What's All this Talk About Emotion? Developing Emotional Intelligence in Social Work Students

The capacity to manage emotional reactions effectively, frequently in complex care settings, is central to the role of a social worker. Nonetheless, there is evidence that social work students frequently find their placements emotionally demanding and stressful. It is proposed that emotional intelligence may help students manage their emotional reactions more effectively during placements and their subsequent career. To date, however, little systematic research has explored whether emotional intelligence and associated competencies can be enhanced during social work training and the implications for wellbeing. This paper presents a mixed-methods two-stage study which aimed to increase emotional competencies in social work students during the first year of training. More specifically, it assesses the impact of a workshop designed to enhance emotional competencies and an emotional writing task on levels of emotional intelligence, reflective ability and empathy which were assessed via questionnaire and reflective logs pre- and post-intervention (Times 1 and 2). Levels of reflective ability and empathy increased significantly between Times 1 and 2 and psychological distress decreased. Content analysis of reflective logs found evidence that reflective ability, empathy and emotional intelligence were enhanced following the interventions. The implications of the findings for the development of the curriculum are considered.     

‘Why is This Not Social Work?’ The Contribution of ‘Non-Traditional’ Placements in Preparing Social Work Students for Practice

This article reports on the findings of two evaluations of a major charity's learning from providing ‘non-traditional’ social work placements with young people at risk of social exclusion. The article challenges the terminology of ‘non-traditional’ and ‘non-social work’ placements and examines the potential of these placements in the current social work curriculum and in the light of the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force and directions from the Social Work Reform Board. In particular, the article highlights the ability of such placements to help prepare students for their ‘statutory placement’ in relation to formal assessment, legal literacy, and risk awareness and safeguarding. Overall, it is argued that the time is ripe to champion the creative use of such placements for HEIs, delivery partners, social work students and, most importantly, for service users.     

“No One Talked About It”: Social Work Field Placements and Sexual Harassment

ABSTRACT

Increasing student safety is an important part of Title IX compliance for colleges and universities. Sexual harassment is an all too common experience for college students, although little is known about incidences in social work field placements. The extent of training and preparation received by students from social work program and field instructors is also unknown. This study explores the extent of training and knowledge about sexual harassment in social work field placements from a sample of 535 BSW and MSW students. Only 51% of social work students received training about sexual harassment, with 21% receiving training from their school’s field office. Participants who had received training felt more prepared to address safety concerns in field. Implications for social work education are discussed.     

A fundamental rethink of practice learning in social work education

A common response to the need to place increasing numbers of social work students in field education or practice learning placements has been to broaden the range of organisations in which placements are sought. While this strategy has provided many beneficial learning opportunities for students, it has not been sufficient in tackling ongoing difficulties in locating work-integrated learning opportunities for social work students. We argue that new approaches to finding placement opportunities will require a fundamental rethink as to how student placements are understood. This paper introduces an innovative project which started with a consideration of learning opportunities and built a structure to facilitate these, rather than rely on organisational availability to host students on placements.     

Increasing Opportunities for Co-production and Personalisation Through Social Work Student Placements in Disabled People's Organisations

Social work student practice placements in disabled people's organisations offer several advantages for individual students, their peers and tutors, and DPOs themselves, who can offer placements for students in supporting service users to give their views as well as delivering social care services. In this context professional skills and anti-discriminatory practice are fostered through learning directly from disabled people as experts without the constraints of local authority policies.

This paper draws on my experiences of such student placements at Wiltshire and Swindon Users' Network over a 15-year period, 1993–2008, in collaboration with different universities. The social work student on placement here experiences an alternative organisational culture which recognises service users' expertise over professionals. The student learns to value collective peer support and working with activists who view their experience through the framework of the social model of disability. This facilitates a two-way exchange as the student learns about user-led practice and the disabled activists appreciate the skills the student brings.

The advent of policies of personalisation, the Big Society and the decreased role of local authorities is challenging the traditional model of adult care social work within local authorities. The placement of social workers in local centres for independent living, in order to provide intensive one-to-one support in support planning for those in complex situations, is only likely to increase in future. This can be seen as a positive alternative which enables professionals to rediscover their professional values and practice and extends the opportunity for placements beyond DPOs concerned with user involvement only.     

Fieldwork in Industrial Settings: Opportunities,Rewards, and Dilemmas

World of work field placements offer rich learning opportunities both for students interested in direct service and those pursuing planning, administration, and research specializations. Social work skills have become highly relevant to corporations and unions as they have expanded their function into the social welfare arena. Selection of appropriate sites requires an ability to make an assessment of organizational readiness. Careful selection of students and clarity of social work function at the field site contribute to successful outcome. In addition, back-up support from the school is essential to the smooth development of these innovative and stimulating placement opportunities.     

Adult learning styles: Implications for practice teaching in social work

This paper focuses on the current aspiration to further the process of continuing professional development in social work. It contends that knowledge from the field of adult learning theory may be helpful in sign-posting some tangible ways forward here. The particular emphasis is on critically assessing the usefulness of identifying learning styles as indicators of preferred ways of learning. Knowledge of learning styles is explored as one way of promoting students' learning on practice placements. A small-scale qualitative research study with a group of practice teachers and their students is presented as a vehicle for exploring this new terrain in social work. The findings of this research build on key themes identified by the current literature in this area. The author's findings suggest that information about learning styles has direct practical application in the social work practice teaching arena. The data points to the potential value of using such information to guide students' learning on practice placements and has relevance to considerations of their continuing professional development. Suggestions are put forward to highlight how practice teaching and Diploma in Social Work programmes could facilitate this process. The paper stresses the over-riding need to view students as actors in a broader social context, however, and highlights how information regarding learning styles needs to be utilised in this context.     

Learning to Be a Social Worker in a Non-traditional Placement: Critical Reflections on Social Work,Professional Identity and Social Work Education in England

Drawing upon findings from a national evaluation of student social workers' experiences of ‘non-traditional’ placements with a national charity, this article considers what such placements can contribute to the development of an individual and collective sense of professional identity for social work. This is explored against the background of current developments in social work education in England, including changes to the requirements for practice placements and the introduction of ‘fast-track’ routes to qualification, preparing students for social work in statutory children's services. The article suggests that with the establishment of The College of Social Work and the development of the Professional Capabilities Framework, relevant to all social workers throughout their careers, the profession has an opportunity to promote a concept of social work in England beyond that required by statutory sector employers; and that practice learning in non-statutory and non-traditional settings has an important role to play in this.     

Counselling problem drinkers and social work education in Scotland

The high incidence of alcohol related problems in Scotland and in the caseloads of Scottish social workers is noted. Exploration is made of the movement away from the disease concept of alcohol misuse and institutional treatment to an emphasis on counselling in the community. Social work education has neglected these developments. Barriers to successful individual counselling interventions are examined. These include deficiencies in course content, fieldwork, placements, organisational contexts and the attitudes of students, social workers, social work educators and fieldwork supervisors.

An examination is made of some models of alcohol related problems. Developing the ability of social work students and social workers to intervene successfully with individual problem drinkers includes highlighting the significance of much existing knowledge and skills, while considering some additional and specialised knowledge, accompanied by the provision of appropriate support and supervision.     

Tapping your way to success: using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to reduce anxiety and improve communication skills in social work students

By the nature of their professional training and practice placements, social work students are prone to situations provoking the onset of anxiety. A programme of academic and placement support, termed the ‘Skills Lab’, provides help and support for students to develop their communication skills and prepare for their practice placements and transition into professional social work practice. Skills Lab evaluations indicated a high level of appreciation, linked with a strong sense of apprehension and anxiety, which some students report has negatively affected their performance. To address student anxiety, a pilot study using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) was developed. EFT is an intervention, which may potentially be effective in reducing academic anxiety and enhancing public speaking. This mixed-methods pilot study measured participants’ (n = 45) subjective distress and anxiety before and after using EFT. Subjective distress/anxiety was invoked through a 15-min assignment lecture. Twelve of the 45 students also participated in one-one interviews to elaborate on their experiences of EFT. Quantitative findings indicated participants reported significantly less subjective distress and anxiety after using EFT. Qualitative findings indicated three themes whereby participants found EFT calming, relaxing and helpful; considered the transferability of EFT in other settings; and proposed some of the mechanisms of EFT’s action.     

What students’ Facebook posts teach us about the identity challenge in field placements abroad

ABSTRACT

Facebook is a common tool that enables students to publicly express their emotions, thoughts, experiences, and knowledge. On the assumption that the personal narratives of students can provide deep insights into their learning processes during practical training programs, the article presents content analyses of Facebook posts written by Israeli students who participated in an international social work field placement program in India. Content analysis of the students’ posts reveals that they grappled with their personal and professional identities as part of the learning process that occurred while they were formulating their professional identity as social workers. The analysis elicited three main themes: (1) awareness of the national identity; (2) exploration of other identities (personal, professional, and global); and (3) an attempt to contain multidimensional identity. The students discussed the main challenges they faced in the process of formulating an identity that will enable them to engage in international social work, and they described the fluctuations that occurred in those identities. The results show how public Facebook posts can be used as a tool to shed light on the contribution of social work education in international field placements, and provide insights into the learning processes that students experience in field placements abroad.     

Total Immersion: Using Group Care Placements to Maximise Practice Learning

This paper presents findings from a survey of students' views on the experience of undertaking assessed placements in group care settings as part of their qualifying social work training. Respondents are positive and enthusiastic about the available learning opportunities in these settings, especially in terms of the possibilities for close involvement with service users and for learning about ‘real social work’. They emphasise the value of support from both on‐site supervisors and off‐site practice teachers, and reflect on the demands which such placements make in terms of students' personal resourcefulness in ambiguous role sets. The paper also offers advice for students, tutors and practice teachers on a range of issues involved in the planning of placements in group care settings, including comments on anti‐oppressive practice and on the use of reflective journals by students.     

Teaching Critical Reflection in Social Work Field Education

ABSTRACT

This article explores the process and outcomes of teaching critical reflection to social work students in an Australian university, based on our experience with teaching critical reflection. The application by students of a particular model of critical reflection to their learning experiences during field education placements is described and analyzed. Examples of student reflections are provided and discussed to illustrate how they have used the model of critical reflection and incorporated its critical dimension. The student reflections demonstrate that the model of critical reflection adopted assisted students to become more critical in their understandings and to some extent in their actions.     

Developing practice learning and teaching in residential child care

The Residential Child Care Initiative was created in order to increase the numbers of qualified staff in residential children's homes in England. This paper explores some of the issues affecting practice placements for residential staff who undertook qualifying training between 1992 and 1997. Themes and issues arising from these experiences, with examples from practice, are considered in terms of their relevance to practice learning in group care situations for all social work students, highlighting the reciprocal benefits for students and residential services for children.     

Survey of International Field Education Placements of Accredited Social Work Education Programs

Abstract

During the last 2 decades, social work education programs have sought to incorporate cross-cultural and international content into their curriculum, including the establishment of international field placements. This study reports the results of a full survey (N=446) of all accredited social work education programs. Findings include the number of programs placing students internationally, the number of students placed, the countries into which they are placed, whether these students are graduates or undergraduates, and whether these international placements represent an ongoing commitment by the programs. Several factors are examined which are hypothesized to affect a program's willingness to place students internationally.     

Field Placements in For-Profit Organizations

The recent explosion of proprietary social services suggests that growing numbers of social work students may be placed for field work in organizations whose primary goal is the realization of profits. Information on the extent to which social work programs collaborate with proprietary agencies for field education purposes is unavailable. This article describes the results of a national survey to determine the use patterns and policies of master of social work programs regarding field placements in for-profit settings. Findings indicate that social work education is incorporating proprietary sites for field training at an unparalleled rate. Proprietary sites used most often are hospitals, nursing homes, and outpatient health care agencies. Furthermore, the study links different policy positions on for-profit placements to geographical location. The author suggests, among other recommendations, that programs provide positive role models to help students apply professional values and ethics to problems resulting from proprietary influence upon practice.     

Prepared for Practice? Graduating Social Work Students' Reflections on Their Education,Competence and Skills

The paper encompasses the views of 13 Swedish graduating social work students on their education, competence, skills and expectations for their future roles as social workers. It presents the findings of the first phase of a longitudinal study where students in Sweden and Australia are followed from university and during the first 18 months in the profession. A qualitative methodology was employed and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students just prior to graduating. The most salient theme was the strong wish for more time in contact with the field. All of the students would have preferred at least one additional period of field placement. A strong wish for clarity, particularly in relation to understanding what it means to practise social work, emerged. Although most of the graduates talked about their self-development and described themselves as having become more critical and more self-confident, they perceived themselves as more or less unprepared for most social work positions and expected to receive considerable support and guidance in their workplaces. The proportion of theoretical and research courses in comparison to the teaching of practice skills and field placements within Swedish social work education is discussed.     

Is it Possible to Develop and Sustain Non-Traditional Placements? An Evaluation of the Development of Practice Learning Opportunities in Partnership with the Police and Probation Services in the West Midlands

This paper will look at new practice learning opportunities developed between the University of Birmingham and the West Midlands Police and Probation Services. The project was designed to expand placements in the West Midlands, to address in particular the short fall of final year placements and to offer students interested in the area of criminal justice and protection of vulnerable people the chance to have a different type of practice experience.

This paper aims to share the learning gained through an evaluation of the first year of this partnership (2009–2010). The paper will provide an overview of the scheme, outline the process of evaluation and will consider the learning gained from the police and probation schemes separately. The paper will draw on feedback gained through discussions in focus groups and questionnaires completed by work base supervisors, specialist social work practice assessors, practice tutors and students in each setting. The strengths and weaknesses of both schemes will be considered as will lessons for improving and building on the project for future years. The paper will also address questions about the relevance of working with non-traditional agencies particularly in light of the new statutory definition relating to final year social work placements.     

International social work practicum in India

The present study discusses the process of organising social work placements in India for two Australian students and presents the students' and the field education coordinator's reflections on practicum experiences in the school and hospital setting. Several steps need to be taken to plan and implement international placements. Undertaking a practicum in another unknown culture is as challenging as it is rewarding. Cross-cultural comparative dimensions naturally emerge in our thinking, feeling and doing, and help us appreciate what we have in our own country. Learning occurs both within and outside the practicum. Positive mental attitude, psychological make up, an open mind, planning and preparation do help. However, overseas placements have their own quota of surprises. Any student aspiring to undertake an international practicum should be prepared to face some unexpected situations as they unfold. Overall, effective learning did occur and horizons did expand.     

Volunteer Work in the Introductory Course: A Special Curriculum Component

Abstract

This paper examines the experiences of a school of social work in requiring volunteer work of students enrolled in the introductory undergraduate course. Consideration is given to the history of students' agency participation, program structure, and variety of placements. Observations by students, faculty and agency workers are included. Case examples of volunteer placements are described. Advantages and drawbacks of the program are assessed.