Caroline Humphrey - Becoming a Social Worker: A Guide for Students

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Becoming a Social Worker

Becoming a Social Worker

A Guide for Students

Caroline Humphrey

Caroline Humphrey 2011

First published 2011

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

SAGE Publications Ltd
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London EC1Y 1SP

SAGE Publications Inc.
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SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd
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SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd
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Singapore 048763

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010924169

British Library Cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-84920-057-8
ISBN 978-1-84920-058-5 (pbk)

Typeset by C&M Digitals (P) Ltd, Chennai, India
Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padsow, Cornwall
Printed on paper from sustainable resources

Contents

Acknowledgements

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this book possible by sharing with me their stories of social work education. First and foremost are the students who completed surveys, signed up for interviews and volunteered their portfolios from placements. They invested time and energy in this endeavour, often disclosing sensitive material about their personal and professional journeys for the sake of enhancing the education of future generations of students. Second are the social work educators whose stories about teaching, supervision and assessment provided a richer background context to understanding student learning. Finally, I am grateful for institutional support in the form of a HEFCE grant and a period of research leave for the writing of this textbook.

List of Illustrations

List of Abbreviations

Research Data

---

CH	Interviewer (author)
P	Portfolio report (from placement)
S	Students voice (from interview)
T	Teachers voice (from interview)

Professional Terms

---

AYE	Assessed year in employment
CPD	Continuing professional development
ICT	Information and communication technology
NQSW	Newly qualified social worker
PCS	Personal-cultural-structural (a model of anti-oppressive practice)
PLA	Practice learning assessor (i.e. a qualified practice teacher)
PLO	Practice learning opportunity (i.e. an agency placement)
PLO1	Initial placement (usually in the independent sector)
PLO2	Final placement (usually in the statutory sector)
PQ	Post-qualification
SWIT	Social worker in training

Institutional Acronyms

---

BASW	British Association of Social Workers
CCW	Care Council for Wales
CWDC	Childrens Workforce Development Council
DCSF	Department of Children, Schools and Families (now Department of Education)
DfES	Department for Education and Skills (now Department of Education)
DH	Department of Health
ESWDET	Evaluation of Social Work Degree in England Team
GSCC	General Social Care Council
NISCC	Northern Ireland Social Care Council
NSPCC	National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
QAA	Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
SSSC	Scottish Social Services Council
SWTF	Social Work Task Force (England)
TOPSS	Training Organisation for the Personal Social Services (now Skills for Care)
UK	United Kingdom
USA	United States of America

Preface

Although this introductory textbook covers the traditional subject matter of social work education, it is distinctive insofar as it is grounded upon real-life stories supplied during a research project.

The research was conducted during 200408 in England. The main focus was upon students undertaking a BA in Social Work programme and the main methods of data collection were:

• surveys at the beginning and end of the programme with a cohort of 80 students
• interviews with 30 students at different stages of the programme
• six focus groups convened during initial placements
• reading of 40 portfolios, 15 from initial placements and 25 from final placements.

This was supplemented by interviews with 30 social work educators. The majority were qualified practice teachers in the community, some of whom occupied management roles, but a few academic tutors and unqualified agency supervisors were also involved in these interviews. The result is that this book is able to go behind the scenes in social work education in various ways.

offers an introduction to social work in the UK, along with an invitation to students to engage with their programmes and the profession as adult learners. It provides a map of personal and political journeys into the social work profession based upon surveys and interviews. It examines styles of teaching and learning in university and community settings, and includes reference to the hidden curriculum and practicum where aspects of students biographies are brought to the foreground simply by virtue of studying social problems and practising social work. Reflecting upon our own biographies can be just as vital to the social work journey as any official requirements.

settings. It unpackages the meaning of practice wisdom and shows how students develop into critically reflective practitioners. Case examples from interviews and portfolios are provided in relation to each of the Key Roles against which students are assessed, and in relation to the value dilemmas encountered by students during placements. Making mistakes and achieving breakthroughs are equally vital on any learning journey, and the case studies pay attention to both aspects of students journeys.

attends to the practicalities of becoming a qualified practitioner and embarking upon a social work career. It offers guidance to students on how to maximise their chances for success in academic assignments and practice placements, and how to maximise their chances for surviving and thriving in the real world of social work.

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