Dr Ogilvie-Whyte reports on the existing evidence base supporting (or otherwise) the effectiveness of specialist training and education in child care and protection social work, particularly as it impacts on professional practice and outcomes for abused and neglected children.
The Key Capabilities (KC) in Child Care and Protection are designed to allow students within social work degree programmes to map their specific learning in this area whilst achieving the more generic Standards in Social Work Education (SiSWE). The KCs further allow social work students to evidence their learning in child care and protection by their progress being assessed at the mid and end points of the programme.
We live in an age where efficacy is a key issue, particularly in respect of the use of public funds. A poor evidence base underpinning policy or practice is, therefore, a vulnerability that should be avoided.
This report discusses the results of commissioned research into the type of learning materials required to support the transition for students moving from the HNC in Social Care to the social work degree. The key questions to be addressed were: what issues do these students face; and what learning materials might help?
Integrated Assessment
Three demonstration projects were initially planned to cover assessment of performance of social work students within three distinct aspects of the social work degree: readiness to practice, academic based coursework and practice learning. The University based coursework project did not proceed. However, as noted above, this area was covered in more detail in the literature. The two demonstrations that ran addressed areas where little appears to have been tested.
Our aim was to consider new opportunities for inter-professional learning within a range of existing and new service settings and explore the possibilities for a shared approach to the assessment of social work students in these placements. We have done this by placing one cohort (8) of Fast-track Direct Practice 1. (D.P.1.) Diploma in Social Work (Dip.S.W.) students in a range of placements provided by Quarriers.
Learning For Effective And Ethical Practice
This evaluation examines the processes involved in establishing the provision of a range of innovative opportunities for interprofessional learning. The report also evaluates the experience of students who have completed interprofessional practice placements on two demonstration projects. The pilot projects operated from October 2004 until March 2005 and the demonstration projects operated from February to June 2005.
Integrated Assessment
The overall aim of the Integrated Assessment Project was to develop innovative flexible and aligned assessment methods to promote deep learning for ethical and effective practice. It comprised of three discrete projects with the following key objectives:
Integrated Assessment
An evaluation of critical incident analysis used as a method of assessment in the context of social work education.
Agency-based practice learning opportunities
Prior to the implementation of the Project's Demonstration Model, the key themes highlighted by the Practice Audit and Literature Review were used to design two pilot projects, which were run in Local Authority Social Work settings between February and May 2004 (Bruce, 2004). One pilot project was based in Aberdeen City Council's Criminal Justice Service, and another pilot project in Children's Services, Aberdeenshire Council.
