Practice Education in Social Work

A Handbook for Practice Teachers, Assessors and Educators

Janet Walker, Karin Crawford, Jonathan Parker

• Publisher: Learning Matters
• Year: 2008
• Print ISBN: 9781844451050
• eBook ISBN: 9781844455744
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Work
• Index: Social Sciences

Written specifically for practice educators, this book examines contemporary theories and knowledge in practice learning, teaching and education, with a clear emphasis on developing the skills and practice of the individual. Another key focus of the book is to help readers to reflect on the implications of this for their role as practice educators, giving them the time and space to make proactive and informed choices. The book is structured around the new Post-Qualifying Standards for Practice Education, making it an invaluable and thoroughly comprehensive guide.

Chapter 1

What is education
in practice?

MEETING THE POST-QUALIFYING SOCIAL WORK STANDARDS

The material in this chapter links to the following Domain standards:

Domain A: Organise opportunities for the demonstration of assessed competence in practice

1. Take responsibility for creating a physical and learning environment conducive to the demonstration of assessed competence.

2. Negotiate with all participants in the workplace, including service users and carers, the appropriate learning opportunities and the necessary resources to enable the demonstration of practice competence.

5. Monitor, critically evaluate and report on the continuing suitability of the work environment, learning opportunities, and resources. Take appropriate action to address any shortcomings and optimise learning and assessment.

6. Contribute to the learning and development of the agency as a training organisation. Help to review and improve its provision, policies and procedures and identify barriers for learners.

Introduction

This chapter is intended to provide you with an overview of the context in which practice education takes place and the implications for education for practice, particularly for social work. We begin this chapter by examining definitions of ‘social work’. This will provide a basis for the next section, which explores the rapidly changing context of practice and where social work ‘fits’ within this environment, especially in engaging service users and carers. You will be invited to identify and reflect on the implications and impact of these changes both in practice and for your professional identity and role. We then turn to look at education for practice through an examination of the processes involved in qualifying for social work. Critically we will then seek to support you in identifying the roles and responsibilities of the practice educator and reflecting on the implications for you and your practice as an educator.

Defining social work

Definitions provide us with a degree of certainty about the profession in which we work; they have the potential to provide clarity, a sense of identity and purpose in a demanding professional environment in which the profession is practised, especially in the face of challenges and ambivalence to the profession of social work. Defining what ‘social work’ is could be said to be complex especially in attempting to acknowledge the breadth and depth of social work operating within complex human situations. Nevertheless we present two definitions of social work which seek to capture these complexities. Before you begin this section reflect on your own definition and understanding of social work.

ACTIVITY

How would you define ‘social work’? What do you see as it key tasks and functions? What do you see as the challenges for the profession now? Into the future?

The widely accepted definition of social work has been developed by the International Federation of Social Work (IFSW).

The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the point where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.

(IFSW, 2006 cited in Cox and Pawar, 2006: 22)

The most recent definition of social work in England has been outlined in Options for Excellence:

Social work is a problem-solving activity, carried out by the worker through relationships with the individual, family and community. Social work is usually needed when individuals, families or groups are facing a major and often life changing problem or challenge. Social workers help individuals and families to achieve the outcomes they want in the ways they prefer.

Social work has a specific focus on:

• promoting people’s ability to maximize their own capabilities and life options, including participation in education, training, employment, social and leisure activities;
• developing people’s ability to form positive relationships within their family and their social network;
• helping people to create and maintain independence, and, when this is not possible, to benefit from alternative forms of support that protect their dignity, rights and choices; and
• protecting people’s human rights, and promoting the exercise of their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

(DoH and DfES, 2006: 49)

How do these definitions compare to your own definition? The first definition is intended to encompass the global dimensions of social work; it therefore could be said to conceptualise social work in a broad sense. For everyday practice these themes may seem a little remote; nevertheless they can be identified within governance and law, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights Act 1998. The challenges of these for social workers are evident in the professional responsibilities undertaken by individual social workers: for example, for Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMPHs) in making decisions about orders for treatment. Additionally, the IFSW definition reflects the importance of relationships with the individual, for example through the empowerment of the individual, at the level of direct practice, but also acknowledges the wider political and social issues through the issue of social justice, for example structural disadvantage; issues in social exclusion. Whilst understanding of social work and the application of knowledge and skills may vary at a global level, what appears to be common to all is the acceptance of its value base and commitment to social change (Healey, 2001). The second definition identifies social work’s concern with working with individuals, families and communities; for example, the importance of relationships and face-to-face practice. It also acknowledges the importance of the context in which individuals, families and communities interact and in which social work practice takes place. However, this definition could be criticised as merely reflecting the current expectations of social work, particularly as outlined in policy documents, rather than seeking to reflect the dynamic contribution and potential of social work and social work practice.

Potentially a more workable definition for ‘everyday practice’ is offered by O’Connor et al. (2006: 9), who provide a definition based on the focus and purpose of social work practice.

The focus of social work practice is the interaction between people and social arrangements. The purpose of practice is to promote the development of equitable relationships and the development of people’s power and control over their lives, and hence to improve the interaction between people and social arrangements.

The context for social work practice

In the UK we are living through a period of radical reform of the public sector, especially that part of it that is concerned with the welfare of citizens.

(Jordan and Jordan, 2006: 13)

There has been rapid and continuous change within the social welfare sector over a number of years. This has had a significant impact on the role of those working in the social welfare system, including social workers. This can be evidenced, for example, through the impact of legislative and policy changes throughout the sector.

As Blewitt (2008) suggests, the interrelationship between policy and practice is complex and often messy; there can exist a tension for the practitioner and the organisations between all the different messages outlined in a whole number of different policy initiatives and political messages. In addition ‘social welfare organisations are complex systems and a range of unintended consequences can arise from different factors’ (2008: 239). Pressures in one service could, for example, mean that resources may be ‘channelled’ from other service areas. The ‘modernisation’ agenda has led to a rationalisation of services and a mixed economy of care in which the market-led model has been extended into all aspects of service delivery. Service delivery has been increasingly in organisations that have seen the integration of services between education and children’s services; and for adults through integration with health services. This has been underpinned by regulation and inspection regimes; internal and external performance management and quality assurance systems; and national star ratings and league tables (Hafford-Letchfield, 2006).

The growth of bureaucracy and managerialism, especially under New Labour, has been criticised for tilting the balance between organisational criteria and professional judgement (Martin et al., 2004) and for making organisations focus on administrative, procedural and organisational aspects of their role (Lymbery and Butler, 2004). However Senior and Lodes (2008) remind us that the attempt to develop criteria of risk and need has been about the equitable focus of resources. The endeavour has been to deal with individuals fairly and to ensure equitable meeting of need within the community; in addition, clear policy and procedure are seen as essential in safeguarding individuals.

The relevance of these changes for service users and carers (and citizens in general) has been an approach to wanting to empower them to be involved in the development of services: terminology such as ‘consultation’, ‘involvement’, ‘empowerment’ and ‘participation’ has been increasingly evident in the language of organisations. Policy directives (for example, Every Child Matters, DfES, 2004, and Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, DoH, 2006) have been based on substantial consultation with users and carers. The nature of practice is also changing: there is an expectation that agencies will encourage choice, promote independence and consultation, and provide cost-effective services with increasing number of service users becoming employers, through direct payments (DoH, 1996). In completing a qualification to become a social worker or undertaking post-qualifying training there is a requirement to involve service users and carers in all aspects of development and delivery of the programme of learning.

The practice of social work

It has been suggested that social work is ‘socially constructed’ (Parton and O’Byrne, 2000; Payne, 2005). This perspective proposes that there is no fixed state within social work; social work is the consequence of changing expectations of the social conditions in which social work is practised. Social work is historically and culturally determined. This is reflected in the relationship that social work has with the state; Parton (1996) suggests that it is the interrelationship with the state that determined social work rationale and legitimacy.

Within the profession there has been concern about the increasing bureaucratisation and trend towards greater regulation, surveillance and inspection (Adams et al., 2005b). This is seen as an attempt to reduce the potential of risk and harm to users of service; it can also b...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• List of Boxes
• Foreword from the Series Editor
• About the authors
• Introduction
• 1 What is education in practice?
• 2 What is learning?
• 3 What is teaching?
• 4 What is assessment?
• 5 What is supervision?
• 6 Managing and developing practice learning experiences
• 7 What about me?
• Summary
• Appendix: Guidance on the Assessment of Practice in the Workplace
• References
• Index