The redesign of field placement for social work students during the pandemic. An Italian case study

ABSTRACT

The first wave of the spread of Covid-19 was contrasted by many countries through a severe lockdown of working and learning activities. One of the solutions for preserving the continuity of teaching activities was the adoption of different forms of remote teaching. A similar ‘translation’ has been adopted by many universities for re-organizing field placement. This decision was undertaken by bachelor programs in Social Work in Italy too. However, since field placements rely on the physical presence and the participation of students in the activities performed by social workers, this shift was particularly challenging. Moreover, remote interactions hinder the possibility of observing the distinctive relational dimension of social work. This paper examines the process of re-organization of field placements enacted by a Bachelor’s Program in Social Work in an Italian university. We propose a preliminary assessment of this experience, reflecting on the positive and critical aspects of the forced reorganization of field placement. We consider this phenomenon as a process of organizational learning, that crosses multiple domains of social work. We discuss whether this process can be the driver of a mechanism of double-loop learning, leading towards the enrichment of teaching and learning activities rather than a temporary adaptation to a contingent need.

KEYWORDS:

• Covid-19
• social work field placement
• remote learning process
• innovation
• resilience

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1. There are interchangeable terms used to describe placements like field placement, field education, field practicum, practice learning, internship, and stage. The authors will use in the article the term ‘field placement’.

2. One of the author of the paper is the director of a bachelor course in Social Work.

3. The authors have been directly involved in this process, with different duties and responsibilities. Although this may compromise the blindness of the peer-review process, we think it is important to declare overtly our involvement in the activities reported and discussed in the article, for sake of transparency as well as for promoting a reflexive reflection on our work.

4. Ministry for Labour and Social Policies, ‘Guidelines for field placements and guidance’ (‘Linee guida in materia di tirocini formativi e di orientamento’), https://www.cliclavoro.gov.it/Normative/Linee_guida_25_maggio_2017.pdf

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paolo Rossi

Paolo Rossi, PhD, is associate Professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Milano-Bicocca|UNIMIB. His main research interests deal with the innovation of local welfare services and the regulation of access to social services.

Francesca Maci

Francesca Maci, PhD, is social woker and Lecturer in Methods and Techniques of Social Work at the Department of Sociology and Social Research,  University of Milano-Bicocca|UNIMIB. Her main research interests include social work  education, child protection, work with families and participatory approach and practice.