Embarking on a first practice placement can be an anxious experience for social work students. This textbook takes them step-by-step through the process, holding their hand through preparation for practice modules and during the course of the placement itself. Focusing on practicalities, knowledge, values and skills, the authors guide students through the challenges they may face. Chapters include numerous real-life case examples which reflect a range of varying placement contexts including different settings, service-user groups, locations and areas of practice. The book will help students become confident on placement and lead to rich placement experiences which will benefit them throughout the rest of their degree and upon entry to the profession. Your Social Work Practice Placements is essential reading for all social care students.
This practical guide will takes you step by step through your social work placement, guiding you through what you will be expected to do, and helping you to make the most of your placement. You will learn how to apply the theory and skills you′ve learnt in practice, to your own observations as well as to your placement portfolio, and how to gain the feedback you need. The books is packed full of hands-on advice, alongside a variety of learning features: student voices talking about their own placement experiences, chapter checklists, reflective tasks, and potential placement pitfalls and opportunities which demonstrate different ways to approach situations you may encounter on placement.
All social work students must undertake Practice Placements in the second and final years of their programme and the placement is a crucial area of assessment for passing the degree course. This book will help to develop student′s critical thinking, analytic and reflective skills as they progress through their two placements. It will help them build a successful practice portfolio and understand exactly how they fit into the myriad of other professionals and services that make up day to day reality of practice. Crucially, this book will also feature a chapter on developing these skills into the workplace. Uniquely, it argues that becoming a competent and thriving social worker is dependent on success in the placement.
This book provides essential knowledge and skills to address all the new social work education requirements for placements and practice learning. It will help you successfully pass your compulsory social work placement whilst meeting the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) for Social Workers and developing their professional practice. Giving examples of the PCF plus clear exercises, strategies and tips, the book: -Introduces your students to social work in the context of contemporary reforms. -Takes you through each stage of the new placement structure explaining supervision, reflective practice and critical thinking in social work. -Addresses trouble shooting and problem solving on placement. -Helps you prepare for complex casework with individuals, families, groups and communities; address risk in social work; and engage with diverse groups and communities. By using this book, you′ll be armed with the tools you need to get the most out of your placement. David Edmondson is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Manchester Metropolitan University
Focusing on practice placement programs in the United Kingdom, this useful guide provides the resources needed to support students who are struggling with or failing their placements. Drawing on her own experiences training practice educators, Jo Finch offers advice to social work practitioners, placement supervisors, practice educators, mentors, and university tutors alike. Chapters examine the signs and symptoms of a struggling student, the emotional impact and emotional processes of decision making, and strategies for working effectively with students and academic institutions. Reflection exercises also enable readers to bring these methods to their own work. Together, Finch's ideas and insights will further knowledge and engender confidence for any teachers, assessors, and supervisors working in programs with a practice learning component.
This unique core text helps BSW and MSW students structure their field placement learning around the nine CSWE professional social work competencies. Empowering students to go beyond merely completing tasks, the book facilitates mastery and integration of these competencies by elucidating key concepts and applying them to realistic competency-based case scenarios. Each user-friendly chapter—directly linked to a particular competency—promotes thought-provoking reflection about field work with critical thinking questions, a detailed case example, and an online competency reflection log template. These tools reinforce learning by connecting competencies directly to students’ internship experiences. Cases are structured to serve as models when students prepare their own cases and include a review of the competency; detailed practice settings; socioeconomic and context factors at micro, macro, and mezzo levels; a problem overview; an assessment of client strengths and weaknesses; and a closing summary. Additional learning aids include chapter opening vignettes and objectives, plus chapter summaries. Web and video links offer students a wealth of supplemental resources, and a robust instructors package provides teachers with PowerPoints, written competency assignments with grading rubrics, and discussion exercises. The print version includes free, searchable, digital access to entire contents of the book. Key Features: Integrates field placement experiences with the nine CSWE 2015 competencies Promotes thought-provoking reflection about fieldwork with detailed case studies and challenging learning tools Includes discussions of ethical dilemmas, technology, and social media to reflect growing use and the challenges associated Includes online instructors’ resources including, PowerPoints, written competency assignments with grading rubrics, and class discussion field reflection activities Print version includes free, searchable, digital access to entire contents of the book
Reflecting back on one's work to determine where one succeeded or failed is crucial in any field, but it's particularly important in social work, where mistakes can cause real harm. In this book, Alessandro Sicora argues for the value of reflecting on our professional mistakes, and he offers a number of tools, for individuals and groups--backed by real-world examples--designed to help social workers at every stage of their career establish a regular, reliable, and effective reflective practice.
Field placement is one of the most exciting and exhilarating parts of a formal social work education. It is also one of the most challenging. It allows you, the student, to put into practice the concepts, theories, and skills learned in the classroom. It puts you in the position of practicing with live clients. It gives you room to explore and grow as a budding professional. More than anything else, it requires you to look inside yourself to examine yourself, your abilities, your reactions, and your suitability as a social worker. It can be invigorating, and it can be extremely difficult. Field placement regardless of the setting or time involves universal issues for all social work students. Those issues are reflected in THE FIELD PLACEMENT SURVIVAL GUIDE. This collection of articles from THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine addresses the multitude of issues that social work students in field placement face, including choosing a placement, getting prepared, using supervision effectively, working with clients, copies with challenges, and moving on to a successful social work career. This collection is a goldmine of practical information that will help social work students take advantage of all the field placement experience has to offer. Each chapter (many written by seasoned experts in field education; others by students) presents a different aspect of the practicum and offers students insight into the importance of both the challenges and the joys of this unique learning experience. This second edition includes 9 new chapters. This book is part of the BEST OF THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER(R) book series.
This book is a quick and accessible reference guide to the key concepts that social work students and professionals need to understand to be effective. The authors place practice at the centre of the text, and include a host of case examples to bring the concepts to life. Examining the essential topics of the social work curriculum, the concepts covered relate to practice, theory, policy and personal challenges. Further reading is included in each entry, so that the reader can explore what they have learned in more detail. This book will be an invaluable resource for social work students during their studies and on their practice placement. It will also be useful for qualified social workers, who want to continue their professional education.
Placements can be one of the most exciting parts of social work training but also one of the most daunting. This guidebook uses case studies and a cast of students, work-based supervisors, practice educators and college tutors to help make the most of practice learning opportunities.
