Search results for ‘Subject term:"social work education"’ Sort:
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Trainees' views of the step up to social work programme
- Authors:
- BAGINSKY Mary, MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 34(1), 2015, pp.17-31.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
There are long-standing concerns about the quantity and quality of social workers in England. Several initiatives have sought to change application and training processes, among which are employment-based routes whereby students are placed with social work employers and receive substantial funding compared to other students, and employers are more closely engaged with higher education elements of their training. This article presents and analyses the views of the first cohort of students, termed trainees, in one such initiative, the Step Up to Social Work programme that commenced in 2010. Data were collected by online survey, administered at four time points with response rates ranging from 78% at Time 1 to 71% at Time 2, 64% at Time 3 and 71% at Time 4. Findings revealed that the respondents were largely satisfied with their training and the Step Up initiative, although reservations were expressed by some about academic teaching, programme organisation and apparent lack of account of trainees' previous experiences. Findings also reveal the type and extent of the trainees' academic achievements and professional experiences. The findings from this first cohort of trainees may usefully inform other employment-based routes and social work education more generally. (Publisher abstract)
Controversy in the curriculum: what do we know about the content of the social work qualifying curriculum in England?
- Authors:
- MORIARTY Jo, MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 33(1), 2014, pp.77-90.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This article reports the results of a scoping review into the content of the social work qualifying curriculum in England exploring whether recommendations made by the Social Work Task Force and the Social Work Reform Board for an ‘overhaul of the content and the delivery of the qualifying curriculum’ were grounded in published research. The review found that rigorous research-based published evidence about the qualifying social work curriculum was lacking. In particular, most material dated from the early years of the social work degree and did not appear to have been replicated more recently to see if the original findings held true. Other subjects, such as how students are taught about older people's human development, had been considered by researchers but were not addressed by the Task Force and the Reform Board. The implications of this are that, while the content of the social work qualifying curriculum needs to adapt to reflect changing professional contexts, there is a need for greater consensus and clarity about what should be taught and how. The development of an evidence-based curriculum in terms of course content and delivery remains a priority for social work education in England. (Publisher abstract)
Applications to social work programmes in England: students as consumers?
- Authors:
- MANTHORPE Jill, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 29(6), September 2010, pp.584-598.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The introduction of the new social work degree in England in 2003 has resulted in a significant increase in the number of applications to social work courses. However little is known about how applicants decide where to study. This article presents data on applications to social work programmes, the factors students use to help them decide where to apply and their experiences of the selection process. Data was collated from six preparatory focus groups and four interviews (n = 38), 17 focus group interviews with first year students (n = 112) from nine social work programmes run in six universities, and 2,606 responses to three online surveys administered to first year students (part of the national Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree in England funded by the Department of Health). The findings reveal the range of sources students use to find out about social work education and demonstrate their heavy reliance on electronic media as an information resource. Although the majority cited convenience of location as the chief reason for selecting a particular university, academic reputation appears to be growing in importance. The authors discuss their findings in the context of consumer behaviour in higher education and in social work education at a time when universities are developing marketing strategies to compete for students.
Practice needs
- Author:
- MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 28.8.03, 2003, p.36.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Examines how disabled students need support to get the most out of practice placements.
Social work educators' views and experiences of Grow Your Own qualifying programmes in England
- Authors:
- MANTHORPE Jill, HARRIS Jess, HUSSEIN Shereen
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 30(8), 2011, pp.882-894.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Grow Your Own (GYO) schemes is a term used to describe employer sponsorship of social work students through secondment or traineeship. This article reports on social work educators’ views of GYO schemes, the effects on their activities and the dynamics of mixed student cohorts. It draws on findings from a mixed method study which took place in England during 2007–2009. The study included semi-structured interviews with 23 social work educators who were either course leads or senior lecturers within 20 Higher Education Institutions. The findings are organised into 3 sections centred on social work educators’ relationships: namely those with GYO students; with the wider university; and with employers. The social work educators reported that GYO activity may enhance and enrich social work programmes. They valued secured and guaranteed practice placements, considered that employer-sponsored students enriched the total student cohort, facilitated an expansion of student numbers, and strengthened partnerships with local employers. A further advantage was that GYO benefited the teaching programme overall with more robust employer/university relationships. However, these schemes require careful management and investment of time and might lead to some tensions about the balance between education and training. These findings are placed in the context of developments in social work education in England.
Current practices and the potential for individuals with criminal records to gain qualifications or employment within social work: a scoping review
- Authors:
- BRAMLEY Stephanie, NORRIE Caroline, MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 40(4), 2021, pp.552-568.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Social work has long-standing, well-recognized problems of recruitment and retention in England and many other jurisdictions. Policymakers and employers are exploring if there are untapped sources of potential employees. We conducted a scoping review in 2018 to explore current practices and the potential to employ people with criminal records in the social work profession in England. Eighteen studies were located and two themes were identified within these: 1) the potential for people with criminal records to gain qualifications in social work and 2) the potential for people with criminal records to gain employment within social work. More research is needed to establish evidence about current responses to applications from people with criminal records seeking to access training and employment. More evidence is also needed about current practices in decision-making by all parties, together with exploration of people with criminal records’ experiences of gaining qualifications in social work and then seeking employment, changing employers and pursuing career progression. (Edited publisher abstract)
Social work teaching partnerships: a discussion paper
- Authors:
- BAGINSKY Mary, MANTHORPE Jill, HICKMAN Ben
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 38(8), 2019, pp.968-982.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In 2016 the Government invited English local authority employers of social workers and university providers of social work qualifying programmes to apply jointly for funding to become social work teaching partnerships. This was in response to its concerns about the limited engagement of local authorities with qualifying training programmes. It was also part of the Government’s strategy to ensure that students qualified as social workers with what it considered to be the right knowledge and skills and to improve their recruitment, retention and development and overall quality of practice. Following an evaluation of one partnership, this discussion paper addresses the evolution of these arrangements as found in consultations with representatives of 10 social work teaching partnerships (held 2017–18), the four original pilots and the six others that were subsequently funded. Drawing on a synthesis of the partnerships’ reported experiences, this paper reports the variations in their approaches and sets out the challenges they faced and addressed, contextualising this in the policy landscape in which they were introduced and operated. (Edited publisher abstract)
Step Up: the first and second cohorts compared - findings from an employer-based. accelerated training route in social work in England
- Authors:
- MANTHORPE Jill, BAGINSKY Mary
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 18(1), 2015, pp.31-51.
- Publisher:
- Whiting and Birch
In England several initiatives are underway in social work education, among which are changes to application and training processes, and the development of shorter employment-based post-graduate qualifying routes. Here trainees are placed with social work employers (local authorities), receive substantial funding compared to other students, and local authority staff are closely engaged with higher education providers. This article presents and analyses the views of the first and second cohorts of trainees undertaking the Step Up to Social Work programme. Data were collected by online survey, administered at four time points. The overall response rate at each of the four points was high; ranging from 64 per cent to 78 per cent for Cohort 1 and 77 per cent to 83 per cent for Cohort 2. Comparison of data across cohorts revealed satisfaction with the training and the Step Up initiative but levels of satisfaction were increased among Cohort 2, which may be attributable to changes made following the first cohort’s experiences. The findings from this comparison of trainees may usefully inform other studies and provision of employment-based routes in social work education and the satisfaction levels achieved may be ones to which other programmes may wish to aspire. (Publisher abstract)
Earning and learning
- Authors:
- MORIARTY Jo, MANTHORPE Jill, HUSSEIN Shereen
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 17(2), 2014, pp.93-111.
- Publisher:
- Whiting and Birch
Although there is widespread interest in social work education, very little of this has focused on the position of part-time students. This study reports on retention rates among social work students registering for part-time study between 1995-1998 in England, since this time-span is one where student characteristics were collected and can be anonymously linked to data about their chosen programme of study. It shows that students supported by employers were less likely to withdraw before completing their studies. However, access to secondment was differential with students with disabilities appearing to be less likely to be seconded or sponsored. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of new and sometimes controversial routes to social work qualifications in England. (Publisher abstract)
Do the characteristics of seconded or sponsored social work students in England differ from those of other social work students? A quantitative analysis using national data
- Authors:
- HUSSEIN Shereen, MANTHORPE Jill, HARRIS Jess
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 30(3), April 2011, pp.345-359.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Social work employers have tried to resolve recruitment difficulties through improving pay and conditions, recruiting from outside the UK, and providing financial incentives. These employers have also used secondment and sponsorship to attract entrants to the profession, commonly called Grow Your Own schemes. This paper reports on part of a research study that asked 'What works in Grow Your Own (GYO) schemes?' in England. One important research question for this study was whether the characteristics of seconded or sponsored social work students differ from those of other social work students. The paper analysed 41,000 students' anonymous data records supplied by the General Social Care Council covering enrolments on social work programmes from 1998 to 2007. Results indicated that GYO schemes have encouraged the participation of men, Asian groups and older applicants in social work qualifying programmes when compared to the general population of social work students. However, students from Black ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities have been more likely to be under-represented in such schemes.