Travelling hopefully: Anti-racist practice and practice learning opportunities

This article has been written in response to the current developments in social work education which seek to make anti-racist practice a central requirement of social work training and to make it into a central component of good social work practice. In the present context in which social work is undertaken this will not be an easy goal to achieve without considerable commitment and attention to the detailed content and process of social work and the learning opportunities it offers.

The article focuses on how the teaching of anti-racism on social work courses is then followed through in placement experience and highlights the difficulties that can occur. It describes part of an on-going development and monitoring process initiated with college and practice based teachers at Bath University which is seeking to improve practice at a local level.

It includes a questionnaire sent to practice teachers and students, a practice teaching workshop and the development of a monitoring system for use in future placements. The research attempts to understand better what level of anti-racist practice can be expected of students in short placements and how this might be assessed. It also looks at the issues which arise for practice teachers in their agencies, the importance of management commitment in developing new forms of practice, and the support that is needed for individuals. It concludes with a tentative attempt to put forward a model for developing and assessing anti-racist practice in a placement.     

Team Training for Community Change: Concepts,Goals, Strategies,and Skills,by Eva Schindler-Rainman and Ronald Lippitt. University of California Extension,Riverside, California, 1973. $2.50. 83 Pages

Abstract

Social work education in Nigeria is taught only in polytechnic schools and in-service training institutes. Only recently have social work course units been introduced at the university level; no Nigerian university offers a degree in the field, yet. The social work courses available are offered toward degrees in sociology.

This paper describes how social work students at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, built a dispensary as part of their fieldwork in a newly-introduced social work methodology course. It discusses implications for social work education in Nigeria.     

Must Schools of Social Work be Freestanding? Yes!

Abstract

Point/Counterpoint is a regular feature of the Journal of Social Work Education. Its purpose is to provide a vehicle for the expression of contrasting views on controversial topics in social work education. Our goal is to illuminate important debates and explore the diverse perspectives that are shaping social work education.

In each issue of the Journal, social work educators are invited to comment on a topic about which they have differing viewpoints. Each commentator is given an opportunity to make a brief rebuttal. In this issue, Barbara Shank (Chair, Department of Social Work, University of St. Thomas and the College of St. Catherine), Irving Piliavin (Director, School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison), and Marsha Seltzer (Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison) address the question: Must schools of social work be freestanding?     

Evaluating Social Integration and Psychological Outcomes for Older Adults Enrolled at a University Intergenerational Program

Abstract

Intergenerational programs are proliferating. The basic assumption of such programs is that pairing older and younger people in various activities and contexts such as educational programs will produce positive developmental benefits for all participants. Educational programs appear to help adults to remain socially active and connected. The University of Valencia (Spain) initiated in 1999–2000 a “University Program for Seniors” for adults age 55 and over, entitled “Nau Gran.”The goal of this paper is to present baseline results on the benefits and impacts for older adults enrolled at the program during 2002. Results from a sample of 212 sophomore and junior older adult participants are presented. The questionnaire included socio-demographic information and items regarding health, social integration, and psychological outcomes. Results indicated that older adults attending courses at the University increased their level of social integration.     

Should Dsm Be the Basis for Teaching Social Work Practice in Mental Health? Yes!

Abstract

Point/Counterpoint is a regular feature of the Journal of Social Work Education. Its purpose is to provide a vehicle for the expression of contrasting views on controversial topics in social work education. Our goal is to illuminate important debates and explore the diverse perspectives that are shaping social work education.

In each issue of the Journal several social work educators are invited to comment on a topic about which they have differing viewpoints. The commentators are given an opportunity to make a brief rebuttal. In this issue, Janet Williams (Professor, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons), Robert Spitzer (Professor, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons), Herb Kutchins (Professor, California State University, Sacramento), and Stuart Kirk (Professor, University of California, Los Angeles) address the question: Should DSM be the basis for teaching social work practice in mental health?     

Are Theories for Practice Necessary? Yes!

Abstract

Point/Counterpoint is a regular feature of the Journal of Social Work Education. Its purpose is to provide a vehicle for the expression of contrasting views on controversial topics in social work education. Our goal is to illuminate important debates and explore the diverse perspectives that are shaping social work education.

In each issue of the Journal two social work educators are invited to comment on a topic about which they have differing viewpoints. Each commentator is given an opportunity to make a brief rebuttal. In this issue, Barbara Simon (Associate Professor, Columbia University) and Bruce Thyer (Professor, University of Georgia, Athens) address the question: Are theories for practice necessary?     

Evaluating a social work introductory programme

Many social work programmes spend considerable time at the end of the course consolidating learning experiences, looking to employment issues, the nature of supervisory contracts, future training needs and so on (see for example the Janus week at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen). On a social level students also experience a round of parties, a graduation ceremony, the collection of certificates and formal farewells. Such activities are fairly predictable rites of passage. Whilst the importance of beginnings in social work practice is part of the folklore, little has been said or written about the actual process of induction onto social work training programmes. In this article we focus on the beginning of such a programme leading to an award of MA and Diploma in Social Work. We analyse what happens, describe the structures and under-pinning theories and conclude by arguing that the start of a course is an important land-mark for students' relationships with each other, with teaching staff and their own self-perceptions and sense of empowerment. Our reflection on these processes has been useful in looking at the conscious and unconscious messages given by ourselves and our institution.

Firstly, we briefly explore perspectives emanating from broad sociological discourse about the nature of professionalisation. We can then reflect on the perspective of anthropology which raises useful notions of initiation, celebration and ritual. We are particularly interested in looking at the power relationship between staff and students and at learning styles. Theory therefore demands that we look at this introduction in other than mechanistic or rational ways.

The second part of this article considers a three day introduction to a social work programme, concentrating on styles of learning and the inherent issues of power relationships.     

Psychosocial Treatment of Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Abstract

Objective:To review and describe empirical outcome studies on the psychosocial treatment of children and adolescents meeting the criteria for Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).Method:To locate these treatment outcome studies, an extensive review of the literature using the PsycINFO database was conducted. Results:Psychosocial treatments designed solely for youth meeting the criteria for ODD are rare. Rather, it seems that most of the intervention studies have involved youth with Conduct Disorder as well as ODD, even though these two disorders have distinct differences. Selected psychosocial interventions, including anger control and stress inoculation training, assertiveness training, multisystemic therapy, and rational emotive therapy, have produced favorable outcomes in the studies conducted and published to date. Conclusions:Social workers serving ODD youth should seek training in these provisionally supported evidence-based practices. Given the scarcity of treatments designed solely for ODD with adolescents, there is a need for more outcome studies on this specific population, and for more studies of social work practice involving such youth.     

The Secondary School Age Group

South Australia became the third Australian state in which training for social work was established following a public meeting in Adelaide in September 1935 which set up a Board of Social Service Training.

This paper traces the history of that social work course through its establishment and early years. The account is based on both documentary material and on information gathered through interviews with a high proportion of the graduates of the first decade.

The rationale and support for the course are discussed, as are its content both academic and practical, its difficulties through these early years and its efforts – finally successful in 1942 – to be taken within the University of Adelaide.

The students of the course during this period are discussed in terms of their characteristics, their reasons for undertaking the course, and their responses to it. Their subsequent employment and welfare activities will be the focus of a subsequent paper.

It is suggested that although in many respects the Adelaide course was similar to those established during the preceding decade in Melbourne and Sydney, which in turn had built on patterns of social work education developed earlier in England and the United States, its particular emphases and values reflected the role and influence of its founding director Mrs. Amy Wheaton.     

Revitalizing social work education through global and critical awareness: examples from three Scandinavian schools of social work

ABSTRACT

Increasing globalisation, reorganisation of the Scandinavian welfare regimes and the awareness of increasing global roots of local social problems necessitated change in the curriculum of social work in three Scandinavian schools of social work in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Recent global transformations, increasing global inequalities, increasing forced migration and the emergence of glocal social problems make the traditional education and methods of social work ineffective and in some cases harmful for people in need of social work intervention. This article examines the need to provide critical, global and multilevel perspectives in social work education in order to prepare social work students for the increasing social problems with global roots. The article, which is based on cross-national collaborations in social work education between three Scandinavian countries, addresses global and critical components in theoretical courses, professional training and field practice in the social work education of the countries in question. It is argued that social work education should move beyond the old division of classical and international/intercultural toward including global and critical perspectives in an integrative manner in all programs.     

Theory and practice in teaching evaluation of intervention outcomes

This paper describes a course in the evaluation of intervention outcomes which combines classroom instruction with practical field work. The course was part of the BA programme in the Bob Shapell School of Social Work at Tel-Aviv University. It was given in conjunction with an advanced course in social work methods, and it entailed the active participation of the evaluation instructor, the methods instructor, and the fieldwork supervisor. To attain this integration, it was necessary not only to design the course but also to invest in training field supervisors, who could then serve as a resource for their students.

The paper emphasises the importance of cooperation between all those involved in teaching the course as well as the special significance of teaching the subject as part of the socialisation process of social work students. It also points out the various benefits both the students and instructors obtained from the course.     

HIV/AIDS-Core competencies for practice: A framework for the education and training of social workers

This article identifies the increasing relevance of HIV and AIDS for social work practice in the 1990s and argues that the topic should be included as a core component of all DipSW qualifying programmes. It identifies direct work with people affected by the virus, health education and the politics of AIDS in relation to anti-discriminatory practice as key features of this training. The new educational-agency partnerships developing around DipSW are welcomed as having the potential to ensure a continuum of training for social workers. Local authorities, for instance, should have sufficient influence upon basic training to ensure that workers enter employment with a basic awareness of HIV and AIDS and the complex issues which it raises for practice generally. Agencies can then focus on planning effective training strategies which meet the specific and specialist needs of workers arising out of particular areas of practice.

The importance of maximising upon the symbiotic relationship between agencies and educational institutions is stressed, in order to ensure that the rhetoric of partnership is translated into action.     

Abstracts

This paper describes a design for a course which aims to develop advanced practice skills in supervision and consultation for qualified social workers. The course model is based on an understanding of reflective learning developed chiefly by Donald Schon and recently discussed in this journal by Nick Gould. Some of the processes, risks and dilemmas for course members, course tutors and seconding agencies that are inherent in the course are explored through examples of reflection-in-action drawn from recent courses. Implications for the use of this approach with social workers' managers operating within a hierarchical organisational structure are explored.

The experiential element of the course, based on course members' work as consultant and consultee with another course member, will be developed more fully in a subsequent paper.

The potential usefulness of the course is discussed in relation to developing advanced practice in professional supervision, accrediting experienced practice teachers and, in an adapted form, enabling social work practitioners to develop a range of advanced practice skills.     

Sharing expertise and responsibility for learning on a postgraduate qualifying coursei in social work

Abstract

This paper describes two aspects of an approach developed for basic social work training by social work staff at the University of York, the Core Group and Interviewing Skills.     

Online Education in Social Work,Effectiveness, Benefits,and Challenges: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT

Online education has long been a controversial issue within the Australian social work community. Although technological advances have improved the quality of teaching substantially, scepticism and disbelief continue to exist. Despite the growing evidence base as to the effectiveness of online teaching, this tends to be overlooked. A scoping review of the literature was conducted to synthesise research conducted on online social work education to identify its effectiveness, potential, and challenges and to show whether online social work education will effectively prepare qualified social workers. This revealed that online education enhanced diversity and equity among social work students and students’ performances and satisfaction were similar for both online and on-campus students. Nevertheless, communication and engagement continue to be a challenge.

IMPLICATIONS

• Decisions on online education should be based on evidence of effectiveness rather than on the assumption that face-to-face teaching is superior.

• Further research is needed to explore effectiveness of online education for different groups of students.

• Employers’ experiences with social work graduates from online courses need further research.

• Academics require support to tailor courses interactively and suitably for online education.

     

Vital Connections: Using Literature to Illustrate Social Work Issues

Abstract

This paper introduces a four stage teaching model which encourages students to use fiction as a source of mental imagery and insight into social work issues. Teachers can use the stages flexibly for different courses and levels of student expertise. The model has been developed by the authors during three years of formally implementing it in a range of undergraduate and graduate syllabi. The authors present this approach following detailed observation of the quality of written assignments, classroom interaction and student feedback. This is an exciting way of teaching traditional courses which generates a lively atmosphere for learning.

“We shall not cease from exploration And the end of our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”

T.S. Eliot

(“Little Gidding,” The Four Quartets)     

School Social Work

Abstract

This article addresses the need for social work students to understand basic legal concepts and their application in social work. It begins with a review of recent literature on teaching law within the social work curriculum. It then reports on the authors' April 1991 survey of accredited MSW programs, which showed that few schools require MSW students to study law, but that curricula have little room to expand. Finally, the article describes a flexible approach to infusing legal content into existing social work courses by focusing on six legal precepts: the definition and regulation of practice; client issues; privacy; advocacy; conflict/liability; and precedents.     

Specialisation and post-qualifying training in social work

This article is primarily about the issue of specialisation in social work, and especially the training needs which are associated with it. It argues in favour of the strengthening of specialist roles and skills in social work, and holds that social work will not be able to develop a distinctive body of ‘intellectual capital’ (or professional confidence and respect) without the greater encouragement of its specialisms. Its main concerns are, however, with training, and the article recommends that priority be given to establishing two-year part-time programmes of post-qualifying social work education. The need for these follows from the unavoidable limitations of two-year basic social work courses, but their object would also be to further the development of specialist expertise and practice in the field.     

Who Is a Jew?

Abstract

When a social worker incurs professional obligations in two different actions, but cannot do both, this is termed “an ethical conflict concerning expectations in concurrently affected arenas” (Levy, 1976, p. 113). This article addresses an ethical dilemma that is centered in one of the most complex and controversial issues within Jewish life today: the question of “who is a Jew.” A case is presented which depicts the complexity of ethical conflicts which may arise from this unanswered question. The values at issue are explored and the process used to clarify, legitimate, and operationalize a plan of action is articulated. Ethical dilemmas invariably arise in social work practice. Resolutions that are clear, easily applied, internally consistent, and that consider the values of all concerned should help in reaching an ethical solution.