Unconventional practice placements as learning experiences. Social work students’ views in an online survey

ABSTRACT

Practice learning is a significant opportunity for future social workers. In consideration of the central role it plays, the Catholic University of Milan offers the chance to carry out both traditional and unconventional practice placement. Unconventional Practice Placements (UPP) is closer to Service Learning, but it is also based on the theoretical framework known as the Relational Social Work method. The aim of UPPs is creating or implementing social intervention starting from collaboration with a network of people (professionals of public or private organizations, service users, caregivers and citizens). The process begins with the identification of a real need of the local community. The purpose of this paper is to analyse UPPs presenting the results of quantitative research. An online survey collects the students’ learning experience, who attended the academic years from 2015 to 2019. The research shows that UPPs important learning is achieved in the field, especially in relation to group and community work. Not only that, but the local communities benefit from the social interventions planned in a participatory manner emerging from the UPPs.

KEYWORDS:

• Practice learning
• Unconventional Practice Placement
• service learning
• collaborative approach
• community

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1. A single questionnaire was prepared for bachelor’s degree and master’s degree students with filter questions that made it possible to distinguish the two pathways and, for master’s degree course students, UPPs developing social interventions from UPPs producing social research in Social Work.

2. Aapor RR1 = 0.571. The response rate was calculated according to the guidelines made available by Aapor (2016).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Camilla Landi

Camilla Landi is researcher of Relational social work center at the Catholic University of Milan (Department of Sociology). She teaches Social work procedures and she accompanies students in Unconventional Practice Placement experiences. She is a social worker.

Francesca Corradini

Francesca Corradini is researcher of Relational social work center at the Catholic University of Milan (Department of Sociology). She teaches Methodology of social work. She is a social worker.

Paola Limongelli

Paola Limongelli is fellow researcher of Relational social work center at the Catholic University of Milan (Department of Sociology). She is University tutor and accompanies students in Unconventional Practice Placement experiences. She is a social worker.