Social Work Field Placements Research Articles

Addressing gun violence through social work education

ABSTRACT Gun violence is a critical public health issue in the United States, with firearms involved in over 48,000 deaths in 2021. However, social workers receive limited training to address the risks and impacts of gun violence despite frequently working with affected populations. This paper examines how social work education can better prepare students through a framework developed by the Police Executive Research Forum categorizing gun violence into four types: suicide, criminal homicide, domestic violence homicide, and mass shootings. Each section explores prevention and intervention strategies related to each category and innovative recommendations for integrating these topics into social work curricula and field placements. A comprehensive approach addressing prevention and intervention strategies across the areas of suicide, homicide, domestic violence, and mass shootings is key to producing social workers ready to effectively address gun violence. This paper provides specific examples of assignments, class discussions, field experiences, and other educational strategies for training social work students to meet this urgent need. Enhanced education around gun violence will equip social workers to advocate for policy changes, educate communities, provide trauma-informed care, and collaborate with multidisciplinary partners to promote safety and well-being.

International students’ experience of supervision during social work field placement: troubling or transformative?

International students’ experience of supervision during social work field placement: troubling or transformative?

“Spending a Year in the Library Will Prepare You for Anything"

Many public libraries across the country have looked to the field of social work to assist in meeting the needs of patrons. Oftentimes, libraries have limited resources to provide a social worker, so they are partnering with local universities to provide social work interns. The purpose of this study was to hear from the library social work interns themselves about their experiences of completing their social work field placement in a library setting. This study was conducted in two parts: an online survey with 35 respondents and semi-structured qualitative interviews with 14 participants. The online survey included demographics and questions regarding students’ experiences completing an internship in a public library. The follow-up interviews consisted of in-depth questions exploring the unique challenges and transferable skills learned while in their placements. The findings speak to the importance of role clarity, physical space, confidentiality, and supervision arrangements. This study also found that, regardless of the challenges of these placements, interns overall had positive experiences and spoke highly of their library-based field experiences. Recommendations include identifying field-specific challenges in a library-social work partnership for those who are in the field as well as future research involving other stakeholders, such as librarians, university staff, and supervisors

Lessons learned from an in-house social work placement: practicum students’ views about a stress reduction peer support pilot project

ABSTRACT Securing social work field placements is increasingly becoming a challenge for social work education around the globe. In response to an unexpected and sudden shortage of field placements in a small primarily undergraduate university near Toronto, Canada, the authors developed an in-house Stress Reduction Peer Support (SRPS) pilot project to provide 12 third-year undergraduate students with the 240 placement hours required to complete their Bachelor of Social Work degree. In-depth interviews with eight of the 12 practicum students revealed support for the idea of the in-house SRPS placement. However, practicum students also expressed the need for improvements if such an unconventional placement were to be offered again. These included the importance of advanced planning for in-house placements, ensuring students do not have unrealistic expectations about placements, allowing students to choose whether to participate in unconventional placements, ensuring the educational content of the placement aligns with what students are learning in their courses, being clear about how each component of the placement aligns with social work anti-oppressive practice, and ensuring sufficient social work-specific supervision. The use of real-plays as opposed to role-plays was questioned, especially regarding students’ discomfort with sharing personal and sensitive information and submitting video-recordings via the Internet.

Moral Reconation Therapy

Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) is a manualized treatment commonly used in correctional settings to address perceived moral failing and associated problematic behaviors (e.g., substance use and criminal conduct). Many social work students are introduced to MRT as a treatment modality during field placements in correctional contexts. As a group modality that draws from cognitive-behavioral interventions and 12-step recovery programs, MRT has been touted as a cost-effective and evidence-based intervention. However, there are substantial reasons to question MRT’s appropriateness as an intervention taught to social work practicum students. Using several of the CSWE EPAS standards as guideposts, this paper addresses several key areas of concern with regard to the role of MRT in the training of social work students. Through our analysis of MRT’s curriculum, we identify areas of concern with regard to MRT’s ability to teach social work students how to ethically practice, engage diversity and difference in practice, or utilize research to inform practice. Despite the widespread use of MRT in correctional counseling contexts, we conclude that MRT is unsuitable for use in accredited social work field placements. Educators and accreditation agencies should critically evaluate the treatment models social work students learn and practice in field placements.

Reimagining Social Work Placements in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how social work education is provided, and these changes are particularly pronounced in field education. Globally, the introduction of restrictions on mobility and social interaction have contributed to the cancellation, postponement and early termination of social work field placements. Accrediting bodies, social work field education departments and industry partner agencies have needed to rapidly adapt how placements are conceptualised and provided. This article examines the experiences of agencies who have continued to provide student placements throughout the pandemic. Interviews were conducted with placement supervisors employed at twelve human services agencies partnering with a university social work department in Melbourne, Australia. Whilst experiencing challenges, agencies outlined how they adapted to the environment to enable meaningful student placement experiences. This article contributes to an ongoing discussion around the trajectory of social work field education and the significance of agency-based placements in this evolution.

Co-Creating a Transformative Learning Environment Through the Student-Supervisor Relationship: Results of a Social Work Field Placement Duo-Ethnography

In an in-house third-year social work research placement, a duo-ethnography showed that the student–supervisor relationship had far more impact on transformative learning than the assigned placement tasks. A model for co-creating an environment of transformative learning is described, putting student learning and growth at the center. Attributes that contributed to a transformative learning environment included being Trustworthy, Respectful, Engaging, Caring, and Humble. A range of actions within each of these attributes is described. The findings showed that in this context, a crisis-type of disorienting dilemma did not occur. Rather, transformation evolved as part of a learning outcome that included the development of a professional identity as a social worker. Findings suggested the need for further exploration of the role that humility plays in reducing the power imbalance in the student–supervisor relationship. The importance of addressing self-care and avoiding models that risk perpetuating patriarchy in the student-supervisor relationship were highlighted.

Pandemic Road Map

During the unprecedented early stages of COVID-19, few protocols were established to support overall student wellness in social work field placements. In response to the overwhelming need for a contextual framework to promote wellness and determine the next steps in mitigating health risks, faculty developed a unique solution in a dynamic situation. Rooted in the university-sponsored dimensions of wellness, BSW and MSW students developed wellness plans that were integrated into the field placement course. These plans were intended to enhance students' ability to evaluate their well-being and encourage them to plan wellness activities. The wellness plan was critical in determining a student's ability to continue their planned learning activities amidst broad systemic factors, which impacted their social work field placement experiences. Developing the wellness plan encouraged students to articulate unmet needs and provided a mechanism for faculty to offer relevant university-sponsored resources. This model provides a framework with implications for social work education. The prioritization of student wellness during field placement creates a road map for the future. Given that wellness is an essential component of social work practice, social work students must have the tools to evaluate and implement wellness strategies, which can be applied throughout the student's social work career.

Public Library-Based Social Work Field Placements: Guidance for Public Libraries Planning to Become a Social Work Practicum Site

ABSTRACT Public libraries are increasingly faced with patron psychosocial needs, including mental health problems, substance use, homelessness, or poverty-related needs. Since library staff are often not trained to address these needs, many are choosing to host on-site social work practicum students to provide information and referrals for patrons presenting with psychosocial needs. However, little existing guidance is available about initiating a social work practicum placement, which can leave libraries unprepared and often “reinventing the wheel.” This manuscript provides guidance on the steps that should be considered by libraries intending to host their first social work practicum student.

Examining Social Workers’ Experiences With Offering a Social Work Field Placement: A Program Evaluation

ABSTRACT Providing field education for social work students requires intensive support from field instructors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the effects of an educational program developed to better support social workers providing a student placement in a community-based hospital. This study examined the attitudes, beliefs, needs, and perceptions of social workers around offering a field placement, and the potential changes in these after implementing the increased educational supports. Thematic analysis of preintervention and postintervention data resulted in four themes, with subthemes: (1) Facilitators to be a field instructor; (2) Barriers to be a field instructor; (3) Implications of increased supports; and (4) Suggestions for creating a more supportive atmosphere for field instructors. The clinical implications are discussed.

Integration, Creation, and Growth: A Path Forward for Sport Social Work Education

Sports fans and the public alike have seen athletes and sport organizations spark conversations focused on equity, mental health, and human rights. Social workers also are professionals that engage in advocacy to destigmatize mental health and to address complex social issues. To align advocacy efforts at the intersection of social work and sport, a small coalition of social workers and interdisciplinary partners convened to create the Alliance for Social Workers in Sports (ASWIS) in 2015. The ASWIS is leading the way in preparing social workers for practice in sport by offering the first Sport Social Work Certificate Program (SSW Certificate). Despite the development of the SSW Certificate, the demand, need, and interest in the sport social work specialization is growing. The purpose of this article is to outline a path forward for sport social work education by discussing strategies to (a) integrate sports into existing coursework; (b) create sport social work courses and field placements; and (c) develop specialization tracks that grow the sport social work workforce and platform for advancing social change through sport. Improving access to education and training can strengthen the specialization of sport social work, and will ultimately benefit athletes, teams, communities, and sport organizations.

Field Note—Creating Trauma-Informed Library Spaces: Lessons Learned From a Pilot Program

ABSTRACT Public libraries play an increasingly vital role as a public hub and safe haven open to all, with innovative programming and services that increase literacy, access to resources, and capacity-building. This field note describes the implementation of a federally funded academic–community partnership integrating a trauma-informed care framework and social work field placements into a public library to address the needs of vulnerable patrons in accessing community resources. It describes the process of developing this pilot program, including placing MSW student interns, assessment, implementation, training, and community integration of services. It concludes by discussing implications, strategies and lessons learned from this innovative pilot project with attention to navigating the challenges of adapting services and field placements during a global pandemic.

Innovative social work field placements in public libraries

ABSTRACT While the collaborative trend among professional social workers and librarians has accumulated much-deserved attention for several years, literature about social work students partnering with public libraries is only beginning to emerge. In fact, there are at least 100 branches that host social work students, yet academic literature examining the scope of these collaborations is sparse. Student placements do exist at Canadian and Australian libraries, yet the current research focuses on the bulk of known partnerships based in the United States. This paper includes information on the prevalence, nature, and fit of social work education and public library partnerships, garnered from an extensive review of the extant literature as well as public documents such as library memos and minutes, newsletters, annual reports, news articles, video clip websites, and social media posts. Practical applications of field placements are presented including students’ assignments for educational competencies such as conducting needs assessments, providing training to library staff, and developing outreach to patrons. Student attributes suitable for placement are discussed as are potential challenges in establishing and implementing fieldwork. Proposals for how to commence such partnerships are offered including suggestions for further research.

Challenges in adapting field placement during a pandemic: A Jamaican perspective

The field experience component of social work training had to be quickly adjusted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and various factors guided this process. This short essay briefly explores how information and technology, home visits, insurance and liability, and licensing and regulation have impacted the adjustment of social work field placements in Jamaica during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlights the different methods of field placements that have been used in light of the challenges.

COVID-19 and Beyond: A Prototype for Remote/Virtual Social Work Field Placement.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an abrupt conclusion of field placement for social work interns at a comprehensive cancer center. In response to social distancing requirements, social workers, but not interns, were granted access to work remotely. Virtual programming became necessary to meet the interns’ remaining educational requirements and provided an opportunity for proper termination from the program. This article will delineate the program redesign for oncology social work interns using remote/virtual modalities. This melded approach involved creating simulated clinical interactions, based on selected points along the illness trajectory targeting specific clinical competencies, which were presented to interns by phone and/or videoconference. Examples will be provided related to developing clinical skills and critical thinking and preparing for professional responsibilities within a broad range of healthcare settings. Guidelines for working with individuals, couples/families, and groups will be included. Issues of individual and group supervision will be explored, with sensitivity to the parallel experience of existential uncertainty and mortality awareness among the interns in the context of the pandemic. Although in-person training is preferable, there are advantages to virtual learning for both supervisors and interns. This creative adaptation of field education provides an innovative programming model that can be used to enhance the experience for social work interns moving forward in various healthcare settings during ordinary or extraordinary circumstances.

Human Rights, Collaborative Advocacy, and a Global Approach to Practice: Lessons from a Field Experience in Indonesia

The concept of human rights is often referenced within social justice initiatives, social work practice, and advocacy campaigns. However, human rights as a foundational concept can have differing meanings, understandings, and vary in how it might be applied across social movements, organizations, nations, and cultures. In social work, there is more work to do in adopting a nuanced and critical approach to human rights that can hold these tensions between universalism and relativism. Using the first author’s international social work field placement experience, this article addresses these complexities that surround understanding human rights in context and how a perspective that embraces this nuanced approach can facilitate and inform a social work approach to collaborative advocacy and practice. We also discuss the importance of cultivating a more open and decolonized understanding of social work practice during the learning process in order to prepare students to practice internationally. Fundamental to this approach of collaborative advocacy and practice is a mutual exchange of knowledge, resources, and experience. The preparation process for international internships must create space for not only incorporating a human rights framework but also for discussions of nuanced ways in which the universality of human rights is carried out within the peculiarity of local contexts.

Not ‘everything’s a learning experience’: racialized, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ, and disabled students in social work field placements

ABSTRACT This paper critically explores the implicit and explicit message that ‘everything’s a learning experience’ when social work students engage in practice/community contexts as part of their professional training. It does so by reporting findings from focus groups, interviews and an online survey about the field education experiences of racialized, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ and disabled social work students. According to these students, messaging that ‘everything’s a learning experience’ demands their adaptation to issues arising in placement as ‘opportunities for learning’, rather than recognizing how, at times, this ‘learning’ can entail corrosive instances of inequity, harm, neglect, and/or the additional demands of diversity or emotion work. Students described components of their placement experiences that they felt didn’t contribute—and, in many cases, actively interfered with—their learning. These experiences and concerns unfold against a backdrop of increasing constraint in the social service sector. We show how common placement discourses and expectations—intersecting with placement shortages—are having detrimental effects on students, and encourage specific attention to how students from equity-seeking groups are affected. We offer an analysis of the ‘crisis in field’ from the perspectives of these racialized, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ and disabled students.

Social distancing and social work field placements

The impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on social work practice placements around the world and in the United Arab Emirates is of concern to students, social work educators and service users. In this practice note, I focus on the impact of the interruption to social work practice learning for students at the United Arab Emirates University and reflect on the introduction of 'social distancing', a health and safety strategy aimed at reducing the likelihood of the spread of the coronavirus. I propose ways in which students in school placements can continue to develop their social work knowledge and skills ‘from a distance’ and while physically absent from their practice learning settings

Addressing a Homeless Services Workforce Deficit Through Collaborative Social Work Field Placements

ABSTRACT As homelessness continues to pose a significant social problem in many urban areas, service agencies rely on social workers to fulfill a critical role. However, recruitment and retention of social workers for high-demand fields, such as homeless services, is challenging. This study offers a formative analysis of a master’s of social work field education program that brings multiple universities and service agencies together, with the Corporation for Supportive Housing in Los Angeles serving as lead convener. The preliminary efficacy of the collaborative field placement model is examined through a program stakeholder analysis and extensive literature review. Findings inform program enhancements and revisions. Evidence-based recommendations for communities interested in improving social worker recruitment and retention through a collaborative field placement program are offered.

Everyday sexuality in social work field placement

Little research attention has been given to exploring manifestations of sexuality in social work field placement. Based on a thematic analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews with Israeli social work students, this study gives empirical depth to our understanding of the ways in which sexuality, as a concept, emerges in interactions between social work students on field placements and service users. The analysis identified seven issues and four emotional reactions that commonly manifested in these discussions and encounters. The findings expand the existing theoretical discussion regarding the notion of ‘everyday sexuality’ in social work settings.