 个 重 要 课 题 的 批 判 分 析

2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (01) ◽  
pp. 41-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
继 同 刘
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Education Development ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Education In China ◽  
The Ideal

中 国 内 地 社 会 工 作 教 育 的 恢 复 和 发 展 已 走 过 年 辉 煌 历 程， 取 得 令 人 注 目 的 成 就。 在 经 济 市 场 化 和 福 利 社 会 化 处 境 下， 中 国 内 地 社 会 工 作 教 育 发 展 面 临 诸 多 争 论 议 题 和 两 难 选 择。 本 文 从 文 献 回 顾 角 度， 明 确 提 出 中 国 内 地 社 会 工 作 教 育 发 展 的 十 个 重 要 课 题， 简 要 回 顾 每 个 重 要 课 题 的 历 史 发 展， 客 观 描 述 各 种 重 要 课 题 中 的 争 论 议 题， 全 面 分 析 不 同 重 要 课 题 面 临 的 两 难 选 择， 理 论 概 括 中 国 社 会 工 作 教 育 发 展 基 本 关 系 的 理 想 类 型。 本 文 的 主 要 结 论 是， 中 国 社 会 工 作 教 育 应 更 为 及 时 有 效 地 回 应 独 特 的 中 国 社 会 环 境 和 变 迁 的 社 会 需 要， 建 立 与 政 府 决 策 部 门、 正 规 社 会 福 利 服 务 机 构 和 非 政 府 组 织 之 间 的 制 度 性 伙 伴 关 系。 The revival and development of the social work education in China underwent a brilliant process and attained evident achievements in the past 20 years. In the contextual moves towards market orientation and welfare towards socialisation, the social work education faces debatable issues and dilemmas. In terms of literature review, the article clearly shows ten critical issues on the social work education development in China, briefly review their historical development, objectively describes all kinds of the debatable issues about them, comprehensively analyses the dilemmas in dealing with them and theoretically summarises the ideal category for them. The conclusion of the article is that the social work education in China must timely and effectively respond to the special environments and varying needs of Chinese society and establish the partnership with the policy-making governmental departments, official welfare organisations and NGO in Chinese society.

scholarly journals An educational intervention focused on teaching Qualified Empathy to social work students in Finland

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eija Raatikainen ◽  
Leigh Anne Rauhala ◽  
Seija Mäenpää
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Educational Intervention ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

PurposeThe main goal of the one semester long intervention for first-year Bachelor of Social Services students was to enable them to increase their awareness of a variety of cultures and practices encountered in social pedagogical work and to support the development of their ability to interact empathically with clients.Design/methodology/approachThe aim of this article is to describe an educational intervention focused on teaching Qualified Empathic skills to social work students in higher education at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Finland. We introduce the concept of Qualified Empathy to describe professional empathic working skills and define it as: Qualified Empathy requires compassion for empathic action and it includes the ability for professional self-reflection, emotional skills and a healthy set of boundaries. Qualified Empathy encompasses the ability to tell the difference between sympathy and empathy, as it includes the capacity to use compassion to act in an empathic way in professional contexts (Raatikainen et al., 2017). The study was a case study, designed to explore the students' experiences of their one semester long educational intervention (n = 20). Our research question was: How do students construct Qualified Empathy as a dimension of their own professional expertise?FindingsThe results of the study demonstrate the progress areas of the students' Qualified Empathy skills. The development stages in the three progress areas are: (1) from emotional reaction to emotional response, (2) from understanding to empathic acting and (3) from client perspective to a more systemic approach. Implications of the results for Social Services students are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, as in all studies, some limitations need to be taken into account. One limitation of this study is the size and “nature of data”. Secondly, challenges with the concept of Qualified Empathy need to be addressed and more research is needed to define it more concretely. Even so, as it is a new concept, we need more discussion on the differences in the definition of empathy and Qualified Empathy. However, this study offers one new perspective for discussion which is the need for empathy training, in social work education practices and in the field. An important ethical aspect of research emphasizes that its implementation must not be to the detriment of the people being researched (Juuti and Puusa, 2020, pp. 168).Practical implicationsOur findings demonstrate that educational interventions can improve students' empathy skills to more qualified skills. We emphasized that maintaining the skill demands continuous reflection as a lifelong process. This article provides an overview of an educational intervention to improve students' Qualified Empathy skills and suggests a definition for educators to frame the teaching of professional empathy or empathy in a professional context – especially in the social work context. Furthermore, with this educational intervention in social work, we offer a way to support the students to – not only – have a more professional approach to empathy but also to find a way to establish a more emotionally sustainable environment for professionals in social services. It is essential for social work education to focus on the growth of Qualified Empathy in students through supervision and guidance which supports their professional competence. By doing so, we contribute to the development of more sustainable working environments in the social work context.Social implicationsProfessional empathy is seen as an important factor in building a socially sustainable society from the perspectives of employees, clients and patients. We noticed that it is important to allow time and space for the learners to internalize the concept of Qualified Empathy. When we allow for this, students begin to recognize and assign more value to it and, as we suggest, they become more adept in their interactions and work with clients.Originality/valueThe study was a case study, designed to explore the students' experiences of their one semester long educational intervention (n = 20). Our research question was: How do students construct Qualified Empathy as a dimension of their own professional expertise? The results of the study demonstrate the progress areas of the students' Qualified Empathy skills. The development stages in the three progress areas are: (1) from emotional reaction to emotional response, (2) from understanding to empathic acting and (3) from client perspective to a more systemic approach. Implications of the results for Social Services students are discussed.

Turning the ship around: reflections on changing a nation’s social work practice system in the interests of children and families

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 197-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Trowler
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Political Environment ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work System ◽  
The Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on progress and lessons in improving the social work system in England in the interests of children and families. Design/methodology/approach Based on an interview with the author by Michael Little (one of the Guest Editors of this edition). Findings Social work is best placed to lead the child protection system given its ability to manage risks in a challenging social and political environment. However, there is a need to address common concerns about the system, for instance to give social workers more autonomy, and to improve the quality in the workforce, especially at the senior level. The best authorities are practice focused, led by practitioners who are part of a stable team, and do well at a systems level. Originality/value Offers the perspective of the Chief Social Worker for Children in England on the process of reforming the social work system for children and families.

Social marketing hackers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria M. Raciti
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Professional ◽  
The Social ◽  
Greater Good ◽  
The Many ◽  
Behaviour Changes ◽  
Social Causes ◽  
Blind Spots

Purpose Social marketing has come of age. Today, the study is a legitimate discipline with a wealth of empirical evidence that manifestly demonstrates the ability to bring about behaviour changes for the greater good. As social marketers, the study is rapidly expanding the horizons, with a growing interest in the labyrinth of systems that influence the chosen social causes. The study has become brave and bold, but is the study now running the risk of romanticising the work and ourselves? It is time to recalibrate, to take stock and to address the elephants in the social marketing room. Design/methodology/approach Expanding on my Change 2020 Driving Systems Change panel presentation, this study is a provocation, a think piece, centred around two observed phenomena. Findings The first phenomenon observed is the many identities of the contemporary social marketer – hackers, change agents, heroes, political power brokers and master puppeteers. The second phenomenon observed is the accelerated interest in systems thinking for which the author propose three preconditions are needed – an awareness of the system(s); an acknowledgement that this study is a part of the system(s) and the need to decolonise social marketing. Originality/value This paper poses challenging questions but offers no solutions as to how social marketers should, could or do square up the blind spots, make peace with the paradoxes or unblinking the views. Not only would it be naïve to proffer solutions but it would also stifle the growth of you, the reader, in your journey to becoming an integrated person and woke social marketing professional.

Social work education in action: How studying for the profession facilitates the adaptation of internationally educated social workers in Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-127
Author(s):  
Annie Pullen Sansfaçon ◽  
Marion Brown
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Work Skills ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theory Project ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Adaptation Processes ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article presents the results and theorization of a 4-year Grounded Theory project that sought to understand the processes and dynamics involved in the professional adaptation of internationally educated social workers now practicing in Canada. In-depth interviews with 66 participants, who undertook social work education outside of Canada and have subsequently settled to practice in the country, were conducted. Results highlight that the social work educational background of the professionals not only offers key conceptual, theoretical, and analytical foundations needed to adapt knowledge and skills to practice abroad, but also provides tools to navigate and negotiate professional adaptation processes as a whole. We conclude that ultimately, social workers may adapt well to their new work contexts because of the transferability of social work skills, knowledge, and values to new practice settings, thus facilitating interventions with services users and also their own process of professional adaptation.

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