Contextualising Social Work Fieldwork Practicum

Abstract

The primary purpose of social work is to ameliorate problems affecting individuals, groups, and larger societies as well as enhance social functioning and well-being. Social work services are usually provided by trained professionals with the requisite knowledge, skills, and values acquired via social work education and field practicum. Fieldwork education remains an integral facet of social work education because of the connectivity between the theoretical classroom contribution and practical settings. This chapter, therefore, describes the process of social work field practicum at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The chapter highlights the lack of formal settings or agencies for social work practice and innovative ways the department developed to give the students an enriched learning experience, bearing in mind also their future practice as social workers in Nigeria. The chapter also explains the services expected of social work students in these agencies of practice as well as the key roles they play. Although social work field practice has recorded massive achievement, the chapter noted some of the challenges facing field practicum and social work education in Nigeria especially the issue of non-professionalisation of social work in the country.