Whiting & Birch (E-Journals)
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Editorial: Supporting children with child welfare concerns in Africa: Involving formal and informal systems
Full text linkThe experience of co-practice teaching in social work; an exploratory case study of what works in practice.
No full textSocial work placements are a core component of professional social work programmes in Ireland, providing a valuable opportunity to integrate students understanding of theory, values, skills, and practice. Placements are predominantly provided by a sole social work practice teacher; however, some social workers share the practice teaching role with a colleague. A scoping review revealed a dearth in the literature on studies focusing on co-practice teaching in social work. The study also takes place in the context of potential challenges in securing quality social work practice placements already occurring in other jurisdictions.
This exploratory small-scale case study utilises mixed methods to include the perspectives of the co-researchers, two practice teachers who have jointly hosted social work students on practice placement in an older adult mental health setting over a ten-year period, and former students. A reflective inquiry of the practice teacher’s experience was undertaken as an exploratory qualitative method, exploring the elements of ‘co-creation’, ‘co-planning’, ‘co-facilitating’, and ‘co-assessment’ derived from Jarvis and Kariuki (2017). Insights from student self-administered electronic surveys using qualitative questions incorporating qualitative responses, thematically analysed, though small in sample size indicate that overall, the experience of co-practice teaching is positively experienced by students
« Nous sommes de jeunes aidants et nous existons » : Un groupe d’aide mutuelle pour faire sortir de l’ombre les jeunes proches aidants
No full textLe rôle de proche aidant que les jeunes sont amenés à occuper auprès de leurs parents passe trop souvent inaperçu, bien que diverses études montrent la présence de cette réalité à un moment ou à un autre de l’adolescence. Cet article présente un groupe d’aide mutuelle au sein de l’organisme Deuil-Jeunesse de Québec (Canada) auprès de jeunes aidants de 12 à 17 ans : les participants assumaient un rôle d’aidant dans un contexte de deuil. La démarche de huit rencontres visait à leur offrir un lieu où échanger, briser l’isolement et démystifier leur rôle. L’entrevue individuelle pré- et post-groupe, le journal de bord de l’intervenante et la grille d’observation des dynamiques d’aide mutuelle ont permis d’évaluer l’intervention. Les résultats mettent en lumière la méconnaissance sociale et individuelle de cette problématique ainsi que les besoins spécifiques des jeunes aidants. Les principaux bénéfices de cette approche sont l’acquisition d’un soutien significatif, le cheminement des jeunes vers la reconnaissance de leur rôle et la réalisation d’un projet artistique visant à sensibiliser la population. Cette étude se penche donc sur les enjeux du travail social de groupe auprès de populations méconnues, la force de l’aide mutuelle, le groupe considéré comme un vecteur de changement et les défis liés au manque d’identification à la situation qui réunit les participants.The caregiving role that young people are sometimes required to undertake with their parents is all too often overlooked, although various studies show the presence of this reality even in adolescence. This article presents a mutual aid group within the ‘Deuil-Jeunesse’ Québec (Canada) organization which deals with 12 to 17 year-olds. As a result, participants undertook their caregiver role in a context of grief. The group of eight meetings is aimed at offering them a place to exchange, break the isolation and demystify their role. The pre- and post-group individual interview, the practitioner’s logbook and observation grid dealing with mutual aid dynamics, made it possible to evaluate the intervention. The results highlight the social and individual misunderstanding of this problem as well as the young caregivers’ specific needs. The acquisition of important support, the journey of young people towards recognition of their role and the realization of an artistic project in order to raise public awareness, constitute the main benefits. Finally, the issues of group intervention with hidden populations, the strength of mutual aid, as well as the group as a vector of change and the challenges related to the lack of identification of the problem that brings them together are discussed
Les facteurs d’aide : Pour une meilleure compréhension des éléments-clés de l’intervention en contexte de nature et d’aventure
No full textLes programmes d’intervention en contexte de nature et d’aventure (INA) font l’objet d’études depuis plus d’une cinquantaine d’années. Malgré la reconnaissance des effets qui leur sont attribués, peu de travaux portent sur les processus s’opérant dans ces interventions. L’objectif de cet article est d’identifier ces processus et de mieux comprendre leur influence sur l’expérience de groupe. Pour ce faire, le modèle des facteurs d’aide (FA) a été retenu. Des entrevues semi-dirigées ont été réalisées auprès de 23 sujets âgés de 17 à 21 ans ayant participé à une expédition de 18 jours. Les éléments-clés de l’INA sont les suivants : la multitude de défis, la déstabilisation, la relation entre les enseignants et les participants et le milieu naturel. Ensuite, leur relation avec les FA est mise en relief. Il est question de : l’altruisme, les comportements d’imitation, la cohésion, la connaissance de soi, le partage d’information, l’universalité et les techniques de socialisation. Les apprentissages interpersonnels, la catharsis, l’espoir, les facteurs existentiels et la récapitulation corrective de la famille sont absents. Ces résultats mettent en lumière l’interaction entre les éléments-clés de l’INA et les FA, et la pertinence de s’y intéresser en travail social de groupe.A number of studies have addressed outdoor and adventure programs over the past fifty years. Despite empirical evidence that demonstrates the personal benefits of these programs, research investigating the key features responsible for these effects is scarce. The purpose of this article is to identify them and understand their influence. In order to achieve this goal, the data were examined from the perspective of helping factors (HFs). Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 23 subjects aged between 17 and 21 who had participated in an 18 day expedition. The results show that participation in the program promoted key features: multiple challenges, the experience of destabilization, the relationship between the facilitators and group members and finally, the experience of being in wilderness. Then, relationships between key features and HFs are highlighted. Many of them are found: altruism, imitative behavior, cohesiveness, self-understanding, imparting information, development of socializing techniques, and universality. Interpersonal learning, catharsis, hope, existential factors, and corrective recapitulation of the primary family group are absent. These results give a better understanding of how key features interact with HFs in nature and adventure settings and its relevance in social work with groups
Failing a social work practice placement: Differences between male and female students across Ireland
Full text linkThis paper reports findings of a secondary analysis of quantitative and qualitative data gathered during a larger study of social work students who failed a practice placement during the years 2015-2019 in four Irish Universities. The study highlighted an over-representation of males in the sample (Authors’ Own, 2021) but did not examine gender differences in detail. This paper sets out to address this deficit by exploring differences between male and female students who failed a practice placement.
The findings are limited in explaining the disproportionately high rate of fail outcomes for male students but do highlight some differences between males and females in terms of reasons for failure. Firstly, males had significantly fewer recorded reasons for failure than females. Secondly, different combinations of reasons for a fail recommendation were found between males and females. Moderately significant associations, for example, were found between being female and having poor written work and poor reflection cited as reasons for failure and males were more likely to fail due to poor professional conduct.
These findings are discussed with reference to previous studies, concluding that further research is required to better understand why males are more likely to fail practice placements than their female counterparts
Social work teaching and learning in the era of COVID-19: Lessons for the future
Full text linkIn 2020, the UK and Ireland, and indeed most countries across the globe, found themselves unprepared to deal with a worldwide pandemic (BASW, 2020; Mellish et al., 2020). Indeed, in the UK and Ireland, health and social care workers had to respond to unprecedented situations and adapt quickly and extensively to the health, social and economic dimensions of the crisis (Egan et al., 2020; BASW,2020). It is timely, then, to consider the role of the social worker and the impact on social work training for undergraduate students in light of the changes that have taken place as a result of the global pandemic. The COVID-19 restrictions led to the rise of new forms of social engagement and interaction, as well as the need for professionals, including social workers, to develop new digital skills. This paper will draw on the findings from an online survey (using qualitative and quantitative question sets) conducted with 30 undergraduate social work students in 2021. The survey explored student experiences of online teaching during their ‘preparation for practice learning’ module and the extent to which this online teaching prepared them for their practice learning opportunity (PLO) that followed during a time of strict COVID-19 measures, including social distancing. Recent research has been conducted that highlights the benefits of blended learning (online and face-to-face) as a strong pedagogical approach (Finlay et al., 2022; Karma et al., 2021). As we transition back to face-to-face teaching and learning, this paper will consider the implications of online learning for social work students, analyse the benefits and limitations of this to the learning and practice environment and capture the lessons to hold on to for the future
How the COVID-19 pandemic both hindered and promoted professional development in social work student placements: findings from Ireland’s Child and Family Agency’s evaluation of students and practice teachers.
No full textThe onset of the pandemic in March 2020 resulted in the sudden disruption and severe impact of student social work placements in Ireland. The Child and Family Agency responded innovatively to the crisis and facilitated final year students to complete their placements remotely through the provision of ICT equipment to ensure these students graduated on time. Subsequent placement provision in the Agency has risen significantly since September 2020. To measure and assess the impact and quality of practice placements in the Agency, Student and Practice Teacher Feedback Questionnaires were disseminated to the January 2021 cohort. Student (N=99) and Practice Teacher (N = 85) feedback reported a high degree of satisfaction with both the student and practice teaching experience. Student respondents repeatedly referenced how practice teachers, despite the pandemic, provided opportunities to increase skills and confidence in social work practice. Students described being supported and guided by knowledgeable, skilled practice teachers. Practice teachers developed new skills in mentoring, supervision, case management and prioritisation of cases. They embraced the opportunity to engage in reflective practice, to build on the theoretical perspectives and latest practice developments that students bring from third level courses and to enable students to link theory to practice in a concrete and coherent way. The primary challenges for practice teachers centred on time management-especially regarding supervision, workload balance, and working remotely during Covid-19 restrictions. For both students and practice teachers limited opportunities to engage in face to face, relationship based practice with families was particularly difficult
What can social workers learn about community development in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity to re-explore community development in the context of social work. In Northern Ireland (NI), community development is a central component of a social work student’s practice placement, whereby students must evidence how they have met this. Over time, we have witnessed the reduction of community development to leaflet making (based on feedback from Practice Teachers across NI using a mentimetre tool). This article addresses what social work students and practitioners can take forward in terms of community development in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article will use NI as a case example to draw on COVID-19 inspired community development case studies, taking examples from practice, including work conducted online, and the role, practice, and efficacy of virtual community development during a time of physical distancing. We conclude that social work teaching and learning globally need to strengthen student understanding of community development beyond leaflet production to a coherent set of knowledge, skills, and value