Curriculum Designs for Social Work Education: Some Problems and Possibilities

Correspondence to Ms V. Coulshed, Head of School, School of Social Work, Tasmanian Institute of Technology, Tasmania 7250, Australia Summary Internationally, social work programmes continue to seek curriculumdesigns which are coherent, integrated and encourage the transferof learning from one knowledge area to another. In the UK, theCentral Council for Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW),has proposed a new form of training: by lengthening the periodof training, collaborating more closely with agencies and ensuringspecial competence in at least one sphere, the CCETSW plansto provide the l99( with a highly competent work-force. Thispaper explores the feasibility of so doing within a three-yearfoundation course. It examines some of the existing problemsin course content and structure which the new programmes, farfrom remedying, may actually worsen. Some beginning thoughtson models of curriculum design, which offer possibilities forcoherence, integration and knowledge transfer are suggested.     

What Can an Evaluation of the AGESW Predissertation Fellows Program Tell Us about the Mentoring Needs of Doctoral Students?

ABSTRACT

Good mentoring is a key variable for determining success in completing a doctoral program. The Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW) provides leadership in the areas of gerontological social work education, research, and policy. In 2010, AGESW began offering the Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program (PDFP) to enhance social work doctoral students’ professional development and skillset for academia. The purpose of this study was to examine student participants’ perceptions of the PDFP in its role to providing mentorship and training for an academic position that encompasses research, teaching and professional service. This qualitative study examined eight cohorts (2010–2018) of the AGESW PDFP (N = 85). Participants identified a number of aspects of professional development gained, gratitude for the training, an appreciation for candid advice received, and areas of professional development they felt they were lacking within their doctoral training. Implications for doctoral education, doctoral mentorship programs, and the AGESW pre-dissertation program are discussed. Further, programs such as AGESW pre-dissertation fellowship program can serve as a model for other doctoral training initiatives to prepare students to work in academia.     

The Effectiveness of Social Work in an Alternative School for High School Dropouts

A Graduate School of Social Work and a Private Alternative School collaborated to develop an educational treatment program for high school dropout youth. The treatment program incorporated a mutual aid framework which was administered in the context of a multi-component treatment program. The treatment program is described in some detail including a Social Group Work approach for intervening with the youth. The outcomes of participants were evaluated utilizing several pretest to post-test measures of behavioral and academic functioning. An external criteria for success was also used. T-test analysis of pretest to post-test changes showed statistically significant progress on several measures. Analysis of the external criteria indicated a 73% success rate.     

工科大学社会工作专业实习基地建设探索

社会工作是一门为社会弱势群体提供专业服务促进社会和谐的新专业,近十年社会工作教育发展迅速。从中国社会工作教育协会的统计资料看,已经有200多所大学开设了社会工作专业。文章从笔者所在院校新办的社会工作专业出发,探讨社会工作专业实习基地建设与社工人才培养的辩证关系。     

谈社会工作多媒体教学中视频素材的使用

强调社会工作多媒体教学中视频素材的使用,是提高社会工作多媒体教学效果的应有之义,是对社会工作专业学生进行专业素养训练的便捷途径。在社会工作多媒体教学中使用视频素材时,要综合考虑社会工作专业的培养目标、课程目标,作为受众的社会工作专业学生的特点及视频素材本身的特点等多个方面,做到对视频素材合理、有效的使用。此外,还要注意以下的问题:教师要做到处处留心,注意广泛搜集素材,建立丰富的视频素材库;要充分挖掘所使用视频素材中有价值的教学因素;要注意视频素材的使用方式;在使用自制视频素材时,要注意一些伦理方面的问题。同时也要做到与其它教学方法的恰当结合。     

The Portuguese Version of the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II – Assessment Subscale: Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties

The current study aimed to test the fit of the Portuguese version of the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II – Assessment subscale (GSWCS-A) and explore its factor structure and psychometric properties in a sample of 534 social workers working in the gerontology field. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that all items presented good factor loadings and that the single-component model fit the data well. The GSWCS-A showed very good internal consistency. Despite the existence of different theoretical perspectives on Social Work, which frame the required competencies for professional practice, the GSWCS-A Portuguese version revealed similitudes with studies conducted in other countries. Nevertheless, the different factor structures (single-component vs. bi-factorial) may indicate that different competencies are being emphasised in terms of professional training. To sum, the GSWCS-A may be a short and useful self-report instrument for addressing social workers’ assessment competencies in the gerontology setting.     

社会管理背景下拓展社会工作专业方向的思考——基于重庆科技学院2011级社会工作人才培养方案改革实践

目前我国社会工作专业教育在不断探索中发展,但到目前都还不能确定地说中国的社会工作专业教育有了确定的方向。专业社会工作是嵌入在一定的社会、经济、文化和政治体制之中的,社会工作专业人才培养也必须紧密结合一国的政治、文化和社会管理体制及发展变化。根据我国加强和创新社会管理体制改革要求,文章首先分析社会工作与社会管理的关系,两者在理念、方法及内容上都有着密切联系。然后在重庆科技学院2011级社会工作人才培养方案研制过程中,将社会工作纳入中国特色社会主义和谐社会建设的管理与服务工作这个范畴。所以,社会工作专业人才培养模式在大社工理念下,可以尝试建立两个专业方向:社会管理方向和社会服务方向。     

Maintenance of the Effect of Training in Communication Skills: A Controlled Follow-Up Study of Level of Communicated Empathy

Correspondence to Per Nerdrum, Faculty of Economics, Public Administration, and Social Work, Oslo College, Tjernveien 12, 0957 Oslo, Norway Summary The long-term effectiveness of a communication skills coursewas tested in a controlled study of two matched groups of socialwork students. The program group participated in a 50-hour communicationskills training course in addition to ordinary concept training,while the control group participated in social work concepttraining only. In the follow-up period, the groups engaged insimilar field practice. Both groups were assessed with regardto level of communicated empathy both before and after the three-monthtraining, as well as at 18-month follow-up. At the end of thetraining period, the program group showed a significant increasein the level of communicated empathy, while the control groupdid not. The program group not only maintained, but slowly increased,its level of communicated empathy. The control group also showeda small increase after the training period, but the differencebetween the groups was maintained. The interaction of specificcommunication training and field practice after training inthe process of acquiring and maintaining increased levels ofcommunicated empathy is discussed.     

The Use of IASWG Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups in Supervision of Group Work Practitioners

This article describes a model for supervision for practicing group leaders. The content and process of the model is participant driven, with the International Association for Social Work with Groups Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups used as a core element to guide development of the model as well as the support offered by the supervisor and participants.     

Going to Camp Together: Lighting the Group Work Fire in a New Generation

This article describes the structure and process of Group Work Camp, an experiential training program sponsored by the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG). The purpose of this 3-day event, which offers workshops and activities in a camp environment, is to transmit the skills, culture, and philosophy of social work with groups to students and new professionals. Camp also aims to connect participants to the group work community through interaction with skilled and enthusiastic professionals and educators. Participants live together as a large group and engage in ever-changing small groups. They learn primarily by experiencing group membership in the present moment, reflecting on this experience, and then discussing its implications. As the Chinese proverb says, “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand.” In the course of this experiential learning process participants develop strong connections with peers and mentors and become familiar with IASWG, a resource for support and stimulation that will be invaluable as they pursue group work practice in an environment likely to isolate them from group work peers. The article ends with a discussion of the implications of this model for group work education, supervision, and practice.     

Two Faculty Groups’ Process in Delivering a Joint MSW Program: Evaluating the Outcome

ABSTRACT

In 1995, two state universities’ Schools of Social Work, 30 miles apart, agreed to implement a joint master's of social work program. In 2011, the Council on Social Work Education reaccredited the program. This qualitative study describes the stages of development of the group of faculty members based on Tuckman's perspective. Through surveys, interviews, and focus-group reports, a combination of convenience and purposive subsamples with a total of 22 participants provided data on the program strengths and limitations, as well as the new trends identified in the field of social work. The findings of this exploratory design study include program strengths such as availability of personal and technical resources, adequate faculty communication processes, and their willingness to change and embrace innovations. The program limitations include the diversity of faculty members and their different subcultures, the large number of students, and the recurrent disruptions of the distance-learning technology system. The inclusion of new trends in the field of social work is required to effectively educate students to meet their future clients’ expectations. Due to its qualitative methodology using nonprobability sampling strategies and a small sample size, the generalizability of this study is limited.     

福利机构老年人的人际关系压力问题及应对策略探析

本文采用质性研究方法,通过对北京市某社会福利机构5位老人的深度访谈搜集资料,旨在对机构老年人所面临的人际关系压力问题进行探析.研究发现,机构老年人的人际关系压力主要集中在时间安排、生活习惯、阶层差异和团体活动等方面;其原因则具有年龄、地域、性格、沟通能力、生活经历、价值观等方面的多样性;而老年人在应对这些压力的过程中表...     

Clinical social work education in palliative and end-of-life care: relational approaches for advanced practitioners

This paper describes the first post-Master's program in the US in end-of-life care for social workers. Developed at the Smith College School for Social Work, this program used innovative relational methods in student recruitment, curricular design, supervision, and leadership development, based upon input from the faculty, students, and field supervisors. Collaborations emerged with funders, agencies, and programs nationally. The program was based on a pedagogical stance that clinical work with dying people requires the capacity to be fully present- in individual, group, and family work; in interdisciplinary meetings; and in advocating for quality and equity of care-while attending to diverse and at-risk populations. Students deepened their clinical skills and took leadership in the field of end-of-life care.     

Challenges to Treating the Elderly Latino Substance Abuser

Summary

The Friendly Companion Program was initiated in May of 1999 to enhance social support for VAMC Northport Nursing Home residents who have infrequent or no visitation by family, friends, or significant others. Friendly Companions are adult and youth volunteers who make a commitment to visit residents on a regular basis. The resulting relationship appears to stimulate increased social interaction and maximize quality of life for nursing home residents. The program is considered part of the overall patient clinical care with multi-disciplinary involvement for volunteer training, patient referral, and evaluation by staff and patients. Social Work Performance Improvement measures and outcomes are discussed.     

社会工作专业双语教学实践——基于南京人口管理干部学院的经验

社会工作是中国一个新兴的专业,中国社会工作教育的现状和社会工作专业本身的特点为社会工作专业开展双语教学提供了平台,同时开展社会工作双语教学是必要性、可行的。南京人口管理干部学院社会工作系开展社会工作双语教学的十年来的实践说明开展社会工作专业双语教学也是行之有效的。     

社会工作专业人才培养模式本土化建设的理念与实践——以沈阳化工大学为例

进一步加强和完善我国高校社会工作专业人才培养模式的本土化建设,是目前高校社会工作专业建设的重要任务之一,是高质量全面提高高校社会工作专业教育教学水平的有效途径,是进一步加强和完善我国社会建设、提高社会管理科学化水平的重要基础。我们认为做好我国高校社会工作专业人才培养模式本土化建设工作的基本前提是思路清晰、认识到位,坚实基础是选好模式、凝炼特色,关键环节是师资培训、实务建设。     

Psycho-educational support groups for older women victims of family mistreatment: a pilot study

Few programs for domestic violence victims have been evaluated for effectiveness. This gap is even more pronounced for elder abuse service interventions. The study presented here is intended to address this gap by using an experimental research design to evaluate outcomes of an elder mistreatment psycho-social support group pilot for cognitively unimpaired older female victims of mistreatment by family members and significant others for whom they are providing care or support. The support group model used for the study adapts amodel designed by NOVA House, an elder abuse shelter program in Manitoba, Canada. The study was funded by the Hartford Foundation Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program. While the significance of study findings is limited by the small number of pilot participants, the model intervention and evaluation instrument developed for the study may be utilized for study replication.     

Developing geriatric social work competencies for field education

Preparing social workers to effectively practice with the growing older population requires the identification of geriatric competencies for the profession. The John A. Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative provided the impetus and direction for a national strategy to improve the quality of preparation of geriatric social workers. The Geriatric Social Work Practicum Partnership Program (PPP) is the project with the Hartford Initiative that emphasizes field education. The Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium (GSWEC), one of the PPP programs, initiated the development of competencies for work with older adults. GSWEC utilized Geriatric Social Work White Papers and the pioneering work of the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Strengthening Aging and Gerontology Education for Social Work's (SAGE-SW) comprehensive competency list as well as conducted focus groups locally to delineate key competencies for field education. The Coordinating Center for the PPP, located at the New York Academy of Medicine, led in collaboratively developing knowledge based skill competencies for geriatric social work across all 6 demonstration sites (11 universities). The competencies adopted across sites include skills in the following five major domains: values and ethics; assessment (individuals and families, aging services, programs and policies); practice and interventions (theory and knowledge in practice, individual and family, aging services, programs and practice) interdisciplinary collaboration; and evaluation and research. The identified competencies have proven effective in evaluating students (n = 190) pre- and post PPP field education. The implications for further development of competency driven education for geriatric social work are discussed.     

The Smith College Program in Psychiatric Social Work: A Pioneering Contribution to Veteran Mental Health

ABSTRACT

On 7 July 1918, 68 women arrived on the Smith College campus in Northampton, Massachusetts, to learn how to assist in the treatment of shell-shocked soldiers and veterans of the Great War. The Training School of Psychiatric Social Work was the first academic program organized to teach mental health professionals about what today is called posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to equip them to treat those suffering from it. This essay addresses three questions about this program: How and why did the Smith College Training School of Psychiatric Social Work come into being? What was the experience of those who taught and learned there? What effect did the Training School have on the treatment of PTSD in the postwar years?     

社会工作专业教育课程设计模式的人文主义取向

社会工作专业教育课程设计模式的讨论与探索对于本土化社会工作专业人才的培养规格相当重要。尽管在西方社会工作专业教育发展的历程中出现过很多有特色的模式,但专业本身的性质决定了社会工作教育课程设计模式必须更多的强调实践与反思。本文认为人文主义取向是建构当下适合中国本土化和符合社会工作专业人才培养目标教育模式必须要考虑的主要因素。