Practice Note: Supporting Social Work Students with Additional Needs when on Field Placement

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Barry Fearnley ◽  
Sarah Farah ◽  
Roisin McNally ◽  
Jade Simpson

This practice note focuses on work undertaken at a UK university to support social work students with additional needs when on their field placement. Following a brief introduction, it will provide an overview of social work field placements, illustrate some of the complexities surrounding field placements when social work students have additional needs, and highlight some of the work undertaken. It will conclude with some areas for further development and recommendations. It is hoped that the Practice Note will generate discussions about the importance of supporting social work students with additional needs when on placement and share good practice.  

2020 ◽  
pp. 002087282090156
Author(s):  
Maya Lavie-Ajayi

Little research attention has been given to exploring manifestations of sexuality in social work field placement. Based on a thematic analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews with Israeli social work students, this study gives empirical depth to our understanding of the ways in which sexuality, as a concept, emerges in interactions between social work students on field placements and service users. The analysis identified seven issues and four emotional reactions that commonly manifested in these discussions and encounters. The findings expand the existing theoretical discussion regarding the notion of ‘everyday sexuality’ in social work settings.


1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-29
Author(s):  
Sondra J. Fogel ◽  
Martha L. Ellison

This research investigates the prevalence of sexual harassment in Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) field placement settings. A survey distributed to a random sample of230 accredited field social work programs with a BSW component asked whether field students were harassed, who the perpetrators were, what corrective actions were taken, and if the program had a specific sexual harassment policy related to field placements. Responses from Directors of Field Education revealed that incidents of sexual harassment in BSW programs are relatively common, indicating the urgent need for specific attention to this issue in field placements. Furthermore, the results of this work, as well as studies of sexual harassment of graduate social work students, suggest the need for a coordinated longitudinal research effort among schools of social work to document the types of harassment occurring in field placements and methods of effective interventions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59
Author(s):  
Sakina Riaz

Field work is viewed as the important pillar of Social Work profession. The aim of this study is to examine the issues and challenges faced by the Social Work Students during their Field Placement in different agency settings. This study articulates the teaching philosophy, conceptual framework, and fieldwork practices followed by Student of Social Work Department at Karachi University. Qualitative research design was employed in this study and purposive sampling strategy was used for data collection. The results of the study drawn that the main constraints stem from a lack of social work agency supervisors, lack of training for agency supervisors, the lack of a fieldwork curriculum and nonexistent or insufficient funding of fieldwork related activities.


Author(s):  
Lei Wu ◽  
Yunong Huang ◽  
Qiang Chen ◽  
Yu Shi

Abstract Field placements provide social work students with opportunities to learn to handle ethical difficulties in a professional manner. In many developed countries, field staff are generally employed to supervise social work students’ field placements. ‘Code of Ethics’ and other ethics documents have also been developed to guide students’ professional activities. However, there is a lack of field staff, ‘Code of Ethics’ and other ethics documents in China, which may lead to ethical difficulties amongst students during their field placements. Based on the interviews of twenty-four social work students who completed field placements in 2016 at a university in China, this research revealed that students encountered many ethical difficulties in field placements. They tried to handle the difficulties in the beginning, but gradually adapted to the difficulties passively due to the lack of support. Most students also reported that they adhered to social work values and ethics in field placements and learned from field placements. The findings suggested that social work profession associations, Departments or Schools of Social Work, social work agencies and social work academia in China need to collaborate to create a more professional and supportive environment for students’ field placements.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002087282097673
Author(s):  
Cerita S Buchanan ◽  
Sarah J Bailey-Belafonte

The field experience component of social work training had to be quickly adjusted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and various factors guided this process. This short essay briefly explores how information and technology, home visits, insurance and liability, and licensing and regulation have impacted the adjustment of social work field placements in Jamaica during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlights the different methods of field placements that have been used in light of the challenges.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Len Baglow ◽  
Susan Gair

Summary It is commonly understood that enrolment in higher education means inevitable financial strain. In an online national survey in 2015, a sample of 2320 current students from 29 Australian social work programs reported on their experiences of juggling life, study and work. Findings This article details preliminary findings regarding the impact of low levels of income on the lives and study success of an Australian student cohort, and offers a considered comparison to relevant available data. Students in this study reported regularly going without necessities, and identified that a lack of finances and long hours in employment were adversely affecting their study experience. These problems became acute during compulsory field placements. Applications The purpose of this study was to illuminate social work students’ complex study realities in order to inform future education, policy and practice. The findings identify that for these students adverse outcomes including poverty and disruption to studies may be increasingly difficult to avoid. This situation may not be confined to this cohort or the Australian experience. There appears to be an urgent need for national bodies, universities and students to join together in advocating for increased support for tertiary social work students.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 64-80
Author(s):  
Jean Gordon ◽  
Gillian Mackay

The Practice Pyramid is a learning tool that supports social work students’ ability to integrate their understanding of personal and professional values, theory and practice during field placements. Although it has been used by practice educators in Scotland for over 20 years, it is not well known elsewhere and has yet to be evaluated. This paper, written by a practice educator and a student social worker, describes the Practice Pyramid and provides a case example to illustrate how it contributed to one student’s learning during a practice placement. Four factors that appear to contribute to its success are proposed: its model of pedagogy, the visual and accessible nature of the tool, flexibility and the support it gives to collaborative learning processes. It is suggested that the Practice Pyramid may usefully support learning in a range of social work and non social work contexts, and would benefit from more extensive evaluation of its role in supporting practice - theory integration.Keywords: Practice Pyamid; social work students; field placements; Scotland; collaborative learning


2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-217
Author(s):  
Matthew T. Theriot ◽  
Toni K. Johnson ◽  
Mary Mulvaney ◽  
Jane A. Kretzschmar

Despite their immense popularity and widespread implementation, research has yet to compare block and concurrent models of field. In filling this gap in the literature, this study evaluates the impact of each model on undergraduate social work students' professional development and emotional well-being. Sixty-eight students in BSW field placements at one large university participated in this study. Students were able to select which model of field to undertake, and, in general, most students selected block field placements because they wanted to graduate early. Conversely, students in concurrent field reported having more obligations outside of field, including family and other employment. Utilizing data collected from students and their field instructors, statistical analyses showed no differences in measures of professional competence, depression, assertiveness, or self-esteem between students in the two field models. In light of such findings, the authors discuss the implications of this study for social work programs and outline suggestions for future research.


2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Knight

This article reports on a study of social work students' reactions to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and their perceptions and evaluations of any initiatives their social work program and field placement agency undertook in the wake of the attacks. A majority of students reported that class time was devoted to a discussion of the attacks and that their school or program provided an opportunity for students to discuss their feelings. Fewer reported that their agency provided assistance to them, staff, or clients. While the participants valued such assistance, findings regarding the impact that this had on students' level of distress indicate that in some instances, agency and school intervention actually increased students' stress.


2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Hemy ◽  
Jennifer Boddy ◽  
Phyllis Chee ◽  
Deborah Sauvage

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