International social work students in field education- considerations for supervision

ABSTRACT

There is an increase of international students studying social work in Australia. Undertaking the compulsory field work component of social work studies can be particularly complex for international students, as they have to acquire an understanding of social work practice, knowledge and skills in a new cultural context. Prior research has highlighted the importance of supporting students and field educators to ensure successful quality learning experiences for international students in social work field education experiences. This paper reports on a subset of 35 international students who responded to a 2019 field education supervision survey in one Australian state, Queensland. The findings highlight that more international than domestic students are placed in placements with external supervision, that the overall the student cohort is younger than domestic students and that more international students reported longer supervision sessions. Despite field placements often being personally challenging international students rated their supervision experiences positively, and highlighted the opportunities it provided for support, learning and professional development. Students recognised that the process helped them understand concepts of critical reflection and an appreciation of the value of supervision and professional support for their ongoing professional development.

KEYWORDS:

• Field education
• placements
• international students
• supervision

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ines Zuchowski

Dr Ines Zuchowski is a senior lecturer Social Work and Humans Services at JCU with a focus on field education. Her social work practice experience and research interest are particularly centre around, child and youth welfare, violence prevention, professional development of supervision, social justice and human rights, women’s issues and field education for social work students.

Helen Cleak

Dr Helen Cleak is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Community & Clinical Health, La Trobe University, and has been a Visiting Fellow at Trinity College, Republic of Ireland and Queens College, Northern Ireland. She has a strong practice and research background in field education and was the Director of Field Education and International placements for over 20 years. Her book, co-authored with Jill Wilson, ‘Making the Most of Field Placement’ is now in its 5^th edition and has been adopted as the major fieldwork text in most Australian social work programs. 

Mark Cleaver

Mark Cleaver is an experienced Education Manager in Social Work and Human Services with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry and in a range of practice settings. Mark has over 35 years social work practice experience in both Australia and overseas: skilled in Non-profit Organizations, supervision and management in Social Work and Community services, Government, and Case Management. His qualifications are a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.); Bachelor of Social Work (B,SocWk) focused in Psychology and Philosophy, Social Work and Child Protection from University of Tasmania, and University of Queensland. He is currently an active member of the AASW, Qld Branch, and is President of the Deception Bay Community Youth Program.