Suchergebnisse

Embarking on a first practice placement can be an anxious experience for social work students. This textbook takes them step-by-step through the process, holding their hand through preparation for practice modules and during the course of the placement itself. Focusing on practicalities, knowledge, values and skills, the authors guide students through the challenges they may face. Chapters include numerous real-life case examples which reflect a range of varying placement contexts including different settings, service-user groups, locations and areas of practice. The book will help students become confident on placement and lead to rich placement experiences which will benefit them throughout the rest of their degree and upon entry to the profession. This book is essential reading for all social care students.

Prior to the commencement of a practice placement, a social work student will usually be invited to meet formally with their practice educator, and sometimes other members of the team, in their work setting to discuss a range of issues about the forthcoming placement. In the absence of significant research about these pre-placement meetings, this small-scale study examined the understandings and experiences of social work students and practice educators regarding the role played by this meeting. Qualitative methods were employed to answer a range of questions related to how the pre-placement meeting was used to aid decision-making about the viability of the placement, participants' perceptions of the meeting, and concerns about the process that needed to be addressed. Findings indicate that there are a variety of ways in which the meeting is configured and organised, understood and used. The implications for the organisation of social work practice placements are discussed.

This paper reports on a project which has embedded Open Educational Resources (OER) into the teaching and learning of students who are undertaking professional degrees in social work and nursing. It raises profound questions regarding the role and purpose of Higher Education by asking to whom does knowledge belong and who is permitted and able to produce knowledge in Higher Education? Historically professional training has been configured, led and taught by the professions themselves with little input from those outside. This paper will argue that a more democratic production and dissemination of knowledge is imperative in the changing context of Higher Education. The presentation will incorporate examples of OER developed by a range of non-traditional educators, such as students, practice assessors and service users/patients, and will explain how these are being used in learning and teaching to provide an inclusive, rich, diverse and varied learning environment.

Abstract: This paper is based on a small scale research study which explores the perceptions and understandings of Master's level students on the same professional career path but from different national backgrounds; England and the United States. In particular, this study identifies and discusses issues raised by students prior to their first experience of practice education, and explores their evolving understanding of what it means to be, or to become, a professional social worker. In order to provide a theoretical framework for our discussion we adapt and use the work of Eliot Freidson, widely regarded as one of the first theorists to consider the evolution of professions and the acquisition of professionalism.Keywords: social work; practice placements; fieldwork education; professional development; professionalism

Since the introduction of the three year degree programme in 2003, social work education has undergone a number of significant changes. The time students spend on placement has been increased to two hundred days, and the range of placement opportunities and the way in which these placements have been configured has significantly diversified. A consistent feature over the years, however, has been the presence of a Practice Educator (PE) who has guided, assessed and taught the student whilst on placement. Unsurprisingly, the role of the PE and the pivotal relationship they have with the student has been explored in the past and features in social work literature.This paper, however, concentrates on a range of other relationships which are of significance in providing support to students on placement. In particular it draws on research to discuss the role of the university contact tutor, the place of the wider team in which the student is sited, and the support offered by family, friends and others.Placements and the work undertaken by PE's will continue to be integral to the delivery of social work education. It is, however, essential to recognise and value the often over looked role of others in providing support to students on placement.

Anti-immigration sentiment, discrimination and hate crime, against Eastern Europeans in the UK, has increased in recent years. Prior to Brexit, European Union (EU) citizens were afforded free movement, including rights to live and work in the UK, but in 2020, those without residency status, were subject to strict immigration laws and restrictions on living and working in the UK. Research shows that punitive immigration policies have a disproportionate impact on migrant women, increasing their risk of discrimination, exploitation, and gender-based violence. However, while in 2022 the UK government ratified the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, a treaty otherwise known as the 'Istanbul Convention', they opted out of Article 59, which specifically protects migrant women. Existing research into discrimination, exploitation, and gender-based violence against migrant women, in the UK, largely focuses on Black and minority ethnic (BME) women. This article reports on findings from a mixed-methods, descriptive study, on the specific experiences of Eastern European women, living in the UK. Findings explore the intersecting gendered and racial discrimination against Eastern European women, in the UK, providing a descriptive account of the distinct forms of gender-based discrimination and violence which they face.