Placement visits by tutors from college based programmes

In recent years some social work tutors have been subject to considerable criticism regarding their inability to keep pace with new developments, including anti discriminatory approaches. In the current harsh climate evident in higher education and following the development of the Dip SW, agency approval for practice teaching and accreditation of individual practice teachers, the tutor's role in visiting placements has been challenged and questioned. The purpose of this article is to argue for a continuation of regular contact by the tutor with practice teacher and student during the planning, monitoring, assessment and review stages of a placement. The tutor's responsibilities are highlighted, acknowledging the power base from which they and practice teachers operate. The importance of empowering both practice teachers and students is considered, while also stressing the need for tutors to maintain standards on placements and to ensure the permeation of anti-discriminatory approaches in both placement learning opportunities and in tripartite meetings.     

Using child abuse inquiries in child protection education and training

In this article the two authors describe and analyse their experiences of using child abuse inquiries in child protection education with pre-qualifying social work students, over a period of 10 years. The article addresses a range of issues, including the effects of changes in child protection policy and practice; changes in social work education; the cumulative effects of the number of inquiry reports over the past 25 years; use of particular inquiry reports to discuss issues of oppression; the importance of sensitivity to the processes of such teaching and the emotional impact on social work students. The authors, one woman and one man, are both white and in their middle years. Prior to teaching social work, both were in child care and child protection practice for many years. One author's experience of sexist oppression informs particular aspects of the content of this teaching (see article) and both authors' experiences of endeavouring to be aware of, and sensitive to, the needs of social work students as individuals and as groups, has led them to take a particular approach when using child abuse inquiry reports in educating social workers in the complex and contested field of child protection practice.     

Social work students with personal experience of sexual abuse: Implications for diploma in social work programme providers

Social work training attracts a significant proportion of students with personal experience of psychosocial trauma and oppression, including various forms of abuse. This article considers some of the implications for social work educators. Sexual abuse is the oppression selected to illustrate this discussion because it is central to contemporary social work training and practice and it is the author's experience that student disclosures of sexual abuse are common. Emotive but unavoidable for both students and educators, sexual abuse issues demonstrate the need for programme providers to address their responsibilities to applicants, students, partner agencies and service users. Continued failure to do so ignores the risks of legal liability and raises questions of whether their practices are consistent with the DipSW's value base. DipSW programme providers are advised to take practical steps both to protect themselves and to provide appropriate support for students. They are asked to review application and selection procedures and urged to define the roles and expectations of course tutors and practice teachers.     

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.     

Child protection training in sport‐related degrees and initial teacher training for physical education: an audit

This article reports on an online survey of child protection training for students on sport‐related and Initial Teacher Training Physical Education degrees, and on the views of recently graduated teachers of the usefulness of such training in their everyday work. The results indicate that child protection training is provided in most courses but in varying amounts. Respondents to the survey reported positively, in the main, about the effects of new requirements for teacher training (Every Child Matters: Change for Children, Department for Education and Skills, 2004). Reasons given for not including child protection in courses were: lack of time; the perceived vocational nature of the topic; lack of fit with course aims and objectives; lack of relevance; and the research rather than professional orientation of the course. Recently graduated teachers' views on their pre‐service child protection training differed from the claims made about this in the survey. In particular, they raised concerns about their lack of preparation for dealing with potential child protection situations. The article concludes that child protection training within sport‐related degrees is deficient in both consistency of delivery and in content, and that, in addition to preparing students to recognise signs and indicators of abuse, curricula should also address undergraduates' confidence and skills for responding to abuse in their everyday professional practice. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Prevention of child sexual abuse: implications of programme evaluation research

Thirty child abuse prevention programme evaluation studies were selected according to a set of methodological criteria following an extensive manual and computer literature search. Targets for intervention in 17 studies were children; in three parents; in four teachers; and in six studies multisystemic programmes were evaluated where some combination of children, parents and teachers was targeted for intervention. From a review of the 30 studies, it was concluded that child abuse prevention programmes can lead to significant gains in children's, parents' and teachers' safety knowledge and skills. Best practice guidelines arising from the review include the use of multisystemic programmes; child‐focused curricula which cover a wide range of safety skills and concepts; and the use of didactic instruction and discussion, video modelling and active behavioural skills training techniques in programme delivery. The curricula for parents' and teachers' programmes should cover child protection issues and local child protection procedures along with an overview of the children's programme lesson plans. Longer programmes conducted by trained staff are preferable and such staff may include teachers, parents, mental health professionals and law enforcement officers. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Starting to assess anti-racist practice in the DipSW

This paper reports on a small study financed by CCETSW's Welsh Committee and commissioned by its Anti-Racism Sub-Committee. It concerns an attempt to help practice teachers in a sample of all-white or predominantly white placements to assess students' awareness of anti-racist practice in accordance with DipSW requirements through the use of assignments provided by the programme. The study evaluates this process through the responses of students and practice teachers and concludes that, with appropriate support, this approach can make a useful contribution to learning, assessment and consciousness raising.     

Children's rights in schools: what do teachers know?

The human rights of children are fundamental international human rights that protect all children against abuse by adults and caregivers as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This study examines teachers' and teacher trainees' knowledge of children's rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations General Assembly, 1989), the Public Service (Disciplinary) Regulations (Statutory Instrument 65 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, 1992) and the Secretary of Education and Culture Circular P35 of 3 May 1993 on the administration of corporal punishment by teachers in Zimbabwean primary schools. Data were collected using the Teacher and the Teacher Trainees Questionnaires on 300 primary school teachers and 150 teacher trainees, respectively, in Masvingo Province. Teacher trainees used in this study were attached to experienced primary school teachers during their teaching practice. The study found that the majority of teachers (76.3%) were exposed to the Public Service (Disciplinary) Regulations during their teacher education training. On the other hand, the majority of teacher trainees (60.0%) were not exposed to these Regulations during their training. The Public Service (Disciplinary) Regulations are used to charge teachers who violate children's rights within the school. The majority of teachers (59.3%) feel they are useful, while the majority of teacher trainees (60.0%) feel they are outdated and need to be changed. On the other hand, the majority of teacher trainees (55.3%) indicated that they were exposed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child or the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (OAU Doc. CAB/LEG/24.9/49, 1990), while the majority of teachers (56.7%) were not exposed to either of these during their teacher education training. The study also found that the majority of teacher trainees (63.3%) were not exposed to the Secretary of Education and Culture Circular P35 on corporal punishment by teachers within schools during their teaching practice. It is clear from the ?ndings that the teacher education curriculum needs to be revised to take account of current trends and contemporary issues in education in the new millennium. Therefore, there is a need for the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture to conduct in‐service programmes for teachers who are not familiar with local and international laws concerning the protection of children against child abuse within the school. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multicultural Considerations in the Application of Child Protection Laws

Professionals exercise a great deal ofdiscretion in the application ofmandatory reporting laws and child welfare laws. This paper examines the subjective factors that influence the decisionmaking process from labeling an incident as possible abuse or neglect through the disposition stage. Multicultural issues that affect each stage of the process are discussed. Areas of disparate treatment of minorities are considered. Disparate treatment stems from biased and unequal application of the laws in some cases, or when standards are applied and interventions made that are insensitive to the cultural context of the family. Potential consequences of failing to consider culture in applying child protection laws are biased reporting, errors in assessing perceived risk, ineffective interventions) and increased out-of-home placements. The need for a culturally sensitive approach to assessment and intervention is emphasized.. Areas for future research are recommended.     

Teachers' Training Needs in the Area of Child Abuse and Protection

SUMMARY: In issue 5(2), Robert Webster outlined the issues in school-based child sexual abuse prevention. He argued that teachers were not being given the training they needed and wanted. This paper reports on a survey in one county of England, and shows the lack of training in child sexual abuse matters to be consistent with Robert Webster's experience. The authors go on to outline the types of training demanded by the vast majority of teachers.     

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.     

Preservice Teachers’ Sources of Information on Mandatory Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse

Teachers in many countries are mandated by law, professional codes, or education authorities to report child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse. However, teachers may not receive adequate preparation for such sensitive interventions, as preservice teacher education degrees provide very few or no compulsory courses on child protection and crucially related, lifelong health and well-being issues. So, where do preservice teachers source their information regarding the mandatory reporting of such abuse? This research examines preservice teachers’ professional university education for their sources of information about mandatory reporting and child sexual abuse. A sample cohort of 56 final 4th-year university bachelor of education (primary school) student teachers in Australia identified the sources they used regarding 10 important aspects of child protection. The results suggest that most did not learn about mandatory reporting or child sexual abuse, and others cited sparse and sporadic public media as their primary information source. These findings, building on previous evidence about inadequate or nonexistent preservice mandatory intervention courses in primary teacher education, may guide the design of appropriate training responses enhancing educational professionals’ knowledge, competencies, skills, and efficacies as mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse.     

Multicultural considerations in the application of child protection laws

Professionals exercise a great deal of discretion in the application of mandatory reporting laws and child welfare laws. This paper examines the subjective factors that influence the decisionmaking process from labeling an incident as possible abuse or neglect through the disposition stage. Multicultural issues that affect each stage of the process are discussed. Areas of disparate treatment of minorities are considered. Disparate treatment stems from biased and unequal application of the laws in some cases, or when standards are applied and interventions made that are insensitive to the cultural context of the family. Potential consequences of failing to consider culture in applying child protection laws are biased reporting, errors in assessing perceived risk, ineffective interventions, and increased out- of- home placements. The need for a culturally sensitive approach to assessment and intervention is emphasized. Areas for future research are recommended.     

Revised Historical Viewpoints

Project-based learning is an example of powerful social studies learning in which student engage in active inquiry. Action civics is a relatively new educational practice in which students act as citizens through a cycle of research, action, and reflection about problems they care about in their community. Building Civic Bridges offers teachers a model for students to develop and enact inquiry-based projects that reflect positive, and active, civic dispositions.     

Teacher Outcomes from the Second Step Child Protection Unit: Moderating Roles of Prior Preparedness,and Treatment Acceptability

ABSTRACT

Teachers play a critical role in child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention and intervention efforts. We examined the impact of the Second Step Child Protection Unit (CPU) on improving teacher awareness, attitudes, and teacher–student relations for 161 teachers. Teacher baseline scores and treatment acceptability were examined as moderators. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed a significant effect of the CPU on teachers’ awareness, attitudes, and teacher–student relations, particularly for teachers with lower prior knowledge, attitudes, and student relationships. Teachers’ acceptability of the CPU also moderated outcomes, where a higher level of acceptability of CSA interventions was associated with an increase in outcomes.     

Protection studies: Challenging oppression and discrimination

Social work students on qualifying programmes should have abundant opportunities to challenge racism, sexism, disablism and other oppressions in society, that is in the macro environment. Equally they are required to confront oppression in the micro environments of the family home or small institution. One way of achieving this is through integration of the issues into the whole curriculum but also through a specific module devoted to protection studies.

Child and ‘elder’ abuse and the mistreatment of dependent younger adults is at one end of a continuum of oppression with societal discrimination at the other. Oppression, whatever its form, has four essential components: the misuse of power, processes of objectification, the silence of witnesses and the entrapment or accommodation of victims. Social work students who do not fully appreciate the dynamics of the abuse of power, and the perspectives of victims are ill equipped to challenge oppression.

A rationale for a protection studies module is given. The objectives and content of the proposed studies are also suggested. Protection studies, it is argued, are essential because social workers are faced with complex issues of power and control. Those who overlook the need to protect all of society's weakest members can be seen as facilitating abusers in the same way that those who do not embrace anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practices are perpetuating bigotry and injustice.     

Dilemmas in planning for the protection of children and youths in residential facilities

Protection of children and youths after placement must be given increased emphasis because deinstitutionalized care is itself not harm-free and also because the needs of many children for care, control, and treatment are likely to be met in residential facilities for the foreseeable future. However, the diverse and often incompatible views of advocates and providers of child care about the issues affecting the protection of residents in institutions loom as obstacles to planning for the protection of children and youths after placement. Both of the extreme views of institutional abuse and neglect issues deny the need for child protection after placement. The first holds that since the child or youth is being protected and/or treated, no ongoing child protection is necessary. The other view holds that any child protection effort short of closing residential facilities is futile and therefore without merit. Underreporting of abuse or neglect is widespread; accountability of facilities for the protection of residents is, as a result, unevenly established. These conditions are attributable in part to the inadequate statutory base for protecting children in institutions. At the same time, because of the lack of a planned approach to protection within facilities, and between facilities and child protection agencies, residential facilities are likely to suffer negative public exposure when moderate or serious incidents of maltreatment become public. The absence of procedures for facilities themselves to recognize abuse and neglect invites exposure of incidents by staff and residents. The ad hoc manner in which incidents are managed by external agencies often inflicts unwarranted costs on the reputations of residential facilities that in many cases may have only one or two serious incidents a year. Finally, the use of "last resort" placements may be putting some children and youths into situations of unacceptable risk. Despite the existence of differing views in the residential care field, we have identified areas of agreement between the child protection agencies and residential facilities upon which public policy might build. The problem may not be so much that these attitudes exist, as that the states have not responded in a planned and credible way to the problem of institutional abuse and neglect. Nevertheless, development of a planned and credible approach must deal with these areas of difference if protection of children after placement is to be improved.     

Teaching the Child Perspective in Social Work Education: Ethical Principles and Classroom Strategies

Aimed at graduate and undergraduate social work instructors, this article identifies the problem of inadequate attention to children in social work education in the US. The authors argue that social work ethics require social work educators to address children as a vulnerable population. They argue that children will be more central in social work education if instructors adopt a child perspective defined by three knowledge categories, development, well‐being and hope, that serve as reference points in teaching. A triangular strategy of position, attitude and action is provided to guide the day‐to‐day use of a child perspective in the classroom. The authors examine sources of the problem, describe its effects on students' education and future practice and provide classroom examples and teaching techniques.     

Bridging the Theory–Practice Gap in Social Work Education: A Reflection on an Action Research in China

This article explores the background to, and issues associated with, the implementation of Personal Development Planning (PDP) within Higher Education (HE). Consideration of issues for social work educators follows as the authors seek to ground policy change in practice and debate issues so that reflection is not ‘little more than a mantra’ but rather a ‘model for practice’ (Kuit et al., 2001, Active Learning in Higher Education, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 128–142, at p. 129). Although educators have arguably always used a variety of strategies to encourage student reflection and evaluation of their learning experiences, implementation of PDPs codifies and institutionalises individual student reflection and the production of associated outputs. This is evidenced by the production of guidelines to promote what is billed as a core educational process by Universities UK, the Standing Conference on Principals, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and the Learning and Teaching Subject Network (LTSN) Generic Centre. As social work academics consider and respond to the challenges associated with the re‐specification of programmes to meet new award requirements they might usefully reflect on the challenges PDP brings, and integrate responses into programme specifications. Avoiding fragmentation and duplication, for example around the personal tutor system and role of staff in PDP, is important for both social work students and staff within complex and, at times, contradictory organisational contexts such as Institutes of Higher Education (IHE).