Student to Practitioner: A Study of Preparedness for Social Work Practice

Abstract

Australian social work graduates face an increasingly complex work environment where the role of the social worker is often overlooked or misunderstood. In order to examine the anticipated and concrete practice reality for social workers, this qualitative study examined the expectations of social work students preparing to enter the workforce (n=29) and the experiences of new social work graduates in the workplace (n=9). Findings suggest that undergraduates have a realistic understanding of the challenges they would encounter in practice, including anticipated value and ethical conflicts, and allied professions' conceptions of the social work role. They did not anticipate the busyness of the workplace or the level of supervision offered.     

Student Reflections on Vulnerability and Self-awareness in a Social Work Skills Course

Self-awareness is generally considered core to effective social work education and professional practice. This paper examines student reflections on personal vulnerability and self-awareness in social, educational, and professional contexts. Ethics approval and student consent was obtained to analyse entries from the online learning component of a second year interpersonal skills course. The week 7 workshop, which focused on the concept of self-awareness, was contextualised and triggered by an online viewing of a relevant TED talk on the power of vulnerability. Qualitative analysis of student entries from this week revealed three core themes: (a) a provocative stimulus, which emphasised the usefulness and challenging nature of the TED talk in the context of workshop learning; (b) vulnerability, scarcity, and blame, which highlighted student identification with stimuli material and their emerging self-awareness; and (c) the importance of self-awareness and connection, which illuminated the students’ beginning applications of theory to practice.

IMPLICATIONS

• Interpersonal skills courses can be well supported by a diverse range of online and classroom stimuli.

• The intentional scaffolding of self-reflective activities can support early skills development and promote self-awareness.

• The analysis of student reflections can contribute to effective and responsive curriculum design.

     

From Migrants to Citizens: Muslims in Britain 1950s-1990s

The British Muslim community has played a major role in the public and political discourses of the state. This article charts the experiences of Muslims in Britain. From the mid-century establishment of the community through to the late 1990s this essay explores the politicisation and identity politics of this minority group. Through the case studies of the Rushdie affair and the Honeyford affair, this article seeks to contextualise and chart the development of British Islam and its continuing journey into the public sphere.     

Social Work Educators in a Changing Higher Education Context: Looking Back and Looking Forward 1982–2005

Abstract

The present paper is based on initial findings from an online survey of Australian social work educators conducted as part of the Australian Research Council Linkage Project “Social Work in the Enterprise University: A national survey of social work educators 1982–2005”.1 1. The chief investigators in the project are Associate Professor Elizabeth Ozanne and Professor Craig McInnis, from The University of Melbourne, and Associate Professor Wendy Weeks, who sadly passed away in July 2004. The Australian Association of Social Work and Welfare Education is the industry partner in the project and the researcher is Kylie Agbim (nee Brown), PhD scholar, School of Social Work, The University of Melbourne. The article contributes to empirical data on the Australian social work education workforce and draws attention to the need for greater exploration of the challenges and opportunities confronting social work educators. It is argued that the characteristics of Australian social work academics and their visions for contemporary and future social work education are of increasing importance in a more competitive and global higher education market and in an era when the nature of welfare practice is being radically transformed. Initial findings from the 2005 national survey are compared with findings from the only previous national survey of social work educators and contemporary studies of other academic populations. The data highlight possible implications for contemporary and future social work education in universities.     

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