Transcript Listening to the voices of young people

She’s perfect – a good social worker. I can ask
for help at any time.’
Listening to the voices of young people in
developing quality social work placements.
Su McCaughan, Helen Scholar, Prof Hugh
Mclaughlin, Allison Coleman
NOPT 2014
[email protected]
Aims for today
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Exploring findings from research project
Young peoples’ perspective
Social work students’ perspective
Project leaders perspective
HEI perspective
Workshop activity-Practice Educators’ role
in developing professional identity
Young People’s Initiative
• Provided by fire brigade,
colleges, ‘non-traditional’
social work student
placements
• 16-25 male and female
• 12 week project programme
• Residential component
• Unemployed, socially
excluded, ex offenders, care
leavers
• Community project
• Presentation
Study Participants - Total Numbers
SSWs
Project
leaders
Service
Users
S.W. Quali HEI staff
Practice
Educators
Totals
Study 1
2008-09
6
6
12
1
4
29
Study
2009-10
12
10
n/a
4
n/a
26
Study 3
2010-12
171
139
46
n/a
12
368
Totals
189
155
68
5
16
423
Research Strategy
• Young People – workshops + 3 and 9 monthly
follow up telephone interviews
• Student SWs – electronic survey T1 and T2, 4
Focus groups + follow up telephone interviews
• Project leaders – electronic survey + follow up
interviews
• HEIs survey
• Analysis of practice teacher reports
• Literature review
Young People’s Workshops
46 young people participated
in 5 sites across UK
Feedback on SSWs:
• Honest, trustworthy,
friendly
• Someone we could talk to
• Changed my perspective of
having a social worker
• ‘there was nothing bad
about our social work
student – wouldn’t change a
thing’ (Young person workshop)
Young People’s Follow-up
• Telephone interviews at
3 and 9 months
• Motivated - employed
or seeking courses
• Emphasis on listening to
how to improve the
support from SSWs
• Collective voice
contributing to Social
Work education.
Young people 9 month follow up
• ‘I have contact with the others on Face Book – one is now a Dad ;
another was encouraged by the student to be more confidence
about his fitness – we went to Catterick for the Team challenge and
did the assault course. He then re applied for the army and has now
got in . The programme gave him this confidence. I’ve told them all
I’ve got into the Specials -they all joke about it but really they are
pleased; we have all moved on’.
• ‘I had problems with my family and some ups and downs so one to
one time with her was useful. She was a lot of help when I spoke to
her -better than talking to my probation officer. The whole group
went to her with their problems’.
(Young People Follow up Individual Interviews)
Improved wellbeing
to change my
views on
substance
misuse.
to explore
emotional
problems
from my
childhood
to stay on
Team despite
emotional
problems
to get on with
the others
despite
conflicts
how the
student
social worker
helped me
to read and
understand
as I am
dyslexic
increase my
self esteem
and gain
confidence to
apply for jobs
to feel better
about my
body image
and healthy
eating
Listening to young people
• Timing of placement – SSW should start at recruitment
stage and participate in residential
• More 1-1 time with SSW
• Better preparation for SSW
• Confidential space
• Focus on mental health support
• Reminders to all staff and members about role of SSW
“I would change nothing-she’s perfect- a good social
worker. I can ask for help at any time”
(Young Person: Focus Group cohort 1)
Project Leaders’ Perspective
‘In a team with 15 young people, one-to-one
time is difficult, but the student offers this;
(s/he) provides specialist support around
bereavement, drug and alcohol misuse, housing,
financial problems and relationship issues. I
consider this at recruitment time – if I have a
student we can provide the additional support
needed by some of the young people’.
(Project Leader interview)
HEI perspective
‘Many students have very little experience of direct
work with service users or of working as part of a
team. These placements provide an opportunity for
students to work with young people in a challenging
environment and really get to know what a young
persons concerns maybe within their life at that
time. Good opportunities to work in a team, shape
the work of the team, see that their involvement
has made a difference, challenge the stereotyped
view of a social worker.’
Student perspective
• Initially SSW’s voiced concerns about how the
experience would develop their
professionalism.
• Theme emerged of how is social work
identified in these sorts of settings and how
do students develop professional identity?
How is Professional Identity
Developed?
Adams et al 2006 describes professional identity as
‘attitudes, values, knowledge, beliefs and skills - a collection
of traits’
• Study by Adams examined professional identity amongst 10
health and social care professions at beginning of their
courses.
• SW had weakest professional identity.
Factor influence professional identity:
- Levels of previous experience
- Existence of role models, both inside and outside work
place.
Exploring Professional Identity?
1. Electronic surveys - asked Qs at start and end of placement
• Expectations of SSW role on project
• The nature and relevance to social work of the learning
• Opportunities available
• Reflections on their learning
• Skills, knowledge and values specific to social work
• Gave open box to discuss their sense of professional
identity.
2. Discussed in focus group
3. Follow up telephone conversations
Findings
• At early stage some
identified concerns
about whether they
would do ‘real’ social
work
• Echoes of ‘what is the
relevance of this setting
to social work’ / future
employability
Changing Perspective
Survey 2 / telephone interviews
SSW identified how they had developed their identity:
• Proactive in helping on site supervisor to understand
social work models and code of practice
• Discussion about anti-oppressive practice
• Challenging project leaders about recruitment to
include YP from diverse backgrounds or with
disabilities
• One devised an exercise with YP about their views,
experiences and stereotypical assumptions about SWs
• Articulated their values and tested these out
Qualitative comments
• Opportunity to develop professional approach
• Opportunity to use specific social work skills and
knowledge.
• To practice social work at ‘grass roots’
• Re-examined nature of social work
• Complexity of people’s lives
• Impact of vulnerability and disadvantage
• Belief in people’s capacity to change and develop
‘I have become more aware of my own values and
what type of social worker I want to be’
‘before the placement I thought social work was
going into people’s homes , completing forms and
completing tasks etc . It has taught me that SW is
about how to make life better and help people to
change’ ( SW telephone interview S3 )
Student currently on final statutory placement and
felt emphasis was on carrying out tasks, meeting
deadlines and doing paperwork . ‘The belief that
people can change was less commonly articulated .
In charity setting I could ‘go a bit further’ in working
with people’.
‘We had the luxury of
spending time with young
people and building
relationships with
them…… this is work that
many social workers
would love to do’
(telephone interview S3)
Sources of support
in developing
professional
identity
Student social
workers
Survey 1
104 responses
Student social
workers
Survey 2
155 responses
Off-site PE
59 (51.8%)
77 (49%)
University tutor
28 ( 24.6)
38 (24.5)
Project leaders
24 (21%)
33 (21.3)
Your role as Educator
• Practice placements provide students with
their first experiences of being part of a
professional group – this is described as the
professional’s ‘signature pedagogy’ ( Shulman
2005)
• This is the form of teaching that prepares
students in its ‘fundamental ways of thinking,
performing and acting’ ( Wayne et al 2012,
p.327)
Workshop activity
• Think of a time when you supported a student in a ‘non- traditional
setting’– how did you help the student to make those links with
that space and ‘what is social work’ ?
In small groups you may want to consider:
• what aspects do you focus on in supervision
• have you used any tools or teaching methods
• how do you involve service users
• has the PCF / holistic assessment changed your approach
• how does the relationship between PE and student matter?
• Feedback on what is your role as PE in constructing professional
identity in working with students
Research Team
Prof Hugh McLaughlin (MMU)
Helen Scholar
Cath Cairns (study 1)
Matt Holden
Su McCaughan
Allison Coleman
(All University of Salford)