The document discusses developments in social work education and outlines a module on Preparation for Practice (PFP). It summarizes the module content, findings from evaluating the module, and implications for curriculum planning. A framework called "PREPARES" is presented to guide practice learning consisting of personal skill development, reflective practice, exploration of theory, professionalism, anti-oppressive practice, realities of social work environments, and service user perspectives.

1. Preparation for Practice Constructing a Framework for Learning Bob Cecil Senior Lecturer Canterbury Christ Church University Louise O’Connor Senior Lecturer London South Bank University January 2008

2. Outline Developments in social work education Defining ‘Preparation for Practice’ Module overview The evaluation & findings Key themes Unpacking the findings:implications for Curriculum Planning ‘PREPARES’: a framework for practice learning Final thoughts

3. “ I dunno,” Arthur said, “I forget what I was taught. I only remember what I’ve learnt.” (P.White The Solid Mandala 1966)

4. Developments in social work education Modernisation agenda- to improve status / confidence in social work Regulation - Codes of Practice Employers & Employees (General Social Care Council) New Training Framework – National Occupational Standards (Key Roles) SCIE: “Better knowledge for better practice” to develop & sustain the social care knowledge base (evidence-based practice)

5. Key themes Generic Degree Inter-professionalism Partnership Working & Collaborative Practice Service User & Carer Participation Theory & Practice Integration Evidence Based Approach & Research Mindedness Practice-focussed Curriculum

6. Preparation for Practice Providers must: ‘ ensure that all students undergo assessed preparation for direct practice to ensure their safety to undertake practice learning in a service delivery setting. This preparation must include the opportunity to develop a greater understanding of the experience of service users and the opportunity to shadow an experienced social worker ’ (authors’ emphasis) (DoH, 2002:3).

7. 4 key aspects led to further questions : What are the key elements of preparation? How could students best learn about the experience of service users? What personal & professional learning would result from work shadowing? What knowledge underpins safety to practise and in practice? What would the evaluation tell us about students’ levels of knowledge & understanding in initial stage of training? How would we recreate / revise the PFP curriculum? How are the first steps as part of an incremental & coherent approach to students’ learning?

8. Literature Preparation for practice learning remains largely undefined Research into effective field education is still in its infancy (Parker, 2007) Views of first line managers & perceptions of newly qualified practitioners –readiness for realities of practice ( Marsh & Triseliotis, 1996) Some exploration of concepts of ‘ competence’ & ‘capability’ Need differentiation between ‘competence for practice’ (prior to practice) & ‘competence in practice’ (post-qualification (Preston-Shoot, 2004)

9. The Module A series of taught workshops on the nature of professional social work: social work roles, duties & responsibilities, ethical dimensions, service user perspectives, reflective practice & the use of theory in practice. Completion of a Virtual Placement CD-Rom & Quiz. Work Shadowing a qualified social worker (minimum of 3 days. Completion of Work Shadowing Observation Journals including demonstration of understanding of core social work roles and responsibilities & the GSCC Codes of Practice A Written Assignment.

10. The Evaluation To evaluate if and how students felt the module prepared them for their first practice learning experience. To highlight significant aspects of personal and professional learning identified by students. To begin to identify the key features of an effective Preparation for Practice Learning framework

11. Methodology : questionnaires and focus group Student profile: 41 students 24 different languages were spoken 28 minority ethnic backgrounds Average age was 32 years (range 20 – 50) 4 men in the group. Average length of pre-course social care experience was 2 years

12. The Nature of Social Work The first thing I learned ….. it is not always about helping people as not all people who come into contact with social workers do so voluntarily… social workers help is not always wanted.” “ Social worker intervenes to help people take control of their lives, providing them with assistance …… it is not about taking charge and disempowering the service users.” "I was surprised at just how much paperwork is involved as well as the write- ups” “ It is very authoritative. People are said to be given choices but how do they choose when resources are limited?”

13. Skills, Knowledge & Goal Setting “ Social work practice can be pressured and require strong organisation of time and good analytical skills in clarifying and taking in large amounts of information.“ “ Needs a lot of commitment, one has to be aware of (one’s) values and it can be contradictory in relationship to the (social work) values.”

14. Key Themes Addressing the nature of social work Professionalism Reflective Practice AOP / ADP- power, empowerment & principled practice Professional requirements & work based / practical realities Observational learning Communication and interpersonal skills / approach & style in practice / emotional literacy

15. Unpacking the findings Importance of critical reflection in articulating the theoretical Fook :‘fragmented and diverse contexts’ (2003:1) & dangers of ‘constructing theory & practice as separate entities’ (2002:26) Usher’s (1989) typology of knowledge: - Theoretical - to discover the nature of the world & what ‘necessarily exists’ - Technical - (‘know-how’) - instrumental or ‘means end’ reasoning - Practical knowledge - purpose to act appropriately & ethically in the world

16. Unpacking the findings Cree ( 2003) – becoming, identifying & conducting self as a professional practitioner Eadie & Lymbery (2002) - personal development as part of process of professionalisation Emotional intelligence (Mayer & Salovey 1993; Morrison, 2007)

17. Planning the Curriculum Balance between teacher- centred (‘classical’) & student-centred (‘romantic’) curricula ((Lawton,1973) Andragogy & pedagogy debate – the need to use students’ experience i.e.. Jarvis’ (1993) major variable is experience not chronological age Bines’ (1992) 3 fold typology of professional education training models: - Apprenticeship - Technocratic - Post technocratic model of initial professional education - builds on the experience of practice & reflection on same

18. Teaching & Learning Strategies Learning through Observation Observational learning well documented (Bandura,1977 ) Child observation (Trowell & Miles,1991; Briggs,1999, Tanner & Le Riche,1998) Le Riche (2006) - the pedagogical value of a work shadowing experience allowing access to the subtleties of communication, culture & anti-oppressive practice Brearley (2007:94) - the need to refine one’s observation skills in understanding ‘ the complex medium which constitutes the workplace’ Hinshelwood & Skogstad (2000) - promoting understanding of organisational transactions & processes in health settings

19. Teaching & Learning Strategies Importance of stories, metaphors & practice based case examples as a necessary part of the learning process to communicate knowledge & understanding – finding the space for reflection. (Osmond & O’Connor 2004) Teaching of theory - the theory circle ‘theory to understand’ & ‘theory to intervene’ (Collingwood et al 2008) Student-centred group methods - discussion / debate / fishbowl to facilitate group learning (Jarvis, 1993) & foster trust & cohesion for a newly forming and diverse group Controlling & pacing learning – Computer assisted learning (Singh Cooner & Doel, 2003) individual student-centred method

20. ‘ PREPARES’ Framework P - Personal Skill & Development R - Reflective Practice E - Exploration of Theory and Knowledge P - Professionalism A - Anti-Oppressive / Anti-discriminatory Practice: Social Work Values R - Reality of Social Work Environments E - Emotional Intelligence S - Service User & Carer Perspectives © (O’Connor, Cecil & Boudioni 2007)

21. Final thoughts Importance of evaluating students’ learning as part of the first steps on their professional journey - ‘evidence-informed practice.’ Model offers a foundation & framework on which to build. Changes implemented: Strengthen level 1 input on interpersonal skills and communication to address emotional literacy, skill development, personal agency & effectiveness Addressing reflective practice within the curriculum using explorative writing and group work ( Bolton, 2001) Identifying & strengthening trans-module learning

22. Final thoughts Effective learning: ‘ allows structures of meaning to be recognised, and to be open to change, in a way which facilitates a different (and perhaps more constructive) professional response’ (Yelloly & Henkel, 1995:9)

23. Bibliography Bandura, A.(1977) Social Learning Theory. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Bines, H. (1992) ‘Issues in course design’, in Bines, H. & Watson, D. (eds) Developing Professional Education Buckingham: SRHE and Open University Press Briggs, S. (1999) ‘Links between infant observation and reflective social work practice’. Journal of Social Work Practice, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 147-156. Brearley, J. (2007) ‘A psychodynamic approach to social work in Lishman, J. (2nd ed) ( 2007) Handbook for Practice Learning in Social Work and Social Care London :Jessica Kingsley Publishers Bolton, G.( 2001) Reflective Practice: Writing and professional development. London: Sage. Collingwood, P.,Emond,R.,& Woodward, R. 2008 The Theory Circle: A Tool for Learning and for Practice Social Work Education vol 27, no1,pp. 70-83 Cree, V. (2003) Becoming a Social Worker . Routledge, London. Department of Health (2002) The Requirements for Social Work Training . Department of Health, London. Eadie, T. and Lymbery, M. (2002) ‘Understanding and working in welfare organisations: helping students survive the workplace’ Social Work Education, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 515-527. Fook, J. (2002) Social Work: Critical Theory & Practice . Sage:London . Fook, J. (2003) Negotiating for Social Justice . Plenary delivered at the 28th Australian Association of Social Workers National Conference, 30th September 2003. Canberra, Australia. General Social Care Council (2002) Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers and Employers. General Social Care Council: London Hinshelwood, R.D. & Skogstad, W. (2000) Observing Organisations:Anxiety, Defence and Culture in Health Care .London:Routledge Lawton , D. (1973) Social Change, Educational Theory and Curriculum Planning London: Hodder and Stoughton

24. Bibliography Jarvis,P.(2nd ed.)(1993) Adult & Continuing Education . .London:Routledge Le Riche, P. (2006) ’Practising observation in shadowing: curriculum innovation and learning on the BA Social Work’. Social Work Education , vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 771-784. Knowles,M. (1989)- The Making of an Adult Educator .San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Marsh, P. and Triseliotis, J. (1996) Ready to Practice? Social Workers and Probation Officers: Their Training and First Year in Work, Avebury, Aldershot. Mayer,J.D. and Salovey, P. (1993)‘The intelligence of emotional intelligence’, Intelligence, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 433-442. Morrison, T. (2007) ’Emotional intelligence, emotion and social work: context, characteristics, complications and contribution’. British Journal of Social Work , vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 245-263. O’Connor, L, Cecil, R & Boudioni, M. (2007) ‘Preparing for practice: an evaluation of an undergraduate social work ‘preparation for practice module’. Social Work Education . (in press). Osmond, J. & O’Connor, I.(2004) ‘Formalizing the unformalized: Practitioners’ communication of knowledge in practice.’ British Journal of Social Work 34,677-692) Parker, J. (2007) ‘Developing effective practice learning for tomorrow’s social workers’. Social Work Education, pp. 1-17. iFirst DOI:10.1080/02615470601140476 Preston-Shoot, M. (2004) ‘Responding by degrees; surveying the education and practice landscape’. Social Work Education, vol. 23, no. 6, pp 667-692. Singh Cooner, T. and Doel, M. (2003) CD-Rom The Virtual Placement. Available online: http://www.hcc.uce.ac.uk/virtualplacement Tanner, K. and Le Riche, P (1998) Observation And Its Application To Social Work: Rather Like Breathing. Jessica Kingsley, London. Triseliotis, J. and Marsh, P. (1996) Readiness to Practice: The Training of Social Workers in Scotland and their First Year in Work . The Stationery Office, Edinburgh. Trowell, J. and Miles, G. (1991) The contribution of observation training to professional development in social work. Journal of Social Work Practice vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 51-60. Usher, R. (1989) ‘ Locating adult education in the practical ’ in Bright, B. (Ed) (1989) Theory and Practice in the Study of Adult Education. Routledge: London. Yelloly, M. & Henkel,M. (1995) (eds) Teaching and Learning in Social Work:Reflective Practice.London:Jessica Kingsley.