Newly Qualified Social Workers Research Articles

Learning by Stealth: Newly Qualified Social Workers’ Experiences of Navigating Health and Hospital Social Work

Abstract Hospitals are known to be fast paced, multidisciplinary environments, which can be experienced as both challenging and fulfilling workplaces by social workers. Newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) are still learning how to be social work professionals through their engagement in and delivery of practice. Drawing on a larger pilot study conducted in Brisbane, Queensland, this article reports findings from a cohort of NQSW hospital social workers’ conceptualisation and responses to complexity. Findings indicate that within a hospital context, NQSWs learn how to be professional social workers through stealth due to the broader organisational factors surrounding their role. Whilst these organisational factors present challenges, participants enacted several adaptive strategies to manage their work. Yet, these strategies are not without their limitations. Implications are raised in terms of the need for more purposeful support and socialisation of NQSWs within hospital contexts.

Ontological (In)security in Early Career Social Work during COVID-19: Experiences in Scotland

Abstract The impact of COVID-19 on the working lives of professionals has been of much interest. Within social work, the pandemic increased workload demands, whilst the way in which work was done shifted significantly. This article uses data gathered from newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) who began their working lives during the pandemic. These first years in practice are viewed as an extension to social workers’ formal education and as a vital stage in their professional development. Survey (n = 124) and interview (n = 12) data were gathered from NQSWs across Scotland. Findings were considered through Giddens’ lens of ontological security, to explore NQSW transitions during a context of pandemic disruption and its impacts on NQSWs’ confidence and competence, as well as their sense of self and identity. Consistent with other studies, respondents were most impacted by home working and the associated isolation and separation from colleagues, particularly when engaged in emotionally charged work. Findings uncovered a trichotomy of experience, with variation in the quality and availability of some formal supports—induction, training and learning and development—and informal support. Implications for practice include a need to focus on how we support and nurture NQSWs at such a critical stage in their professional socialisation.

Newly Qualified Social Workers’ Careers: A Mix of Turbulence, Goals and Safety

AbstractExtensive job turnover is a pressing concern in social work. This article reports the result of a mixed-methods study with newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) about their experiences during their first five years in the profession. What career patterns can be discerned and what are the NQSWs’ motives for staying in or leaving a particular job? The theoretical point of departure is that careers must be understood from several interacting perspectives, as individual motives and objectives meet and interact with contextual conditions. The findings from interviews and a questionnaire indicate that most NQSWs have changed employment three to eight times during a five-year period. Most quit because of bad working conditions, although some changed jobs as part of an incremental development towards achieving a particular position. Three different types of careers are found: turbulent, goal-oriented, and safe careers. NQSWs are only partially rational regarding career decisions, and most decisions are made pragmatically, especially for those with turbulent careers, which most of the respondents experienced.

Buddy up! Student mentoring in a social work undergraduate programme

ABSTRACT This article reports on the findings of a collaborative research project conducted by student researchers and academic staff members, exploring the buddying (peer mentoring) scheme in an undergraduate social work programme in England contextualised using Communities of Practice. Volunteer student mentors are assigned a group of students in the year below to mentor individually throughout their social work degree. During 2019–2020, an agreement with local authority partners was reached to enable student buddies who were newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) to continue to mentor during their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE); this is a unique and original feature of this mentoring scheme. Focus groups were used to obtain the views and experiences of students (mentors and mentees). Individual interviews were conducted with NQSWs undertaking their ASYE who continued to act as buddies/mentors for year 3 students. Very little has been written about buddying/mentoring in relation to social work education and this study expands existing knowledge. Findings indicate the value of the mentoring scheme for students and ASYEs, possible pitfalls and important learning points on scheme improvements.

Supervision, support and professional development for newly qualified social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand

INTRODUCTION: Many social work professional bodies and regulators mandate regular supervision and professional development. Supervision is believed to support continuing development of professional skills, safeguarding of competent and ethical practice, oversight of the practitioner’s work for adherence to organisational expectations, and support for practitioner wellbeing.METHOD: Phase two of the Enhancing the Readiness to Practice of Newly Qualified Social Workers (Enhance R2P) project employed a mixed methods study (surveys and interviews) to explore how well prepared newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) are, in their first two years of practice, to enter professional social work. A survey of managers/supervisors and NQSWs in Aotearoa New Zealand about the readiness to practise of recent graduates was conducted.FINDINGS: Questions about supervision and professional development were included in the survey and in interviews with both NQSWs and supervisors/managers. Around half of NQSWs were supervised at least once every two weeks, but another half were supervised monthly or less frequently. Observation of practice by supervisors was either very infrequent or entirely absent from the professional development of NQSWs.IMPLICATIONS: Study findings revealed great variability in the formal supervision and other supports available for NQSWs which may impact on retention and practitioner wellbeing. More integrated systems of supervision, peer support and planned professional development are needed.

Supervision and professional development support for newly qualified social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand

INTRODUCTION: Many social work professional bodies and regulators mandate regular supervision. Supervision is believed to support continuing development of professional skills, safeguarding of competent and ethical practice, oversight of the practitioner’s work for adherence to organisational expectations, and support for practitioner wellbeing.METHOD: Phase two of the Enhancing the Readiness to Practice of Newly-Qualified Social Workers (Enhance R2P) project employed a mixed methods study (surveys and interviews) to explore how well prepared newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) in their first two years of practice are to enter professional social work. A survey of managers /supervisors and newly qualified social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand about the readiness to practice of recent graduates was conducted. The survey design included a replication of a similar study carried out in England.FINDINGS: Questions about supervision were included in the survey and in interviews with both NQSWs and supervisors/managers. Around half of NQSWs were supervised at least once every two weeks, but another half were supervised monthly or less frequently. Observation of practice was either very infrequent or entirely absent from the professional supervision of NQSWs.IMPLICATIONS: Study findings revealed great variability in the formal supervision and other supports available for NQSWs which may impact on retention. More integrated systems of supervision, peer support and planned professional development are needed.

Newly-qualified social workers: A practice guide to the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (3rd ed.)

Book review

PROMOTING SOCIAL WORK GRADUATES’ EMPLOYMENT THROUGH THE SOCIAL WORK CURRICULUM: EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE EMPLOYABILITY OF UNISA’S NEWLY QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKERS

The silence about employers’ perspectives on the employability of newly qualified Social Work graduates from the largest open distance-learning university in South Africa was highlighted as the problem for this study. Underpinned by the theory of collaborative advantage as the theoretical framework adopted for this study, and following a qualitative research approach, the researcher entered into a research partnership with the social work fraternity. The aim was to explore employers’ perspectives on the employability of Unisa’s newly-qualified social workers and to gather suggestions for promoting graduates’ employment, and accordingly informing Unisa’s social work curriculum. This paper reports on these perspectives and suggestions.

Action learning as an element within an assessed and supported year in employment for newly qualified social workers: a three-role perspective

ABSTRACTThe assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE) is employer-led and provides a programme to support and assess newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) working with children and families and adults during their first year of employment. Action learning was brought into Cambridgeshire County Councils ASYE programme as a 12-month pilot from October 2015 to September 2016, with the view of providing an opportunity for the 55–60 NQSWs to develop critical thinking, problem-solving and leadership skills. This paper gives an account of the journey from the perspective of the roles of the accoucheur and action learning lead, ASYE Programme Lead and Evaluator and identifies key learning points. In writing this paper, the authors acknowledge the contribution of their colleague facilitators and the NQSWs who participated in action learning sets.

Reclaiming Reflective Supervision

Historically reflective supervision occupied a central place in the development and culture of social work in England. In recent years, there has been widespread concern that the reflective component of supervision has been dwindling under the impact of managerialism and there have been calls for it to be reinstated. Such calls have met with little success. An exception to this general trend has been the instigation of reflective supervision for newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) in some local authorities. This article describes the experience of separating professional supervision from line management supervision for NQSWs in one English local authority. This example demonstrates that it is possible to reclaim reflective supervision, even in a context in which e-supervision is dominant.

The ‘Making’ of Social Workers: Findings from Interviews with Managers of Newly Qualified Social Workers

Social work education, social work practice and social work skills have been long-standing policy interests in England but the views of line managers of newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) have not always informed debate. This paper reports on interviews with 23 line managers which asked about their experiences of managing NQSWs. Interviews were held across a diverse range of English local authorities in 2009–2010 and covered participants’ general expectations of NQSWs and how far these have been met, or not; support and induction arrangements for the newly qualified; and how the managers responded to variability among their newly qualified staff. The study participants present their management style as being combinations of modelling, workload and staff management, being open, and exercising their judgment over NQSWs. This suggests that they already possess many of the skills needed to assess NQSWs in their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment and that these should be built upon. We locate our findings within the wider literature highlighting the lack of attention paid to the experiences of social work line managers and the diversity that can be found within them.

Organisational Factors, Job Satisfaction and Intention to Leave Among Newly Qualified Social Workers in England

Satisfaction with different organisational elements and aspects of work contributes markedly to overall levels of job satisfaction and intention to leave. For newly qualified social workers (NQSWs), especially immediately after graduation, self-perceived competence and their confidence in their educational preparation are also important. This article reports on a longitudinal study following 280 social work students into social work employment in England using data collected as students and six months after graduation. We focus on their experiences as NQSWs, thus only including those working in social work jobs, reporting the relative importance of their satisfaction with different work elements, such as supervision and job engagement. These are used to construct a model of NQSWs' overall satisfaction and intentions of leaving their social work jobs. The model incorporates NQSWs' perceptions of how well their degree courses prepared them for their current social work jobs in addition to personal, organisational and specific role characteristics. Using statistical techniques of factor analysis and regression modelling we highlight the complexities of how job satisfaction is constructed and we argue that the data reveal the importance of team support and self-efficacy in relation to whether social workers are thinking about leaving their current social work jobs.

Content and Purpose of Supervision in Social Work Practice in England: Views of Newly Qualified Social Workers, Managers and Directors

Social work supervision is receiving renewed attention internationally with calls for it to be remodelled and given greater priority, this paper uses data from a longitudinal study in England, which involved: three online surveys of Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs); an online survey of Directors and face-to-face interviews with 23 social work managers which enabled us to investigate the receipt of supervision and its provision. Data on the frequency of supervision were analysed in relation to other job-related factors reported by NQSWs alongside information on NQSWs' views of the content of supervision. Findings suggest a tapering of supervision for social workers as they become more experienced but the overall level of supervision appears to be both limited and variable. NQSWs appreciated supervision from managers, and this affects their engagement with their work. Managers reported pressures of time in providing sufficient supervision. Directors conveyed their perception of the importance of supervision but indicated that there may be blurring of supervision as more structured support for NQSWs becomes part of the requirements for those in their first year in the profession. Greater attention should be given to investigating the effectiveness of supervision and to the support of those managers who are expected to provide it.

A model to support the development of courtroom skills

Summary: There is widespread interest on the part of social work degree students in developing their courtroom skills within a framework of learning about social work law, but it is often not until they qualify and are ‘thrown in at the deep end’ that anyone gives any serious thought to the need for preparation and skills development in this area. As a result, students and newly-qualified social workers are frequently apprehensive about court work, which means that they do not always do themselves, or the people who use social work services, justice when faced with court involvement. This article offers a model for practice assessors to use with students in agencies where court work is undertaken, and encourages skills development against a foundation of critical analysis and reflection. The term ‘practice assessor’ has been adopted by the General Social Care Council in preference to the previously widely-used term ‘practice teacher’ to describe the person responsible for facilitating learning and supervising and assessing social work students in practice. Within this model, ‘practice assessor’ is interchangeable with ‘practice teacher’, and indeed most of the suggested learning activities primarily involve a facilitative or teaching, rather than an assessment, role.

Recognising the Person within the Developing Professional: Tracking the Early Careers of Newly Qualified Child Care Social Workers in Three Local Authorities in England

This study follows the progress of newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) through their first year in employment. Questionnaire and interview data were gathered from NQSWs and line managers working in children and families teams in three local authorities in the south west of England during 2007. Although all of the NQSWs started their first jobs with optimism and confidence, a combination of the day-to-day reality of the work and the organisational conditions under which it was undertaken led to increasing levels of frustration and unhappiness. This rapid decline in the well-being of NQSWs appeared to be the result of a failure on the part of their employers to properly recognise the person within the developing professional. Unfortunately, by focusing almost exclusively on what NQSWs employed in children's services across England need to know and do, the pilot induction programmes introduced since the study was completed run the risk of reinforcing this tendency. It is argued that this is likely to result in an increasingly disillusioned workforce, lacking the motivation and self-belief necessary to provide the high quality services required to effectively safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in the future.