‘This is my oasis’: an exploration of student hub support for social work students’ wellbeing

Abstract

ABSTRACT Emotional wellbeing is seen as a critical part of becoming a ‘professional’ and increasingly linked to suitability for the profession. With Social Work England’s clarity on student wellbeing as a university responsibility to enable and to assess, it is critical for social work education to consider innovative design in supporting professional and personal transformational learning. What is evidenced, is students’ mental health is poorer when compared to their non-student peers. What is less known, is the unique nature of mental health and wellbeing among those students studying for professional degrees, such as social work. A qualitative multiple-method research study explored the role of student hubs within a Social Work Teaching Partnership in England and examined whether they supported student social workers wellbeing. A three-stage approach involved semi-structured interviews with Practice Education Leads as facilitators of the hubs, a qualitative questionnaire and focus groups with student social workers. Thematic analysis of the findings created four major themes which have been developed into ‘The 4 Cs Model of Wellbeing Education’ involving Clarity, Community, Connections and Creativity. The research proposes learning and strategies that can be transferable to health, education and other professional degrees.