Social Work Field Education in Australia: Sharing Practice Wisdom and Reflection
Keywords:
Field education, Neoliberalism, Diversity, ; International students, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, External supervision, Use of technologyAbstract
This paper highlights current issues relevant for Australian social work field education preparation and delivery, and shares some of the challenges that impact on schools of social work in rural, regional and urban settings. Topics discussed include the neoliberal context of social work education, its impact, and issues for rural and remote, international and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student placements. The paper explores some existing models that have emerged as responses to current challenges and environments. It also stresses that, despite economic rationalism and the neoliberal context, Australian social work educators still need to provide quality experiences for social work students, their field educator and the field. The importance of engagement in discussions about the future of Australian social work field education is emphasised.
References
Australian Association of Social Work (ASSW). (2012). Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) Guideline 1.2: Guidance on field education programs (pp. 1–69): Canberra, ACT: Author.
Abram, F., Hartung, M., & Wernet, S. (2000). The non MSW task supervisor, MSW field instructor, and the practicum student.
Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 20(1), 171–185. doi:10.1300/J067v20n01_11
Agllias, K. (2010). Student to practitioner: A study of preparedness for social work practice. Australian Social Work, 63(3), 345–360. Alston, M. (2007). Rural and regional development in social work education. Australian Social Work, 60(1), 107–121.
Australian Education International (AEI). (2013). Australian Government Research Snapshot, April 2013. International student enrolments by nationality in 2012. Retrieved from https://aei.gov.au/research/Research-Snapshots/Pages/default.aspx
Australian Education Network (AEN). (2013). The Australian Education Network university and college guide, 2013: Student numbers at Australian universities. Retrieved from http://www.australianuniversities.com.au/directory/student-numbers/
Bartoli, A., Kennedy, S., & Tedam, P. (2008). Practice learning. The Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 8(2), 75–90. doi:10.1921/81134
Barton, H., Bell, K., & Bowles, W. (2005). Help or hindrance? Outcomes of social work student placements. Australian Social Work, 58(3), 301–312.
Bessarab, D. (2013). The supervisory yarn: Embedding Indigenous epistemology in supervision. In B. Bennet, S. Green, S. Gilbert, & D. Bessarab (Eds.), Our voices. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Work (pp. 73–92). South Yarra, VIC: Palgrave Macmillan.
Birden, H., & Page, S. (2005). Teaching by videoconference: A commentary on best practice for rural education in health professions. Rural and Remote Health, 5, 356–362.
Bower, M., Kennedy, G., Dalgarno, B., Lee, M., Kenney, J., & de Barba, P. (2012). Use of media-rich real-time collaboration tools for learning and teaching in Australian and New Zealand universities. In M. Brown, M. Hartnett, & T. Stewart (Eds.), Future challenges, sustainable futures. Proceedings from Ascilite Conference (pp. 133–144). Wellington, NZ.
Brown, G., & Green, R. (2009). Ensuring the future of rural social work in Australia. Rural Society, 19(4), 293–295.
Brownlee, K., Halverson, G., & Chassie, A. (2012). Multiple relationships: Maintaining professional identity in rural social work practice. Journal of Comparative Social Work, Retrieved from http://jcsw.no/local/media/jcsw/docs/jcsw_issue_2012_1_8_article.pdf
Brydon, K. (2011). Have you had your lunch yet? A case study on teaching international social work students. Social Work Education, 30(4), 381–391.
Burkard, A., Johnson, A., Madson, M., Pruitt, N., Contreras-Tadych, D., Kozlowski, J., … Knox, S. (2006). Supervisor cultural responsiveness and unresponsiveness in cross-cultural supervision, Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(3), 288–301.
Camilleri, P. (2001). Educating for social work: Facing the new century. Australian Social Work, 54(1), 16–20. doi:10.1080/03124070108415259
Chan, W. (2004). International cooperation in higher education: theory and practice. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8(1) 32–55.
Chenoweth, L., & McAuliffe, D. (2012). The road to social work and human service practice: An introductory text (3rd ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning Australia.
Chiller, P., & Crisp, B. (2012). Professional supervision: A workforce retention strategy for Social Work? Australian Social Work, 65(2), 232–242. doi:10.1080/0312407x.2011.625036
Clare, M. (2001). Thinking systemically about fieldwork education: A third way. Australian Social Work, 54(1), 53–66. doi:10.1080/03124070108415264
Cleak, H., & Smith, D. (2012). Student satisfaction with models of field placement supervision. Australian Social Work, 65(2), 243–258. doi:10.1080/0312407x.2011.572981
Daddow, A., Moraitis, P., & Carr, A. (2012). Non-traditional students in tertiary education: Inter-disciplinary collaboration in curriculum and pedagogy in community services education in Australia. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17(5), 480–489.
Egege, S., & Kutieleh, S. (2004). Critical thinking: Teaching foreign notions to foreign students. International Education Journal, 4(4), 75–85.
Gair, S. Thomson, J., & Savage, D. (2005). What’s stopping them? Exploring barriers hindering indigenous Australians from completing a social work degree at a regional Queensland University. Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education, 7(1), 54–62.
Green, S., Bennett, B., Collins, A., Gowans, B., Hennessey, K., & Smith, K. (2013). Walking the journey: The student experience. In B. Bennet, S. Green, S. Gilbert, & D. Bessarab (Eds.), Our voices. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social work (pp. 206–229) South Yarra, VIC: Palgrave Macmillan.
Healy, K. (2004). Social workers in the new human services marketplace: Trends, challenges and responses. Australian Social Work, 57(2), 103–114.
Henderson, K. J. (2010). Work-based supervisors: The neglected partners in practice learning. Social Work Education, 29(5), 490–502. doi:10.1080/02615470903156352
Hicks, H., & Swain, P. (2007). Direct, facilitate, enable: The juxtaposition of duty of care and the duty to disclose in social work field education. Social Work Education, 26(1), 69–85.
Hugman, R. (2013). Culture, values and ethics in social work: Embracing diversity. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Irizarry, C., & Marlowe, J. (2010). Beyond mere presence – making diversity work. Social Work Education, 29(1), 96–107. Karban, K. (1999). Long-arm practice teaching for the diploma in social work: the views of students and practice teachers.
Social Work Education, 18(1), 59–70. doi:10.1080/02615479911220061
Krause, K., Hartley, R., James, R., & McInnis, C. (2005). The first year experience in Australian universities: Findings from a decade of national studies. Melbourne, VIC: Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne, Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training.
Liberal/National Party. (2013). Liberal/National Party Education Policy for 2013: Policy announcements & media. Retrieved from http://www.talkingeducation.com.au/election-2013/liberalnational-party-education-policy/lnp-policy-announcements on 31/10/13
Lonne, B., & Cheers, B. (2000). Recruitment, relocation and retention of rural social workers. Rural Social Work, 5(4), 13–23. Maidment, J. (2006). Using on-line delivery to support students during practicum placements. Australian Social Work,
(1), 47–55.
Maidment, J., & Woodward, P. (2002). Student supervision in context: A model for external supervision. In S. Shardlow & M. Doel (Eds.), Learning to practise social work: International approaches (pp. 93–109). London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishing.
Menzies, K., & Gilbert, S. (2013). Engaging communities. In B. Bennett, S. Green, S. Gilbert, & D. Bessarab (Eds.), Our voices.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social work. (pp. 50–72) South Yarra, VIC: Palgrave Macmillan.
Moffatt, J., & Eley, D. (2011). Barriers to the up-take of telemedicine in Australia—a view from providers. Rural and Remote Health, 11, 1581–1587.
Moriarty, J., MacIntyre, G., Manthorpe, J., Crisp, B., Orme, J., Lister, P., & Sharpe, E. (2009). My expectations remain the
same. The student has to be competent to practise: Practice assessor perspectives on the new social work degree qualification in England. British Journal of Social Work, 40(2), 583–601. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcn178
Morley, C., & Dunstan, J. (2013). Critical reflection: A response to neoliberal challenges to field. Social Work Education, 32(2), 141–156.
Munn, P., & Munn, T. (2003). Rural social work: Moving forward. Rural Society, 13(1), 23–34.
Murphy, A., & McDonald, J. (2004). Power, status and marginalisation: Rural social workers and evidence-based practice in multidisciplinary teams. Australian Social Work, 57(2) 127–136.
Nickson, A. (2010). Teleconferencing group supervision with social work students on field placements: A small trial evaluation.
Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education, 12(1), 89–100.
O’Connor, I., Wilson, J., Setterlund, D., & Hughes, M. (2008). Social work and human service practice (5th ed) Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education, Australia.
Parker, J. (2007). Developing effective practice learning for tomorrow’s social workers. Social Work Education, 26(8), 763–779.
Phillimore, J., & Koshy, P. (2010). The economic implications of fewer international higher education students in Australia. Final report August 2010. Perth, WA: The John Curtin Institute of Public Policy, Curtin University for the Australian Technology Network of Universities.
Plath, D. (2003). An experience based model of practice learning: International perspective from Australia. Journal of Practice Teaching, 5(1), 23–38.
Rai, L. (2004). Exploring literacy in social work education: A social practices approach to student writing. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 23(2), 149–162.
Roberts-DeGennaro, M., Brown, C., Won Min, J., & Siegel, M. (2005). Using an online support site to extend learning to a graduate field practicum in the United States. Social Work Education, 24(3), 327–342.
Taylor, S., Craft, S., Murray, D., & Rowley, D. (2000). International students in Bachelor of Social Work programs across Australia: A case for special educational consideration? Australian Social Work, 53(2), 29–36.
Unger, J. (2003). Supporting agency field instructors in Forgotonia. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 23(1), 105–121. doi:10.1300/J067v23n01_08
Wache, D., & Zufferey, C. (2013). Connecting with students from new and emerging communities in social work education.
Advances, 15(1), 79–91.
Waller, M. (2000). Addressing student writing problems: Applying composition theory to social work education. The Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 5(2), 161–166.
Zhang, Y., & Mi, Y. (2010). Another look at the language difficulties of international students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 14(4), 371–388.
Zuchowski, I. (2011). Social work student placements with external supervision: Last resort or value-adding in the Asia Pacific? In C. Noble & M. Henrickson (Eds.), Social work field education and supervision across the Asia-Pacific (pp. 375–397). Sydney, NSW: University of Sydney Press.
Zuchowski, I. (2013). From being “caught in the middle of a war” to being “in a really safe space”: Social work field education with external supervision. Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education, 15(1), 104–119.
Zuchowski, I., Savage, D., Miles, D., & Gair, S. (2013). Decolonising field education: Challenging Australian social work praxis.
Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education, 15(1), 47–62.
Zunz, S., & Oil, K. (2009). A preliminary look at international students in MSW field placements at Nonurban US campuses.
Journal of Social Work Education, 45(1), 131–137.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2014 Australian and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Advances in Social Work & Welfare Education by Australian and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research (ANZSWWER) is licensed under CC BY 4.0
