Professional Placements in Social Work Training in Southern Spain

Abstract

Professional placements are not new in the social work discipline in southern Spain. Specifically, in the case to which we refer, they date back to 1996, four years after social work was recognised as a teaching discipline. At that time, placements were 450 hours in length and had a markedly Catholic and welfare character (Morales, 2010). Subsequently, social work training would become a full, four-year bachelor’s degree in 2011, after first being recognised as a three-year college diploma in 1983. The objective of this paper is to compare the contributions of professional placements in social work education and other social sciences, namely sociology. We aim to answer the following three questions: what skills do social work and sociology students acquire through practical and professional training? How does practical training contribute to critical professional practice in both disciplines and problem-solving social work? And, what are the strengths and weaknesses of professional social work placements, as well as their causes and consequences? To address these issues, the authors reflect on their own teaching experience in social work and sociology undergraduate degree programmes in southern Spain. In addition to analysing secondary sources, we present findings from semi-structured interviews conducted with the professionals, academic supervisors and coordinators in charge of placements in both study programmes, as well as the students themselves.