Theory Mapping in Social Work Placements: The KIT model applied to meso and macro practice tasks

Abstract

Ten years ago, Collingwood and her colleagues (2005, 2008) published the Three Stage Theory Framework (the KIT model), a model for linking theory to practice in social work field placements. The focus of their work was how students might deconstruct and analyse micro interventions occurring in the placements to enhance their work with individuals, couples and families. This is unquestionably an area of placement learning that can be enormously challenging and complex to appraise in supervision. The KIT model represents an amalgam approach to learning and is a popular resource in our networks for its capacity to support supervisors and students in communicating about micro practice assessment frameworks, theory to inform, theory to intervene, policy and legislative frameworks, skills for practice, and values both personal and professional. Such communication is also required in placements where research, community work and policy analysis are required of the student. However, meso and macro practice was not addressed by the Collingwood model. Moreover, the literature on available models for applying theory to practice highlights an enduring gap at these levels of intervention. We propose that the Three Stage Theory Framework can significantly enhance student completion and understanding of meso and macro tasks by providing clarity about the potential knowledge, skills and values addressed. This article examines the importance of visualising or mapping theory in social work education and demonstrates how the Collingwood model can be applied to theory– practice integration with meso and macro tasks in social work field placements.