Long-arm practice teaching for the diploma in social work: the views of students and practice teachers

Abstract

Long-arm practice teaching has become increasingly common for students undertaking placements as part of their professional social work training. This has been, in part, supported by additional funding made available to local authority Social Services Departments via the Practice Placements Initiative, which has been used to fund specialist practice teacher appointments. This article describes a small-scale exploratory study designed to elicit the views of students and practice teachers concerning their experiences of long-arm practice teaching and the effectiveness of such arrangements. It is written at a time when changes in the funding strategy for practice learning have recently been introduced (June 1997) and practice teaching arrangements are again under review in many agencies. The issues explored will also include some general comments regarding practice teaching which may be of wider relevance.