Dual Role Transition among First Time Pregnant Social Work Student Trainees

Since most social work student trainees are women of child bearing age, every year at least some of them become pregnant in the course of their fieldwork. This study investigates the dual transitions of becoming a mother while becoming a professional among 10 married social work student trainees whose fieldwork training coincided with their first pregnancy. The findings obtained from a cross-case thematic analysis of the contents of semi-structured interviews show that these trainees come to their fieldwork preoccupied with their pregnancy, torn between that and their clients, and feeling guilty and, in some cases, professionally inadequate as a result. They also show that some of them cope with their pregnancies by pushing themselves to over-function in matters that do not involve direct client interaction. The paper ends with practical recommendations to help pregnant trainees free up room for their clients' needs by providing them with opportunities to talk about their own.     

Learning from Our Mistakes: An Autopsy of an Unsuccessful University–Community Collaboration

A challenge facing social work education is how to enhance its connection to local communities. To this end, university and community collaborations have grown in popularity to address community needs and to augment student learning. The research literature indicates that there are many factors—from designs to guidelines—that drive successful collaborations. Building on the lessons from that research, this article provides a case study about a service-learning collaboration between a community organization and a masters-level social work course in the United States that was ultimately unsuccessful. Through stakeholder interviews and reflections, the authors provide several suggestions to improve future collaborations. These suggestions include the following. First, increase accountability for students and agency staff. Second, conduct an orientation session at the agency that includes necessary agency staff. Third, be mindful of cultural differences between organizations. Finally, restrict the number of service-learning options for students.     

Children-at-Risk from Poor Nutrition: Advancing the Approach and Practice of Students of Social Work

Limited attention has been given in the social work profession to working with children-at-risk from poor nutrition despite the detrimental effect that lack of proper nutrition can have on the development of children. A study examining the extent of inclusion of nutrition-related-components in work with children-at-risk, the frequency of inclusion of these components and the barriers hindering their inclusion was conducted with 126 social work students in Israel. The findings indicate that there is less emphasis on nutrition-related components than on psycho-social components, a low frequency of including this subject in assessment and intervention of children-at-risk, and a low level of collaboration with specialists in the area of nutrition. In addition, it was found that knowledge-based barriers and, to a lower extent, institutional-related systemic barriers may hinder future professionals' capabilities to incorporate those components, despite their favorable approach towards this subject. The findings illuminate a need to advance a more balanced approach between the bio and the psycho-social aspects in academic and training programs. There is also a need to reduce the barriers about knowledge relevant for social workers in situations of poor nutrition and to advance an interdisciplinary orientation with specialists in this area.     

Social Work Students' Feelings and Concerns about the Ending of their Fieldwork Supervision

This qualitative study examines the feelings and concerns of 80 social work students at the ending of their fieldwork supervision. The findings show that students who described good relationships reported mixed or ambivalent feelings about the ending, deriving from their warm feelings of attachment, on the one hand, and from their drive to grow and develop, on the other. Those who described poor or fair relationships were spared feelings of sadness or loss, but they were also left without good feelings and with little ability to express their bad ones. The paper offers practical suggestions for improving the supervisory process and ending the fieldwork supervision.     

Learning Style Preferences of Undergraduate Social Work Students

It has been identified that undergraduate social work students have distinctive learning needs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the learning style preferences of a group of undergraduate social work students enrolled at a large Australian university. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory, Index of Learning Styles and Success Types Learning Style Type Indicator was distributed to 606 students enrolled in an undergraduate social work degree at one metropolitan Australian university. A total of 116 questionnaires were returned, providing a response rate of 19.14%. The results indicated that converging and assimilating, intuitive and sensing, thinking, judging and perceiving learning styles were favoured by this group of social work students. It is recommended that educators understand and take into consideration the learning style preferences of undergraduate social work students when developing curricula and evaluating teaching approaches, especially when planning and implementing education initiatives. This will help create effective learning environments, appropriate learning opportunities and a contemporary curriculum for social work students.     

Employers' Experiences and Views of Grow Your Own Social Work Programmes: A Qualitative Interview Study

In the light of expressed support for Grow Your Own or employer sponsored schemes for social work training, this article explores why they are not so frequently adopted. It draws on findings from a multi-method study of GYO activities and outcomes in England, in particular interviews with 27 participants from 20 organisations employing social workers and funding GYO activity. These interviews revealed that GYO was seen as a means to recruit and retain new social workers, specifically to recruit workers who were able to start practice immediately and needed minimal support, but also to widen access to the profession and to demonstrate evidence of the employers' wider commitment to its non-qualified staff by providing a career pathway. Not all those interviewed were able to provide firm data as evidence of their belief in the value of GYO schemes. The article concludes that the reasons for the decline in GYO schemes lie in the sizeable investment required to develop and sustain them. It identifies some mismatch between the need for immediate solutions to workforce shortages and the longer-term investment in students and in workforce development staff who are necessary to reap the benefits of such schemes.     

Social Work Sense and Sensibility: A Framework for Teaching an Integrated Perspective

The divisions between ‘micro practice’ and ‘macro practice’ are often traced to historical splits between the originating strands of the social work profession. These splits have been reified in social work education and in institutional settings that largely focus on particular aspects of practice. We argue that this split has been overly polarized and, more importantly, disregards the science and ethics of social work—what we call the sense and sensibility of the profession. Science requires that we recognize the complexity of human activity; ethics require that we alleviate individual suffering and work to attack its root causes. Social work sense and sensibility interweave expectations that practice, policy, theory and research understandings must all be informed by, and inform, ethical social work practice. This bridging framework can help educators respond to calls for connecting all levels and types of social work practice.     

Rotational Field Placements: Integrative Review and Application to Gerontological Social Work

Despite the long held social work tradition of year-long field placements, there is a growing trend among social work programs in the United States to include a rotational field placement (RFP) track, particularly for gerontology students. Through the RFP program, students rotate systematically between multiple placement sites within the academic school year. Inclusion of RFP models represents a decisive break from traditional field practicum models, raising fundamental questions with regards to educational outcomes and student experience. This article provides a comprehensive review of available empirical data on social work RFP programs, summarizing the benefits, risks and problem areas associated with such models as well as model design options and added structural supports social work programs have used to bolster the success of their RFP programs.     

‘Why is This Not Social Work?’ The Contribution of ‘Non-Traditional’ Placements in Preparing Social Work Students for Practice

This article reports on the findings of two evaluations of a major charity's learning from providing ‘non-traditional’ social work placements with young people at risk of social exclusion. The article challenges the terminology of ‘non-traditional’ and ‘non-social work’ placements and examines the potential of these placements in the current social work curriculum and in the light of the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force and directions from the Social Work Reform Board. In particular, the article highlights the ability of such placements to help prepare students for their ‘statutory placement’ in relation to formal assessment, legal literacy, and risk awareness and safeguarding. Overall, it is argued that the time is ripe to champion the creative use of such placements for HEIs, delivery partners, social work students and, most importantly, for service users.