Showing papers in "Social Work Education in 2013"
TL;DR: In this article, a "perfect storm" resulting from the political-economic changes accompanying globalization, dramatic demographic and cultural transformations in US society and rapid technological advances, has created unprecedented challenges for the social work profession and social work education.
Abstract: During the past several decades, a ‘perfect storm’, resulting from the political–economic changes accompanying globalization, dramatic demographic and cultural transformations in US society and rapid technological advances, has created unprecedented challenges for the social work profession and social work education. These challenges include the widening gap in income and wealth both within the US and between the Global North and South; growing racial and class disparities in health and mental health care, education, employment and housing; a shift within policymaking circles towards fiscal austerity and policies that emphasize market-oriented and individually-focused solutions; and the changing nature of universities, student populations and the educational process itself. Although the formal documents of major social work organizations continue to emphasize social justice themes, the actual practice of social work and the preparation of students for practice, teaching and research have diverged consider...
110 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the interplay between social work students' personal and professional identities was explored, and it was found that, in talking about becoming professionals, students drew on a wide range of discourses.
Abstract: Researching the interplay between social work students' personal and professional identities, I found that, in talking about becoming professionals, students drew on a wide range of discourses. Three common usages of the term ‘professional identity’ are explored here: it can be thought of in relation to desired traits; it can also be used in a collective sense to convey the ‘identity of the profession’. Taking a more subjective approach, professional identity can be regarded as a process in which each individual comes to have a sense of themselves as a social worker. I argue that the variations in students' talk reflect a wide range of cultural understandings that are prevalent within the social work community and society in general, and conclude that professional identity is more complicated than adopting certain traits or values, or even demonstrating competence. The different meanings of professional identity all have something to offer, providing resources for students as they construct themselves as ...
98 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the ways in which neoliberal thinking and practices have impacted upon Australian social work, with a particular emphasis on field education programs, and explore the opportunities for social work educators to respond creatively by using practices informed by critical pedagogy and critical social work approaches.
Abstract: This paper explores the ways in which neoliberal thinking and practices have impacted upon Australian social work, with a particular emphasis on field education programmes. We outline a number of challenges that neoliberalism presents for maintaining quality field education programmes in social work and, within this context, explore the opportunities for social work educators to respond creatively by using practices informed by critical pedagogy and critical social work approaches. We do this by reporting preliminary findings from original research that examined the possibilities for critical pedagogy and critical reflection to deconstruct myths and counteract some of the consequences of neoliberalism. We position such critical practices as forms of resistance within critical social work programmes, to maintain and protect the integrity and quality of field education in contemporary social work programmes.
75 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a better understanding of the concept of meta-competence as it applies in social work, revealing variation in students' ability to conceptualize practice, to intentionally use self and to learn from reviewing their practice.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to develop a better understanding of the concept of meta-competence as it applies in social work. Eighteen social work students took part in a five-scenario Objective Structured Clinical Examination adapted for social work consisting of a 15-minute interview followed by a 15-minute reflective dialogue following structured questions designed to elicit dimensions of meta-competence. Ninety reflections were transcribed and analyzed revealing variation in students' ability to conceptualize practice, to intentionally use self, and to learn from reviewing their practice. Also, each meta-competence was found to be grounded in a similar structure, that of a continuum with reflections ranging from in-depth, rich, textured discussions to those that are more superficial, scant, and concrete. Variation in students' ability to conceptualize practice and use diversity concepts was found, related to students' emotional reactions. Some students described becoming emotionally ‘dysregulated’ and th...
74 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the development of an accessible, short-term (two-week) international field experience program for distance education and on-campus social work students at a regional university in Australia is described.
Abstract: This paper describes the development of an accessible, short-term (two-week) international field experience programme for distance education and on-campus social work students at a regional university in Australia. Pre-programme and post-programme evaluation surveys were undertaken and results indicate that the international study experience had significant positive impacts on student learning, student group cohesion, professional commitment and motivation as well as an enhanced appreciation of international social work, grassroots community development work, cultural diversity, human rights and social justice issues. Other positive impacts included ongoing relationships with social justice projects in India and positive, practical contributions to placement agencies during the active phase of the programme. The need for adequate academic preparation, reciprocity, as well as ongoing academic support and facilitation of short-term study abroad programmes is reinforced.
73 citations
TL;DR: This article explored experienced social workers' understanding of their resilience in the face of workplace demands and stressors, finding that social work education contributes in multi-faceted ways to preparing resilient practitioners.
Abstract: Many social workers face challenges maintaining professional optimism and personal well-being in their chosen career. The retention of capable practitioners is important to employers and the wider profession. This paper reports on elements of an ongoing study into practitioner resilience in social work in health and non-statutory practice settings. The project aims to explore experienced social workers' understanding of their resilience in the face of workplace demands and stressors. Findings from a small, qualitative study of experienced practitioners in New Zealand suggest that social work education contributes in multi-faceted ways to preparing resilient practitioners. The authors recommend the strengthening of these elements in pre-service education.
71 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider how social workers are well equipped to meet the demand created by "joined-up working" for people with boundary-spanning expertise and propose to see ourselves as boundary spanners as a way to reconcile our professional and interprofessional identities.
Abstract: One of the more difficult tasks for social work educators is socializing students into a professional identity. Social identity theory provides a lens to consider what is needed for a social work identity that will continue to be salient for students as they move into practice. Framing social workers as boundary spanners might offer students a professional identity that is congruent with core values, reflects what social workers do and places less emphasis on old debates about the profession. It also positions students well for work in the increasingly interprofessional realms of health and social care. I consider how social workers are well equipped to meet the demand created by ‘joined-up working’ for people with boundary-spanning expertise. Seeing ourselves as boundary spanners is one way to reconcile our professional and interprofessional identities, thereby increasing the chances that our students will continue to identify as social workers when they move into interprofessional practice.
64 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that rather than focusing on knowledge of differences, social workers should concentrate on critically listening to their clients' autobiographies to reveal over time what aspects of their social and cultural lives matter to them.
Abstract: Recent management practices seek to standardize and routinize practice through formulaic assessment processes and casework to ensure risk minimization and cost effectiveness. Such pressures have become entrenched in social work practice in Australia and other economically developed societies. Under such regimes cultural competence is rendered as expert knowledge about the other to be acquired and applied in ways to ensure maximum efficiency. But working effectively across racial and cultural differences demands critical reflection on one’s own position and the complex interactions between different aspects of identity. While some versions of cultural competence incorporate the need to examine our own values and behaviours, the paper argues that rather than focusing on knowledge of differences, social workers should concentrate on critically listening to our clients’ autobiographies to reveal over time what aspects of their social and cultural lives matter to them. The paper reviews findings from teaching Australian social work undergraduate and graduate students engaging with these challenges with particular reference to working effectively with Indigenous people.
56 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the outcomes of students who participated in DE sections of a graduate level Social Work Practice with Groups course with students engaged in traditional face-to-face sections of the same course were compared.
Abstract: A growing body of research suggests that online courses are as effective as face-to-face courses in delivering knowledge-based content. Scant research, however, has been conducted to examine the usefulness of distance education (DE) for teaching clinical coursework. This study compared the outcomes of students who participated in DE sections of a graduate level Social Work Practice with Groups course with students engaged in traditional face-to-face sections of the same course. The DE sections were primarily online and used asynchronistic and synchronistic technology coupled with a few Saturday sessions. Results revealed no significant differences between DE and in-class students in knowledge of leadership skills, group processes and dynamics, or perception of course content and effectiveness. Implications for social work education are discussed.
53 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored issues that arise in the assessment of failing social work students in practice learning settings in England and found that there is a very real possibility that students are being passed as competent when the evidence may strongly suggest otherwise.
Abstract: The paper explores issues that arise in the assessment of failing social work students in practice learning settings in England. It draws on existing literature on the topic, as well as on a small empirical study. The qualitative methodology is influenced by practitioner-research paradigms. Based on 20 in-depth interviews with practice educators, the research utilised the voice-centred relational method of data analysis which revealed five distinct ‘emotional stories’, explaining why practice assessors found the process of working with a failing student challenging and difficult. These stories include the ‘guilty story’, ‘angry story’, the ‘what is my role story’, the ‘idealised learner story’ and the ‘internalisation of failure so I couldn't always fail them story’. The paper considers the possible adverse impact on the assessment process of these often unacknowledged emotional responses experienced by practice educators, namely, that there is a very real possibility that students are being passed as competent when the evidence may strongly suggest otherwise. The paper offers some ways forward in light of the findings, linking these to the change process underway in social work education in England but suggesting that these have wider relevance to practice assessment in other contexts
49 citations
TL;DR: The social work education is, in many ways, well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities presented by these trends due to the focus on case-based learning and practicum education, and the long-standing commitment to teaching innovation and excellence.
Abstract: Canada, like other countries around the globe, is facing new challenges and opportunities with respect to post-secondary education. Trends in higher education in Canada include rising enrolments and falling revenues; a focus on enhancing employability of graduates through experiential and interactive learning; increased calls for accountability through the assessment of teaching and learning; and the rise of technology-enabled teaching and learning. Social work education is, in many ways, well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities presented by these trends due to the focus on case-based learning and practicum education, the focus on assessment of practice competencies as learning outcomes, and the long-standing commitment to teaching innovation and excellence. Nevertheless, meeting fiscal challenges and finding ways to exploit new technologies will require creativity and the development of an expanded body of research on social work education.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify potential challenges and issues faced by international social work students who may be perceived to lack the requisite cultural capital to successfully complete their practicums and then consider a number of topical questions such as how can educators prepare these students adequately for the field and perhaps more importantly, how educators make the field more responsive to a diverse student group.
Abstract: Proponents of inclusive practice in higher education have focused predominantly on what happens in the classroom rather than what happens to students in the field. In particular, minimal consideration has been given to how international students fare on field placements. This lack of attention to the learning experiences of international students on placement is of some concern given the expansion of international student numbers in many higher education institutions across the world. In this paper we identify potential challenges and issues faced by international social work students who may be perceived to lack the requisite cultural capital to successfully complete their practicums. We then consider a number of topical questions such as how can educators prepare these students adequately for the field and, perhaps more importantly, how can educators make the field more responsive to a diverse student group. In doing so we foreground some of the debates surrounding inclusive practice and how this extend...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe an initiative where service user and carer colleagues in a university in Northern Ireland have been actively involved in the assessment of first year social work students' preparation for their first period of practice learning.
Abstract: Service user and carer involvement in social work education is now well established since its inception as a compulsory requirement in the social work curriculum in the United Kingdom in 2003. Since then, there have been many examples of how such involvement has been approached by education providers. Nevertheless, one of the key obstacles and challenges in this field continues to centre on the need to achieve non-tokenistic user involvement which cements the engagement of service users and carers at the heart of social work education. This paper describes one such initiative where service user and carer colleagues in a university in Northern Ireland have been actively involved in the assessment of first year social work students' preparation for their first period of practice learning. The paper presents the background to this initiative explaining how the project unfolded; the detailed preparations that were involved and the evidence gathered from evaluations undertaken with the students, service users ...
TL;DR: In this article, a purposive survey of 15 Chinese universities with an MSW program was conducted, focusing on three specific aspects of field education, including field education curriculum design, features of field agencies, and challenges encountered in implementing field education.
Abstract: Social work education has been a growing field in Mainland China in the last two decades, accompanying economic reforms and the reintroduction of social sciences into the curriculum in higher education. The rapid increase of social work programs has also generated concerns and discussion. This study examines one of the most important educational concerns—the nature and challenges of field education. After briefly introducing the development of Chinese social work education, we describe critical features of field education in the United States. We then examine how such educational features may present similar and different challenges in China, drawing on a purposive survey of 15 Chinese universities with an MSW program. The survey content focuses on three specific aspects of field education, including field education curriculum design, features of field agencies, and challenges encountered in implementing field education. Content analysis is conducted to identify key themes and issues in these emerging pro...
TL;DR: Findings from a scoping review undertaken in 2011 to inform proposals for a review of the social work qualifying curriculum in England made by the Social Work Reform Board are presented.
Abstract: This is the first of two articles presenting findings from a scoping review undertaken in 2011 to inform proposals for a review of the social work qualifying curriculum in England made by the Social Work Reform Board. The review used a mixture of published and unpublished resources to compare the issues raised by the reports of the Social Work Task Force with what was known from published research investigating the ways that the current Requirements for Social Work Training (Department of Health, London, 2002) operate. It found that the evidence base on which the key issues relating to the concerns about initial social work qualifying programmes rest was very variable. The absence of a substantial research evidence base in this area hinders the development of effective policymaking on social work education, but the current changes to social work education and to social work regulation offer a timely opportunity to expand what we know about different assessment systems and how best to regulate social work ...
TL;DR: The authors explored student perceptions of instructor influences on their motivation and engagement in learning through online surveys, and found that instructor caring positively influences student motivation and affective learning by increasing comfort, willingness to ask questions, take risks, and overall participation.
Abstract: Most undergraduate students pursue a social work major because of their desire to help others. Students tend to be more interested in doing than in understanding the research and knowledge of the profession and the complexities of social work practice. Instructors are often faced with the challenge of enhancing student motivation to learn challenging course material. This study explored student perceptions of instructor influences on their motivation and engagement in learning. Through online surveys, students described their experiences of being known and how those experiences affected their participation in practice, research, and human behavior in the social environment courses. Results showed that instructor caring (providing recognition, expressing relational qualities, and responding to students) positively influences student motivation and affective learning by increasing comfort, willingness to ask questions, take risks, and overall participation. Conversely, of those who reported mixed experience...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present findings from a research project that examines prevalent discourses of multiculturalism in social work education within institutions of higher education in Israel and conclude with practical implications for multicultural social work.
Abstract: In recent decades, social work has become increasingly engaged with issues related to multiculturalism on theoretical, practical and pedagogical levels. However, discussions regarding the ways in which discourses of multiculturalism are constructed have received little professional attention. In this paper, we present findings from a research project that examines prevalent discourses of multiculturalism in social work education within institutions of higher education in Israel. In-depth interviews were conducted with 33 social work educators, and 30 academic course outlines dealing with multicultural social work were analysed. Data analysis indicated that social work educators conceptualize ‘multiculturalism’ as containing three distinct attributes: descriptive, practical and socio-political. We discuss the construction of ‘multiculturalism’ as evolving in two opposite directions: from theory and from reality, and we conclude with practical implications for multicultural social work education.
TL;DR: The authors examined social work research instructors' perceptions of research-related anxiety and research confidence among social work students, and teaching strategies to identify and manage anxiety, including creating a supportive class climate, providing activities that are emotion-, cognitive-, and action-focused as well as the use of strategic timing.
Abstract: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine social work research instructors' perceptions of research-related anxiety and research confidence among social work students, and teaching strategies to identify and manage anxiety. A national web-based survey of 186 BSW and MSW social work research instructors was conducted. Many BSW (70%) and MSW (61%) research instructors reported that they used specific activities or approaches to assess or impact upon student anxiety. Qualitative analysis results suggested a teaching model for social work research instructors designed to reduce students' research-related anxiety, including by enhancing their research confidence. Strategies that instructors can use include creating a supportive class climate, providing activities that are emotion-, cognitive-, and action-focused as well as the use of strategic timing. These findings can be used to guide social work research instructors' facilitation of students' attainment of research competencies and help further...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the positive elements which make social workers continue their career with a focus on statutory child welfare and found that social work in child welfare may be experienced as being rewarding and professionally challenging.
Abstract: This article examines the positive elements which make social workers continue their career with a focus on statutory child welfare. Such analysis is needed, as existing research tends to highlight stress, exhaustion and career break-up issues. The empirical data consist of focus groups of 28 social workers and a questionnaire addressed to 56 professionals in child welfare in two Finnish urban municipalities. The focus groups were targeted at novice, expert and veteran social workers. The analysis presents organisational, person-related and client-work-related positive elements from the point of view of social workers. The results highlight that social work in child welfare may be experienced as being rewarding and professionally challenging. The positive elements vary among novice, expert and veteran social workers, with the latter especially viewing their work as independent expert work with major opportunities to make a change in children's lives. Commitment to care of children is one of the key motiva...
TL;DR: A comparison of studies in different spheres of professional education indicates that research into social work education has often not been as rich or robust as research into medicine or teaching, and this deserves further reflection.
Abstract: This article maps out research in professional education with reference to a threefold typology of paradigms, i.e. the positivist, interpretivist and critical paradigms. The rationale for such an endeavour is fourfold. First, it directs attention to the neglected territory of methodology which is essential for researcher reflexivity. Second, it shows that most research in social work education has been situated within the positivist or interpretivist paradigms, and the relative dearth of studies in the critical paradigm raises important questions about anti-oppressive practice in research. Third, a comparison of studies in different spheres of professional education indicates that research into social work education has often not been as rich or robust as research into medicine or teaching, and this deserves further reflection. Finally, there is a practical rationale—although this exercise casts doubt upon our current capacity to develop evidence-based educational reforms, it should also signpost fruitful...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe an innovative pilot practicum project in which social work graduate interns offered cyber counselling within a university to undergraduate students, including those that are unique and those that follow typical practicum processes, along with the challenges identified.
Abstract: With the ascendancy of the cyber world, client demand for online counselling has increased and is expected to continue to increase dramatically in the coming years. The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative pilot practicum project in which social work graduate interns offered cyber counselling within a university to undergraduate students. In this paper, we describe the key elements of this project, including those that are unique and those that follow typical practicum processes, along with the challenges identified. Implications for practice and social work education are offered.
TL;DR: In this paper, the characteristics of students at the beginning of their social work studies in institutes of higher education in Israel, including demographic characteristics, motives for choosing the profession, perceptions about the profession and commitment to the profession.
Abstract: The article attempts to define the characteristics of students at the beginning of their social work studies in institutes of higher education in Israel, including demographic characteristics, motives for choosing the profession, perceptions about the profession, and commitment to the profession. The study was conducted among a sample of 450 students, all beginning their first academic year, at four social work schools in Israel. Study findings show a demographic range, such as: nationality, level of religiosity, and political attitudes. Findings indicate that three of these socio-demographic variables predict commitment to the profession at the onset of academic studies: psychometric score, level of religiosity, and previous academic learning experience. Findings indicate two profiles of novice students: students who choose to study social work out of a desire to bring about social change; and students who choose to engage only in clinical social work. The latter are not committed to the profession in it...
TL;DR: Wang et al. as discussed by the authors reported the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of 28 new social workers in China, where social work is an emerging profession, on how they entered the field and what challenges they encountered.
Abstract: Nurturing new, competent social work professionals requires multilevel preparation extending from school to the workplace. However, not much has been done to understand this school-to-work transition process in countries where the social work profession is still in an early stage of development. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of 28 new social workers in China, where social work is an emerging profession, on how they entered the field and what challenges they encountered. Their stories indicate that what they learned in school did form a foundation for the establishment of their professional identity in the workplace. However, due to workplace politics and to the lack of recognition of their professional status, they experienced an unsettling induction process. Coupled with the challenges of inadequate financial compensation, the careers of these new social workers may face an early end despite the great future for the profession promised by the government. Implications...
TL;DR: In this article, critical reflection is defined as a process used in career-long learning and a threshold theory concept is proposed to assist educators in teaching critical reflection, which is a concept in social work education that holds a significant place.
Abstract: Critical reflection is a concept in social work education that holds a significant place—it provides both foundational theoretical ideas about the practice of social work, and is also a process used in career-long learning. Understanding critical reflection as a threshold theory concept—a higher education learning and teaching concept—providing a framework which assists educators in teaching critical reflection. Threshold theory identifies certain concepts as foundational within a discipline—these are transformative in profoundly altering the way students understand the subject. As with critical reflection, they are also integrative, conceptually difficult or ‘troublesome’ and difficult to forget. The intrinsic nature of critical reflection makes its use as a conceptual model in practice a complex task: it requires the integration of theoretical knowledge, in a multiple-step methodology. Students must fully engage with the process, in identifying the impact of their lived experience, values and beliefs on...
TL;DR: In this article, a research study that focused on final year undergraduates' experience of academic and practice learning and considered the impact of demographic factors, including age, gender, disability, previous experience and qualifications, on their perceptions of preparedness.
Abstract: Among the key developmental priorities that have been identified in the current process of reform taking place in social work in the UK is the need to improve social work students' preparedness to meet the challenges they will encounter in practice. This paper contributes to the current debate about this issue by reporting a research study that focused on final year undergraduates' experience of academic and practice learning and considered the impact of demographic factors, including age, gender, disability, previous experience and qualifications, on their perceptions of preparedness. The results indicate that students were satisfied with most aspects of preparatory teaching and learning. However, the findings also highlight areas in which students' preparation could be further enhanced, including their skills in dealing with conflict and managing risk. The results suggest that social work programmes should not overly depend on practice learning to prepare students to address the challenges presented by ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors suggest that the concept of practice wisdom is a useful focus for integrating different aspects of informed practice and for focusing educational programs for social work, and they consider motivational and personal narrative aspects of the practice wisdom.
Abstract: Preparing social work students to be effective practitioners is a complex and challenging task undertaken in a dynamic environment both in terms of the field of social work and the higher education sector. There have been recommendations that self knowledge, empirical knowledge, theoretical knowledge and procedural knowledge are the keys to high standards of social work practice. This paper suggests that the concept of practice wisdom is a useful focus for integrating these different aspects of informed practice and for focusing educational programmes for social work. As practice wisdom is more about process than possessed characteristics then there are important motivational and value-based considerations in developing wise practitioners. This discussion considers motivational and personal narrative aspects of practice wisdom so that it can be integrated into social work teaching.
TL;DR: In this article, the anti-oppression framework in the curriculum of schools of social work in Canada is co-opted into the neo-liberal and post-colonial structures of the wider society.
Abstract: This paper explores how the anti-oppression framework in the curriculum of schools of social work in Canada is co-opted into the neo-liberal and post-colonial structures of the wider society. First, the authors critically examine why an element of oppression either becomes essentialized as an autonomous site, that is, de-historicized, or understood in binary or dichotomous ways (i.e. black/white, gay/not gay) within the anti-oppressive framework. Second, the authors show how forms of safe knowledge are produced in the academy as faculty draw on their privileged social locations of teaching, while engaging in critical and progressive social change work that reflects their scholarship interest areas. Third, the authors suggest ways in which the anti-oppression framework itself can be challenged to make it a more viable and useful approach in social work classrooms.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the evaluation of an educational project, delivered in a Bachelor in Social Work degree (BSW) program in Northern Ireland, which aimed to equip social work students to be more culturally competent in this divided society, with a central focus on including victim/survivor service users in social work training.
Abstract: This paper describes the evaluation of an educational project, delivered in a Bachelor in Social Work degree (BSW) program in Northern Ireland. The project aimed to equip social work students to be more culturally competent in this divided society, with a central focus on including victim/survivor service users in social work training. A number of pedagogical approaches are noted, with particular consideration of Boler's ‘pedagogy of discomfort’ as a model that includes the multidimensional nature of the learning process when topics carry a high emotional tariff. The evaluation of the students' experience indicated that: there was strong support among students for the project; the unique contribution of service users was affirmed; and the project appeared to increase students' awareness and capacity to practice in a divided society. The evaluation of the trainers' experience highlighted key processes in the delivery of collaborative training. The authors argue that the lessons learned are broadly applicab...
TL;DR: In this paper, an integrated conceptual framework using the Council on Social Work Education's Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) for competencies in gatekeeping in social work programs is presented.
Abstract: Social work educators' role in gatekeeping within BSW and MSW academic programs continues to be a concern and challenge for the profession. Social work programs are the entry point in which students develop the required competencies to practice within the field. The social work literature on gatekeeping is extensive and expansive. The literature reviews and addresses the importance and need for gatekeeping as well as challenges in implementing gatekeeping within social work programs. This paper reviews the literature on gatekeeping in social work programs, discusses the legal issues pertinent to gatekeeping, and identifies the challenges faced by social work programs in implementing gatekeeping procedures. The paper suggests an integrated conceptual framework using the Council on Social Work Education's Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) for competencies in gatekeeping in social work programs.
TL;DR: Most social care professionals report not being adequately prepared for working with substance use, particularly basic knowledge and skills which would help them to conduct assessments and signpost people to specialist substance services.
Abstract: For more than 30 years there have been calls in the UK to improve training for social workers in relation to substance use. Yet very little research has explored what training practitioners have received or what their training needs are. This study sought to establish practitioners' experiences of previous training in substance use and identify their current training needs. An online survey was disseminated to 3,164 practitioners in adults' (AS) and children's (CS) social care and 12 vignette-based focus groups were also held. Of the final sample of 597, more than a third of social workers had not received any training and a further fifth only received between one and four hours. Other social care staff fared worse. Overwhelmingly, respondents said that substance use knowledge and skills were very important to their practice but their professional education had not prepared them well. They identified a number of training needs including ‘how to talk to people about substance use’ and ‘the types of interve...