Fieldwork in social work education in Slovenia

Abstract

Fieldwork in social work education has constituted an important part of the curriculum since the early days of social work education in Slovenia. Analysis of past curricula shows that fieldwork has become ever more important over the decades. During the Bologna Process of harmonising the European higher education system, fieldwork was further improved by providing for monitoring and self-evaluations. In the second part of this article, the current fieldwork curriculum is briefly presented. The main purpose of fieldwork is to connect social work courses (theory) with practical experience under the supervision of a competent social worker and teaching assistant and to enable the participant to reflect on and develop practical skills in line with the established social work principles and values. In the main part of the article, the results of research on a population of all stakeholders in the 2014/2015 study year are presented. The research assessed various issues of fieldwork and the results concerning needs, challenges and suggestions among all partners (students, mentors at the faculty, mentors in the field) are described. Challenges requiring consideration may be grouped in three categories: organisational issues (hours, planning, informing); content issues (type of exercises, themes); and additional support for mentors in the field (acquiring additional knowledge, support in conflict situations). Continuous monitoring and evaluation are essential for providing information to help improve fieldwork such that students gain enough knowledge and competencies to engage in social work with self-confidence. In the Slovenian context, with changes reflecting the neoliberal ideology of efficiency, managerialism and bureaucracy, social workers of this calibre are urgently needed.