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.
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.
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.
This bestselling book takes the student step-by-step through the core processes of social work. It introduces four essential elements (assessment, planning intervention and review) in a clear manner, and is structured in a chronological way that is easy to understand yet holistic in approach. The authors use Assessment as a lynchpin for the book and use various assessment tools (some of which they have developed themselves) to illustrate the links between theory and practice. An essential introduction to the fundamental principles of social work practice, this title has been fully-revised to link directly to the Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Work. Key updates: New Material on Personalisation Agenda Greater emphasis on social work in the community More research material on working with children Updated case studies throughout Part of the Transforming Social Work Practice series. All books in the series are affordable, mapped to the Social Work Curriculum, practical with clear links between theory & practice and written to the Professional Capabilities Framework.
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.
