The Limits of Competence in Social Work: The Assessment of Marginal Students in Social Work Education

Summary Out of a population of 208 final year social work students,a sample is gathered of those whose fieldwork gave rise to commentby tutors. A further sample of 35 deemed to be ‘at risk’is identified, and the process by which all but four obtainedtheir Certificate of Qualification in Social Work is carefullymonitored. Among topics discussed are the need to define theprocess of assessment more clearly, the weakness of so-calledtheoretical foundations in social work practice, the risk ofmisunderstanding between fieldwork teachers (supervisors) andcourse tutors regarding their respective responsibility forjudging competence in practice, and the desirability of requiringstudents to demonstrate competence rather than expecting coursesto prove incompetence.     

A.I.D. and Adoption: Some Comparisons

Summary This paper is an attempt to put forward for discussion someof the similarities and differences between adoption and artificialinsemination by donor, as attempts to solve the problem of childlessness.The legal position and the view of the Church are briefly summarized.It is suggested that work already done in adoption, particularlywith reference to telling the child, has relevance for A.I.D.,and that there are implications for social workers.