Statutory placement experiences of final year students on a BSc (Hons) social work program in England

Perry, Emma ORCID: 0000-0002-7973-5055 and Hughes, Samantha ORCID: 0000-0002-7715-9808 (2021) Statutory placement experiences of final year students on a BSc (Hons) social work program in England. Social Work Education, 40 (8). pp. 1051-1063. doi:10.1080/02615479.2020.1775190

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Abstract

Local authority social work departments in England have been facing challenges from a number of different areas for several years. The onset of austerity in 2008 resulted in funding reductions and constraints, many authorities have been deemed to be ‘inadequate’ or ‘in need of improvement’ by Ofsted, their inspectorate, and working conditions for practitioners have been found to be poor. It is against this backdrop that social work students on qualifying programs undertake their final year statutory placement. This research investigates the experiences of final year social work students on a BSc (Hons) Social Work program in England. Focus groups and interviews were used to explore the experiences of 18 students placed within both Adults’ and Children’s Services in three local authorities. Data were analysed thematically and revealed commonalities and differences in experience. Differences between services were apparent with students from Children’s Services focusing upon local authority processes whilst Adults’ Services gave greater consideration to supervision and support. The areas of motivation and values, awareness of others, power and process also emerged as significant themes.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Social work; Student placements; Statutory placements; Field education; Process
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology. > HV40-69 Social Work L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Health and Social Care
Research Priority Areas:	Society and Learning
Depositing User:	Susan Turner
Date Deposited:	10 Jun 2020 15:25
Last Modified:	27 Jul 2023 14:03
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/8450

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