Sara Miller McCune founded SAGE Publishing in 1965 to support the dissemination of usable knowledge and educate a global community. SAGE publishes more than 1000 journals and over 800 new books each year, spanning a wide range of subject areas. Our growing selection of library products includes archives, data, case studies and video. SAGE remains majority owned by our founder and after her lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures the companys continued independence.
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2017 Peter Scourfield
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017935032
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ISBN 978-1-4739-8933-7 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4739-8932-0 (hbk)
Learning Matters
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About the author
Peter Scourfield first qualified as a social worker in 1984. Since then he has worked as a front-line practitioner in a variety of settings with diverse service user groups, most latterly with older and physically disabled adults. He has been involved in social work education since 2003 during which time he has been the MA Social Work Course Leader, performed the role of Practice Educator, taught a range of different modules on both the BA and MA Social Work and been both a personal tutor and a visiting practice tutor. He has also been involved in Post-Qualifying social work education. His research and writing interests, including his PhD, have predominantly been focused on older peoples experiences in the social care system. Peter is currently an Honorary Visiting Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University and a freelance writer and trainer.
Series editors preface
We have witnessed significant changes and shocks in recent years. These have resulted in numerous challenges for the wider world, and for all four countries of the UK. These include political shifts to the popular Right, a growing antipathy to care and support, and dealing with lies and alternative truths in our daily lives. Alongside this, is the need to address the impact of an increasingly ageing population with its attendant social care needs and working with the financial implications that such a changing demography brings. At the other end of the lifespan the need for high quality childcare, welfare and safeguarding services has been highlighted as society develops and responds to the changing complexion. As demand rises so do the costs and the unquestioned assumption that austerity measures are necessary continues to create tensions in services, policies and expectations.
Migration has developed as a global phenomenon and we now live and work with the implications of international issues in our everyday and local lives. Often these issues influence how we construct our social services and determine what services we need to offer. It is likely that as a social worker you will work with a diverse range of people throughout your career, many of whom have experienced significant, even traumatic, events that require a professional and caring response. As well as working with individuals, however, you may be required to respond to the needs of a particular community disadvantaged by world events or excluded within local communities because of assumptions made about them.
The importance of high quality social work education remains if we are adequately to address the complexities of modern life. We should continually strive for excellence in education as this allows us to focus clearly on what knowledge it is useful to engage with when learning to be a social worker. Questioning everything, especially from a position of knowledge is central to social work.
The books in this series respond to the agendas driven by changes brought about by professional bodies, governments and disciplinary reviews. They aim to build on and offer introductory texts based on up-to-date knowledge and to help communicate this in an accessible way, so preparing the ground for future study and for encouraging good practice as you develop your social work career. The books are written by people passionate about social work and social services and aim to instil that passion in others. The current text introduces you to the processes involved in beginning social work practice, setting the scene for exploring more specialised areas of practice and providing you with a grounding from which to enhance your learning.
Professor Jonathan Parker
Introduction
The background to the book: Readiness for Direct Practice
Originally developed by the Social Work Reform Board and the College of Social Work, the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) has formed the overarching professional standards framework for professional social work in England since 2013. Now managed and delivered by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) the PCF contains nine levels ranging from prospective student (level 1) to strategic social worker (level 9). The different levels relate to the complexity of work that someone with the identified capabilities would be able to manage ( https://www.basw.co.uk/pcf/ ). The first four levels of the PCF relate to student social workers and, of these, the second level is called Readiness for Direct Practice. The descriptor for this level explains:
By the point of assessment of readiness for direct practice (prior to first placement), students should demonstrate basic communication skills, ability to engage with users, capacity to work as a member of an organisation, willingness to learn from feedback and supervision, and demonstrate basic SW values, knowledge and skills in order to be able to make effective use of first practice placement.
