Learning social work law: An enquiry-based approach to developing knowledge and skills

This paper, written jointly by tutors and students, discusses an enquiry-based approach to learning and assessing law as part of social work qualifying training in England. It is argued that social work law is an area of learning particularly suited to an approach in which enquiry and analysis skills are promoted through practical problem solving. The paper considers the theoretical rationale for this approach and identifies how this conceptual frame informs the learning and assessment structure. It identifies how students present evidence for assessment of their skill and knowledge development, through both written and verbal submission, and considers the learning outcomes achieved. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the approach as an example of knowledge and skill development through problem solving and reflection.     

Innovations in teaching social work research

This article reviews the innovations in teaching research in social work education, including conceptual material and specific examples. There is attention to the ideological differences inherent in research and its instruction, methodology/technology innovations, and integrative and group approaches, among other developments. Examination of three major models of research instruction and their assumptions about the purpose of research in social work is presented. Discussion about ethical codes and curricular guidelines for social work programs in the United States and the United Kingdom provides a framework to understand the importance of teaching and learning research for the social work profession.     

On the evidence for viruses in social work systems: law,ethics and practice

The purpose of this paper is to explore an apparent disjunction between espoused professional ethics and ethics in practice, and between law in statute and law in action. Social work in England is used as the main case study, however, research from other jurisdictions is drawn upon to demonstrate wider concern about departures from moral and legal rules. The evidence of the disjunction is presented, drawing principally from judicial review cases, investigations by the Commissioner for Local Administration (Ombudsman), inquiry evidence and government reports. The article critiques the current regulatory apparatus in England and the mechanisms by which staff and service users can hold public organisations, particularly councils with social services responsibilities, accountable. The interface between law and ethics is reviewed. The paper concludes with observations about strengthening legal and ethical literacy in practice.     

Identifying underlying principles in social work law: A teaching and learning approach to the legal framework of decision making

Courses in social work law need to ensure that students know, understand and can apply specific rules of law. However, the sheer volume of law affecting social work and the rapidity with which that law changes require courses in social work law not just to ensure that, but that they are equipped to manage changes in the law. In order to be able to do this, it is argued, the general principles underlying those individual legal rules need to be identified and understood. Students and practitioners need to have educational and professional skills at a higher level of transferability than merely acquiring knowledge of specific legal rules can provide. We use the legal framework of decision making to explain the importance of this approach. The principles of administrative law have been identified as a major component in social work law, and, despite limited exposition in social work law texts, we outline the teaching and learning strategy we have pursued in relation to this topic. |em|We argue that there are thus both educational and practice based reasons for the approach advocated, which we also believe accord with wider imperatives of social work education.     

Policy-practice in social work and social work education in Israel

Policy-practice is a form of social work intervention that is intended to influence social policy. It is linked to an understanding of the role of social workers which places the struggle for social justice at the forefront of social work activity. However, this form of social work intervention has remained on the sidelines of social work practice and education in most welfare states. This paper seeks to understand the role that policy-practice and social policy play, and have played, in social work and social work education in Israel. The findings indicate that, despite a growth in interest in the political role of social workers in Israel during the 1970s, policy-practice has remained a mode of practice adopted by a minority of members of the profession in Israel. An empirical study of the curriculums of the schools of social work in Israel indicates that this is the case for the study program in most of the schools. The reasons for this can be linked primarily to the overwhelming influence of American social work upon the development of the Israeli profession and to the process of liberalization and privatization of the Israeli welfare state in the last two decades.     

Reality-play--experiential learning in social work training

A unique teaching model, called reality-play, arose as the result of the author's two concerns about how to teach students to integrate a theoretical model as a working tool in social work and how to prevent them from categorising people. In this teaching approach students have to go through a whole social work process by using their own real life challenges as learning material. The purpose is to learn social work from the perspective of a social worker, a user and an observer at the same time. The paper is divided into two parts. The first paper introduced the teaching model, showed how it built on an overall theoretical perspective of social constructionism, and on learning theories of adult, experiential and confluent learning to meet the concerns mentioned above. This second part presents a student evaluation of the teaching model in relation to three interwoven topics: involvement, integration of theory and practice, and awareness.     

Fair play: creating a better learning climate for social work students in social care settings

This paper describes a pilot study and subsequent evaluation undertaken by the author which arose from his experiences as a practice teacher working with a student in a day care facility. The catalyst for the study arose from one student's comments about the confusion he and others on the placement site experienced regarding his role as a social work student in a setting where there was no defined social work role.

It led to a study of students' views in a range of settings across South & East Belfast Trust, some of which may be deemed to be ‘social work settings’, i.e. with a defined social work role, while others may be considered ‘social care settings’, i.e. with no defined social work role. The aim of the study and subsequent evaluation was to consider problematic issues which arose for students in social care settings and how the quality of learning opportunities for them could be improved.     

Re-engineering the multiple choice question exam for social work

The aim of this study is to devise a multiple choice question (MCQ) exam that provides students with opportunities to engage in a deep approach to learning. Multiple choice assessment is largely unused in social work degree courses in the UK because of associations with techniques such as guessing and rote learning, which do not correspond with deep approaches to learning. Strategies used to enhance opportunities for a deep approach to learning within the MCQ exam used in this study included certainty-based marking (CBM), enhancing the use of formative feedback and giving students responsibility for devising the MCQs. Results show that students use similar levels of deep learning when they completed a MCQ exam compared to those students who completed an essay exam. The deep learning approach for the MCQ exam was, however, less when compared to a different module that used an essay assignment. There is an increasing pressure on Higher Education to provide more robust assessment practices, and findings in this study suggest it may be time for social work tutors to reconsider the role of the MCQ format within the existing range of assessment tools.     

Going beyond training: theory and practice in managing learning

The establishment of new bodies to replace the Central Council for Training and Education in Social Work (CCETSW) and to regulate the social work profession provides the opportunity to establish an improved progressive system of qualifications and continued professional development in the coming years. With the current pressure on social work agency budgets it is imperative that precious training resources—staff and money—are used to make the maximum impact on service delivery. Our involvement in the provision of a range of training programmes leads us to believe that much of the staff development and training effort invested by agencies in their staff often seem to have a limited impact on effectiveness. A change in approach is needed so that learning is placed at the heart of organisational processes to maximise the benefits of affirmation and growing professional confidence. This is essential if we are to continue to ‘nurture’ valuable professional staff and ensure that services remain flexible, creative and responsive in meeting ever‐rising public expectations.

This paper examines some of the challenges of evidence‐based practice and the demands for routine evaluation and objective‐setting. The advantages and disadvantages of a competence specification approach within the development of service and occupational standards as the basis for professional education are discussed. The paper argues that strategies for practice learning require the development of learning organisations and a better academic and agency partnership to support more effective professional education and continued professional development.     

Social policy and social work in the voluntary sector: the case of Ukraine

Over a decade has passed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This major political change has had profound effects on how social welfare is delivered in countries in transition from communism. Using material derived from the author's involvement in social work education projects in Ukraine, this article examines the changing relationship between statutory social welfare provider agencies and the burgeoning voluntary sector. A confusing and rapidly changing picture has emerged. Some prominent themes likely to shape future directions are identified, particularly the imperative to ensure that social work education continues to be sensitive to local political and cultural contexts, rather than relying on importing Western solutions.     

Pragmatic professionalism: micro-level discourse in social work

In recent years the welfare sector has encountered numerous and often challenging changes, such as marketisation, New Public Management, and demands for evidence-based practices. These changes can be seen as a shift between the two logics of creating and maintaining authority, and as a movement from occupational towards organizational professionalism. Perhaps the most important difference between these logics is that, in occupational professionalism, authority is built on trust in the professionals’ education and ethics, whilst in organizational professionalism it is grounded in regulation and control expressed, for example, in rules, regulations, and routines. The article focuses on the ways in which two groups of social workers in Swedish social welfare offices orient themselves towards organizational and occupational professionalism in constructing themselves and in the construction of each other, as well as the work that is carried out by each group. The aim is thus to elaborate on what these logics mean at the micro-level. In this respect, pertinent questions such as ‘How are they to be understood?’, ‘Regarded from the point of view of micro politics, what do these logics mean?’ and ‘How are the logics internalized by the social workers?’ are posed.     

Professionalising social work in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: processes and implications

This paper critically discusses the development of social work in Jordan. It introduces a range of social, cultural and political circumstances in Jordan, and the consequent strategies adopted in the process towards the professionalisation of social work and the growth of social work interventions with individuals, families and communities. The paper also considers lessons learned and some of the implications of professionalising social work that are also relevant for other human services engaged in international development.     

Blended Learning in Rural Social Work Education: Reflections from a New Australian Bachelor of Social Work Course

This paper explores the developmental stages and phases of a new blended learning social work course at a rural Australian university. The background to the development of the discipline will be presented, with an exploration of the challenges and outcomes of designing an interactive online environment for a single cohort of on-campus and distance students. Themes explored cover engaging students, motivation, acculturation and facilitation. The paper concludes with the presentation of data from wave one of a longitudinal survey to ensure student expectations are being met, while at the same time providing an accredited programme of study.     

When social work students meet workers with mental-health lived-experience: a case study

Current social work education in India reflects globalization priorities and tendencies of neo-colonialism that emulate curriculum priorities and duplicate content developed in countries like the USA. Social work education as implemented by countries like the USA, has limited success in transnational training of social workers and their ability to address emerging social problems and deep rooted structural imbalances within non-USA social contexts. Yet, the concept of the world being an emerging global village is used to justify and reaffirm the colonial goals of universal education and pedagogies within social work and its application to starkly different contexts, such as India. This paper argues against the imperialist nature of social work education through examples from social work syllabi from Indian schools of social work. Secondly, this paper examines the role of academic collaborations and international organizations in addressing the challenges in curriculum development. Finally, through an example from a Curriculum Development Project undertaken in a sub-Saharan African country by one of the authors, the paper demonstrates ways of generating more local content for curricula that would create culturally sensitive social services.     

Comparing local and national service systems in social care Europe: framework and findings from the STEPS anti-discrimination learning disability project

This paper outlines the methodology and findings of a cross-national comparison of social care services for people with learning disabilities in Europe, developed from the EU funded STEPS anti-discrimination project. The comparative framework developed for the project is profiled and summary findings are organised into thematic dimensions. Wide variations in service organisation were evident, providing particular challenges for those involved in cross-national research or social work practice. Key variation was evident between local and national systems, the varying impact of generic and specialist community care and the degree of individualisation in services, with various structural, funding and policy barriers to integrated social work and ongoing de-institutionalisation evident. Development priorities for inclusive and anti-discriminatory practice included individual funding and planning, self-advocacy and user involvement in quality management.     

Using a peer action learning approach in the implementation of communication and information technology in social work education

This paper reports on a peer group learning process developed within a School of Social Work to facilitate the implementation of intra-net sites to support all modules provided on a Masters Diploma in Social Work course. Based on principles of action learning, an exposition of the approach taken illuminates the value of using collective peer learning among a team of educators, especially when implementing teaching and learning methodologies which are relatively new and unfamiliar. Within the context of this demonstration, the importance of ongoing critical reflection about the use of C&IT resources to enhance learning and teaching is highlighted. The paper ends with a commentary on how learning from this process has enabled participants to become more advanced users of C&IT--advanced, not just in terms of the technical competence required to provide C&IT resources but also in terms of their ability to reflect critically on the pedagogical concerns. Possibilities for continuation and transferability of the learning process within social work education are considered.     

Cognitive change and learning from practice: A longitudinal study of social work students

Anti-racist and black perspectives signalled a significant shift in the discourse on oppression in social work practice and education. However, the contributions of such perspectives have not been recognised and documented fully. This paper presents a review of the contributions of anti-racist and black perspectives to anti-discriminatory practice. It also offers a critique of the limitations of anti-racist ideas and suggests that the way forward is not to reinforce a 'flight' from anti-racism, but to build on the gains of anti-racist ideas and struggles in social work practice towards developing a more integrated understanding of oppression. This paper is written from the perspective of a black man from African background.     

How schools of social work perceive and are responding to juvenile violence: a national survey

Following a trend of decreasing youth violence crimes in the 1990s, incidents of multiple victim shootings on school campuses by juvenile perpetrators brought renewed focus on the youth violence problem. Tougher criminal justice policies indicated a change in purpose of the juvenile justice system from rehabilitation to punishment and accountability. Effects of this change on the well being of youth should be a concern of social work, especially given the large number of students choosing school social work as their focus. This study surveyed all schools of social work in the continental US, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico about their perceptions of youth violence and the methods they are using to educate their students about the problem. Findings indicated a wide diversity of perceptions and methods used to address the problem. Suggestions for incorporating juvenile violence into the curriculum and giving students interested in working with this population experience are offered.     

Trends in higher education in Canada and implications for social work education

Canada, like other countries around the globe, is facing new challenges and opportunities with respect to post-secondary education. Trends in higher education in Canada include rising enrolments and falling revenues; a focus on enhancing employability of graduates through experiential and interactive learning; increased calls for accountability through the assessment of teaching and learning; and the rise of technology-enabled teaching and learning. Social work education is, in many ways, well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities presented by these trends due to the focus on case-based learning and practicum education, the focus on assessment of practice competencies as learning outcomes, and the long-standing commitment to teaching innovation and excellence. Nevertheless, meeting fiscal challenges and finding ways to exploit new technologies will require creativity and the development of an expanded body of research on social work education.     

Dilemmas between law and ethics in Czech social work

In many situations social workers face the necessity of making a decision. One of the most frequent scenarios of making a choice is the dilemma of whether to intervene or not. The choice itself is conditioned on the one hand by the obligation to comply with the relevant legal requirements and on the other by the necessity of respecting ethical values, rules and principles. One often encounters a situation when the legal requirements and ethical conduct appear in mutual contradiction. This essay will deal with the possible concept of the relationship between law and ethics giving examples of dilemmas between ‘confidentiality’ and the ′informing or reporting obligation′ in the context of Czech social work.