Placements can be one of the most exciting parts of your social work training but also one of the most daunting. This Guide will help you to make the most of your practice learning opportunities.
The guide highlights how you can make the most of your placement, as well as anticipating some of the problem areas and pitfalls to avoid. It covers:
- preparing for your placement
- getting to grips with placement documentation
- understanding how and what you might learn on placement
- integrating theory with practice
- non-traditional placements
- anticipating difficulties and dealing with them
- getting the best from assessment and evaluation.
Using a cast of ‘fellow travellers’ – students, work-based supervisors, practice educators and college tutors – to illustrate issues raised, the Guide is accessible and contains plenty of case studies. It is the ideal book for anyone wanting to make sure their placement goes as well as possible, whether they are a student or a supervisor.
Introduction Part 1: Basics Part 2: The Guide Chapter 1. Documentation Chapter 2. Arriving Chapter 3. Kit Chapter 4. Mapping Chapter 5. Guiding Chapter 6. Testing Chapter 7. The Going Gets Tough Chapter 8. Off the Beaten Track Chapter 9. New & Experienced Chapter 10. Afterwards Part 3: Contexts
Biography
Professor Mark Doel is Research Professor of Social Work in the Centre for Health and Social Care Research at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He is also the author and co-author of Experiencing Social Work: learning from service users, Using Groupwork, The Task-Centred Book, Practice Learning and Teaching, The Essential Groupworker and Modern Social Work Practice.
'This book provides an in-depth guide to social work placements using the metaphor of a travel guide to offer an entertaining, engaging and perceptive view of the destination "Socialworkland"...It will prove useful as a learning tool for students, for tutors in universities preparing and assessing students for fitness to practise and supervisors in placements.' - British Journal of Social Work
'Social Work Placements is a much needed addition to the student social worker’s basic survival equipment. Here the varied bag of classroom teaching and venerable tomes of social work theory and method meet the reality of social work practice. I’m sure that this book will go on to be a minor classic in its field that helps students, practice educators and academics to orient to the needs and demands of practice learning.’ - Sandy Fraser, Open University, UK
'Mark Doel's innovative and visual 'Rough Guide' style leads novices (students) and seasoned explorers (practice teachers and supervisors) through the complex terrain of practice learning. This is a 'must have' placement guide using the author's collected wisdom and research to paint an accessible, clear and practice centred path to learning.' - Jonathan Parker, Bournemouth University, UK
'Overall, I found the book very insightful, giving a very real look into student placements and the journey that both student and agency supervisors are likely to face.' - Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work Journal
