Critical social work and competency practice: a proposal to bridge theory and practice in the classroom

ABSTRACT

Social work education in North America is increasingly focused on competency criteria and micro skills training for future practitioners. Market forces are transforming the nature of social work practice in Canada, and social work regulators are concerned about the lack of evidence-based competencies in social work education. Since the Controlled Act of Psychotherapy was proclaimed in 2017, social work practitioners are in a position to offer psychotherapy services; as a result, universities are under greater pressure to shift to competency-based learning that meets the requirements of a regulated profession. This has raised concerns about the narrowing focus on critical social work theory in preparing students for practice. The divergence between anti-oppressive and direct practice schools is widening with the result that many students have difficulty bridging the gap between critical theory and competency-based practice. This paper attempts to integrate both traditions by offering students a course that directly links critical analysis of structural barriers and client centered interventions. The course is part of a developing critical competency curriculum that focuses on methods of facilitating empowerment and change in the helping process by articulating key relational components between service user and practitioner from a critical-competency perspective.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical social work theory
• competency-based practice
• curriculum development
• resilience

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dermot Hurley

Dermot Hurley, is an Associate Professor of Social Work at King's University College, London, Ontario, Canada and a practicing child and family therapist. Dermot has been an educator and practitioner for 40 years with a special interest in practice based research.

Akin Taiwo

Akin Taiwo is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at King's University College, London, Ontario, Canada and has practiced social work with diverse populations from a critical theory perspective.