Studying for your Social Work Degree

Hilary Walker

• Publisher: Learning Matters
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9780857253828
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Work
• Index: Social Sciences

This fully-revised new edition looks at how students can make the most from their time studying on the social work degree. Focusing on each of the three years of study, the author skilfully unpicks the critical thinking, reflection and study skills essential for the completion of the degree. There are sections on autonomous learning, writing academically, communication skills and developing critical analysis and argument. This second edition has more information on how students learn, what makes for excellence in social work research, and how students can successfully integrate their skills with their practice.

Part One Practice Implications of Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations

Chapter 1 Beginning your Social Work Education and Training

Achieving a Social Work Degree

This chapter will help you to meet the following National Occupational Standards.

Key Role 6: Demonstrate professional competence in social work practice.

• Work within agreed standards of social work practice and ensure own professional development.
• Research, analyse and use current knowledge of best social work practice.

It will introduce you to the following academic standards set out in the social work subject benchmark statement.

Subject knowledge and understanding.

• 5.1.1 Social work services, service users and carers.
• 5.1.2 The service delivery context.
• 5.1.3 Values and ethics.
• 5.1.4 Social work theory.
• 5.1.5 The nature of social work practice.

Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to help you to think about some important aspects of the degree in social work and what you will need to consider when embarking on your studies. It will identify what a social work degree encompasses and provide you with some ways of approaching the challenge in a positive and constructive way.

After reading this chapter you should be able to:

• understand what will be expected of you when studying for the degree in social work;
• appreciate the particular characteristics of social work education;
• identify what knowledge, skills and experience you bring to the course;
• discover some effective ways for you to study, learn and develop.

The Degree in Social Work

As discussed in the Introduction, studying for any undergraduate degree is a demanding undertaking. For students studying for the degree in social work there are particular features and requirements which provide added challenges. In the first part of this chapter we will explore these and highlight the implications for students.

The Degree in Social Work Provides a Generic Qualification; You will Need to Develop a Broad Overview Understanding of Social Work

The qualification you receive at the end of your training enables you to practise across different settings (fieldwork, residential, day care, community) and with all service user groups. In practice however, social work is now usually specialised – a social worker may be working in services for children and families and within that have a specialisation in safeguarding children or fostering. Further, increasingly social workers are working in multi-disciplinary teams consisting of a number of other professionals. During your practice placements you will develop greater knowledge, skills and understanding in at least two different settings and with different service user groups. Once you have qualified you should have the opportunity to achieve a specialist post-qualifying award in the area of social work you have chosen. However, when studying for the degree you will need to think broadly about the very wide range of services, agencies, settings and service users which make up contemporary social work. The examples in this book have been drawn from different contexts to assist with this.

Incorporating the Perspectives of People who Use the Services of Social Workers

Warren (2007, p2) notes that the participation and involvement of service users and carers has become a key issue in current social work policy, practice, research and education. People who use social services and carers may be involved in the selection of students, teaching and assessment on your course. When studying on a social work degree, thinking deeply about and actively taking into consideration the experiences and perspectives of people who use services and those of carers are an essential requirement (Department of Health, 2002). This means that you will have to give careful attention to the various ways of expanding your understanding of these perspectives.

There are several ways in which you can learn more about the views of service users. Firstly, you can read the Statement of Expectations (TOPSS, 2002b) – a document put together by a focus group of service users and carers when the degree was being developed. This states with great clarity what people who use services and carers value from social workers, and can provide a challenge to the thinking and practice of student social workers. Secondly, it is of course expected that student social workers will listen actively to the people with whom they are working on placement, in order to learn more about their lives and experiences. Thirdly, there is a growing literature which presents research into the views and voices of people who use services and carers (for example: Harding and Beresford, 1996; Beresford/Shaping Our Lives National User Network, 2007; Cree and Davis, 2007; DfES, 2006a; Doel and Best, 2008; Bell and Wilson, 2006; Manthorpe et al., 2008; Twigg, 2000).

Sometimes students seem to find it difficult to bring this understanding of people's experiences, thoughts and feelings into their academic essays and assignments. This is one of the challenges of the degree in social work – to be able to integrate, or blend, academic ideas and personal perspectives. However, it is essential as it is part of learning to practise social work in a way that is respectful to the lives of people who use services and carers. This will be a theme throughout the book.

Social Work is a Profession Based on a Set of Ethical Values

From its beginnings social work has paid close attention to its values – or what is regarded as important or valuable. It has been understood that the decisions and actions of social workers, and how they go about their work, can have potential for benefit or for harm. All student social workers must learn about and be able to demonstrate these values. They must register with the General Social Care Council (GSCC), or the relevant regulatory body in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and be bound by its code of practice, which contains a set of ethical principles (GSCC, 2002). So, from the beginning of your studies you will be learning how abstract concepts, such as values and ethical principles, are relevant to practice. This will be discussed further in Chapter 2.

In order to set the scene for your studies, I have introduced the degree in social work, explored some important aspects and highlighted some of its complexities. With this in mind, in the rest of the chapter we will consider some helpful ways of getting down to studying.

Studying for your Degree in Social Work

About You

Some of you may bring to your course a great deal of experience of life and work together with previous knowledge and useful, relevant skills – so you have plenty to build on and lots to contribute to other people's learning. However, there may be aspects of studying with which you are not familiar. Others might have some recent experience of studying but limited experience of social work issues. The following activity is designed to help you to become more self-aware of what you bring with you to the course.

Activity 1.1

Try to take a step back and think about yourself, and answer the questions set out below.

• What experience, knowledge and skills do you bring to the course?
• What aspects of the course do you feel fairly comfortable about tackling?
• What aspects of the course might be a real challenge for you?

Record your answers to these questions and note the date.

Case Study

Answers from Three Students

Nicola Wilson (37 years) wrote as follows.

• I feel rather worried as I have not very much experience of social work. Lots of other people seem to know more than me and have worked in social care for years. But I do have two teenage children, a boy and a girl, and their friends often come and tell me their problems. Often my house is like a youth club. Sometimes I try to help my daughter's friends get on better with their parents by helping them to see each other's point of view. I suppose these might be like social work skills. I did the access course at the FE college and spent two weeks on placement in a day centre for older people and I got on with them really well – they were really sweet. The access course helped me get back to reading and now I'm really into it. Also I learnt how to organise an essay.
• I think I will do the reading OK and maybe the writing. But I am not that confident – I'm sure other people will be more clever than me.
• I am very anxious about the placements, and real-life clients. I'm a bit worried I may not be able to give them what they need and they might get angry.

Dan Mitchell (29 years) wrote as follows.

• I've got plenty of social work knowledge and experience – so that is no problem. Been working in family support for years and really just need the academic bit to get the piece of paper that means I can get paid more. I suppose ...