Social workers often have shared experiences which account for how they chose to and arrived in a social work classroom. These trajectories often include; dissatisfaction with prior job roles, desires to make a difference, direct prior experience and influential individuals or family members. No matter by which route individuals arrive at qualifying education, they then have subsequent journeys that are influenced by classroom, practice learning and immediate qualifying experiences. This edition of Practice brings together four papers that explore some nuances of these formative encounters.
The exposition starts with Denise MacDermott and Caoimhe Harkin-MacDermott’s exploration of how increased participation of ‘Experts by Experience’ can enhance student social work knowledge and practice. In an article that directly draws on experiences of delivering education to social work students in Northern Ireland, MacDermott and Harkin-MacDermott present a model for participation which focuses on the co-production of shared narratives. They outline; the value of participation, the stages of the model which support moments of learning across an academic year, and reflections on the perspectives of service users and first year students. The application of the model, and reflections are offered in its use with young people, whose participation is integrated, into a single qualifying programme. Exploring key factors including relationship building and sustained involvement, the authors conclude that the investment in time and processes, yields a rich learning for students about complex power dynamics and enables young people to develop their confidence and self-esteem.
Qualifying experiences take place both within the classroom and in practice (placement learning). Indeed many studies highlight the influential and long lasting impact of formative practice learning moments. These are often intense long exposures in single settings. Sarah Davies, Daryl Dugdale and Rachel Hayhow, however, explore the alternative of where final year placements in the United Kingdom are split between the voluntary, independent and private and statutory sectors. Drawing upon a mixture of academic literature, some grey sources and a particular audit, the authors identify the prevalence of the use of such split placements (as opposed to long singular and often statutory sector ones), and the arguments for and against the use of such split placements. The examinations are highly contextually bound to England. The authors conclude that such models of placement delivery were uncommon, but where they did take place exhibited some benefits and are suited to some students more than others. The organisational constraints on statutory organisations, Higher Education Institutes and individual Practice Educators appear to be the biggest limiting factor.
Themes of entry to the profession and participation are found in our third article by Hajara Bentum, Alhassan Abdullah, Enoch Boafo Amponsah and Ebenezer Cudjo. The authors research the experiences of final year Ghanaian social work students working in practice learning opportunities focused on inclusive education settings. Their qualitative exploration highlights the value of modules focusing on disability and inclusion, how students prior experiences influence qualifying placement practice and the preparatory role of professional values for new service user encounters. Strikingly in the accounts is the part that the student’s passion to challenge discrimination and make a difference, plays in their embracing of the challenges of undertaking inclusive practice.
The need for supportive learning does not stop at the moment of qualification. The final article in this edition examines the support mechanisms for newly qualified social workers across the United Kingdom. Bernadette Moorhead, Jill Manthorpe and Mary Baginsky then take the extrapolations of their inquiry and draw out what implications can be said for Australian social work. They start with a comparative analysis, which highlights how regulation in the UK (where it does not exist in Australia) has driven similar (but slightly different) routes within all of the countries of the UK to recognise and support newly qualified social workers, as still developing. Moorhead et al’s analysis identifies 12 support and development mechanisms used in the UK to assist newly qualified social workers. These broadly fit into two groups, those of learning and development; and those of assessment and appraisal. They conclude by identifying three potential messages for Australian practice; the possibility of extending the support for newly qualified social workers beyond that which exists in the current Australian supervision standards; developing a shared responsibility for support and development between new graduates and other major stakeholders and articulating the argument for such developments to be localised.
As the context for social work practice continues to change, and different economic and organisational pressures are rapidly felt by those joining the professions, these four articles help remind us of the key and informative moments in the early careers of social workers and how they can provide important foundational learning.
[email protected]