BEYOND THE CHALLENGES: NEW INSIGHTS AND INNOVATIONS IN FIELD EDUCATION

Abstract

The International Conference on Social Work and Fieldwork Education in Hong Kong was organized to discuss the need for change and innovation in social work education with a particular focus on field education. There is a need for social work field educators to identify innovative, promising, and wise practices in field education. In many contexts, field education is challenged to procure sufficient placements each year. This growing demand for placements has created numerous challenges in field education programs. In response to the challenges facing social work field education, and the need to develop sustainable models of field education, the Transforming the Field Education Landscape (TFEL) project was formed. The TFEL project is a partnership designed to integrate research and practice through the development of partnered research training initiatives aimed at enhancing student research practice knowledge and applied skill development. In Canada, many field education challenges were amplified due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which required social work programs to adapt in order to navigate unprecedented circumstances. This article discusses the challenges facing field education programs and provides an overview of the TFEL project, with a focus on how the partnership is addressing these concerns. It defines what is meant by innovative, promising, and wise practices in field education, and how these innovations can assist in preparing the next generation of social workers to become highly qualified personnel.