Experimenting with professional innovation through practice learning

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a qualitative study of an experimental project carried out by the Bachelor of Social Work programme at the Università di Torino (Italy) to promote new opportunities for employment in a welfare system that has been affected by the global crisis. The project organised 65 practice learning placements at 15 non-profit agencies where social workers are not normally part of the staff. A review of the international literature indicates that interest in such initiatives is not restricted to Italy. The study employed semi-structured interviews and focus groups involving students, supervisors, tutors and agency contacts. The study's findings bear out the value of experimental practice learning in two main areas: promoting the social work profession – the experimental placements helped disseminate a favorable view of the profession, and in some cases resulted in social workers being hired by the agencies concerned; training – the experimental placements stimulated students’ ability to learn proactively, through exploration and questioning. It was found that there is a need to provide the students involved in the placement with greater support to ensure that they do not regard the experience as being less useful than conventional placements where participants can observe practitioners in action.

SOMMARIO

Il contributo presenta i risultati di una ricerca relativa a un progetto sperimentale del Corso di Laurea di Servizio Sociale dell’Università di Torino (Italia) finalizzato a promuovere nuovi spazi professionali all’interno di un welfare investito dagli effetti della crisi globale. La sperimentazione ha riguardato la realizzazione di 65 tirocini in 15 organizzazioni del Terzo settore, dove tradizionalmente non è presente la figura dell’assistente sociale. Dalla rassegna della letteratura internazionale emerge un interesse per questo tema, non limitato alla realtà italiana. Nella ricerca, condotta con metodologia qualitativa, sono stati utilizzati l’intervista semi strutturata e il focus group e sono stati coinvolti studenti, supervisori, tutor, referenti dei servizi. I risultati testimoniano la validità del tirocinio sperimentale, su due versanti: la promozione del servizio sociale – le esperienze hanno contribuito a diffondere visioni corrette della professione e, in alcuni casi, ancorché limitati, hanno condotto all’introduzione della figura dell’assistente sociale all’interno dell’ente; la formazione – il tirocinio sperimentale si è rivelato in grado di sollecitare la capacità di apprendere in modo attivo, per esplorazione ed interrogazione. È emersa la necessità di sostenere maggiormente gli studenti coinvolti nell’esperienza, così che non la percepiscano come riduttiva per non aver potuto osservare il professionista ‘in azione’.

KEYWORDS:

• Social work education
• practice learning
• innovation
• experimentation

PAROLE CHIAVE:

• Servizio sociale
• formazione
• tirocinio
• innovazione
• sperimentazione

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Marilena Dellavalle is Assistant Professor of Social Work and Director of Practice Learning at the University of Torino (Italy). She is now a member of the national boards of the Italian Society of Social Work (SocISS) and of Society History of Social Work (SOSTOSS. Her research interests include history and professionalisation process of social work, and social work education.

Valentina Rocca is a social worker at a public social service agency UNIONET Settimo Torinese (Italy).

ORCID

Marilena DELLAVALLE http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7979-5595

Notes

1 Transcripts issued by the Bachelor of Social Work programme provided the following information for each of the students involved in the project: age, gender, first year of enrolment, pre-university education, grade point average prior to practice learning placement, programme year in which practice learning took place, practice learning evaluation, final assessment, host organisation, tutor and delegated supervisor.

2 Of the 65 former students who were contacted, 18 did not respond, 16 indicated that they were unable to participate in the study, 31 expressed an interest but only 11 actually participated, as the others were prevented from doing so by work or family commitments.

3 The final report, which the student prepares on the basis of a template provided by the university, is taken into consideration in the overall evaluation of the placement. In the report, the student discusses the practice learning experience, and must provide explicit theoretical justification for the arguments advanced.

4 This documentation consists of the 65 students’ reports and full transcriptions of the focus groups and the interviews with supervisors, tutors and agency contacts.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.