Helen Cleak

This quantitative study surveyed eighty-two Australian social work students who completed their placement during COVID-19. The delivery of health and welfare services during the pandemic had a significant impact on field education with the result that many placements had to be offered remotely from an organisation. The research was interested in whether this practice learning model can provide quality learning experiences for students by exploring various aspects of the placement experience. Frequency data were generated and the data were analysed using chi-square tests to determine, firstly, if there were any statistically significant relationships between student learning outcomes and model of supervision, supervisor contact, type of e-placement and student demographics. Secondly, the various learning activities were rated against the students' attainment of their placement learning oucomes and their developing confidence, skills and social work identity. Findings highlight that student learning is enhanced when they have opportunities to experience work within an agency setting and when agency staff are involved in supervising and supporting students in e-placements. There were also indications of negative learning outcomes when students are not provided with direct observation opportunities of agency staff and some evidence that e-placements might be more suitable for second placement students.

The Social Work Department of a large Australian health service has led an organisation-wide risk identification reporting system providing oversight of family violence cases. The availability of this data offered a unique opportunity for robust evidence collection of the victim survivor experience, and the clinical response, over an eight-month period during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The audit of family violence notifications and clinical notes (n = 283) identified 36 per cent of cases were impacted by pandemic-related factors. Psychological (69 per cent) and physical abuse (64 per cent) were the most identified forms of family violence. Multiple pandemic-related stressors were evident, including financial stress (38 per cent), housing instability (27 per cent) and unemployment (22 per cent). Telehealth was seen as both an opportunity for further control by perpetrators as well as a strategy to stay connected with at risk and isolated patients. Two focus groups with clinical staff (n = 16) described evidence of an increased shared sense of responsibility amongst multidisciplinary colleagues towards family violence presentations during COVID-19. The findings contribute to emerging knowledge about risks and barriers impacting victim survivors during disasters, such as pandemics, and offer strategies for improving practice. Findings highlight the important role of social workers in data collection and analysis to inform their practice.

Professional placements are integral to social work education and provide formative but variable learning opportunities for students. As social work programs expand and requirements for placements increase, settings where a social worker may not be employed are increasingly utilized, risking further variability of student experience. This paper reports on qualitative responses to two open-ended questions in a cross-sectional survey conducted with social work students from four universities on the island of Ireland. Questions included (1) what students found most helpful in assisting their learning, and (2) what would have improved their learning during placement. A six-step approach to thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data from 427 responses to question one, and 355 responses to question two. Four key pillars of practice learning were identified: enabling relationship(s); ‘real world’ practice opportunities; structured teaching and learning; and academic-practice alignment. Drawing on these findings, the paper presents a framework for integrated learning which promotes students’ capacity for active inquiry in practice. Linked processes of relational knowing and structured teaching and learning emerged as integral to knowledge acquisition and professional development on placement. Findings re-established the significance of the supervisory relationship and relationship-based learning.

Social work is a demanding profession requiring a range of skills, competencies, and knowledge. Students are expected to learn about these practice related issues through immersion in real world experiences during their practice placement. A cross-sectional, retrospective survey was used to explore Finnish social work students’ (N = 95) experiences of learning activities employed by their supervisors during the practice placement, and the usefulness of these activities for developing professional competence and a sense of social work identity. Findings confirmed that students received a wide range of learning opportunities during their placement, but that there was considerable variation in the regularity of learning activities. The most useful learning activities included a collaborative working relationships and activities involving the student and their practice teacher, such as feedback, reflecting on work, feelings and values, observing others, and being assisted to learn new skills. In contrast, providing theoretical perspectives and linking theory to practice were regarded as least useful. Students with a lower overall learning activity score, were less likely to develop an understanding of social work identity during their placement. These results contribute to a growing evidence base, which can inform social work academics and practice teachers about learning activities that need to be offered to promote practice competence and professional identity of students, in preparation for professionally qualifying.

This study investigated the experience of IPV amongst married Saudi Arabian international students and their partners in Australia. The research explored the prevalence of IPV, the types of IPV, and gender differences in IPV experienced. A sample of 508 adult Saudi Arabian university students report of their own IPV experiences. The findings suggested gender differences in the context of IPV. The study can inform culturally appropriate interventions to support victims and increase perpetrator accountability.

Summary: COVID-19 in 2020 took social work programmes by surprise and for many students an e-placement was offered as the only alternative learning opportunity to complete their placement that year. In this article, we report on a mixed method study with data collected via an online survey with quantitative and qualitative questions exploring students’ experiences in e-placements. Eighty-two students who had undertaken an e-placement responded to the survey that was sent to 1,500 social work students enrolled in twenty-one Australian universities. The results summarise demographic data about the students and a description of the e-placements used, as well as qualitative themes about the students’ experiences and recommendations about e-placements. Four themes were prominent in the qualitative data: ‘opportunities for flexible learning but can be challenging’, ‘learning new skills but missing out on others’, ‘drive your own learning’ and ‘the need for structure, support and connection’. Most students reported that they learnt a range of social work skills, but this required them to take initiative to ensure that learning occurred. The implication for social work education underscores the importance of future proofing social work field education through examining the learning and providing proactive support and clear structures for alternatives to traditional placements.

Social Work qualifying programmes teach students the necessary knowledge, skills, and values during a series of taught modules. Formal opportunities to integrate knowledge into practice are provided through practice placements in social work agencies. Each practice placement enables agency and/or academic staff to gate-keep entry into the profession, through assessing student competence against agreed practice learning requirements, readiness to practice, and adherence to professional social work standards. This research study seeks to expand our understanding of the incidence of and reasons why students failed their practice placement whilst studying social work on the island of Ireland. On receipt of ethical approval, Practice Teacher reports and minutes of Practice Assessment Panels were used for data collection. Sixty-three students (19 male, 44 female; mean age 34 years) failed placement 2015–2019, with the majority (58.7%) failing first placement. Reasons for failing were categorised into knowledge, skills, values and personal reasons. The most common reasons for failing were a poor understanding of the professional social work role, poor time management, poor written work, the inability to follow direction, limited application of knowledge to practice, and poor professional conduct. Results suggest most students disclosed mitigating circumstances, which affected engagement and competence.

Students have identified practice placements (or practice learning) as the single most important factor of social work education, but it is usually where issues of professional suitability become apparent. Whilst most students successfully complete their placements, a number experience difficulty and a minority ultimately fail. Protecting the profession from students not deemed suitable for professional practice requires a rigorous gatekeeping function and fair standards. On receipt of written consent, we interviewed eleven social work students who failed placement, and accessed progress reports written by Practice Teachers/Practice Educators. Participants included nine females, mean age of 33 years, seven failed their final placement and eight had registered with university disability services. Professionally transcribed interviews were analysed using an adapted version of Braun and Clarke’s method. Identified themes included the impact of personal issues; importance of working relationships; use and misuse of power; assessment and decision-making processes and developing insight and useful feedback. Students valued the opportunity to reflect on their experience and provided clear recommendations for improving how Practice Teachers, on-site supervisors, Tutors and peers can provide a supportive learning experience for students who require additional support during placement, and how to communicate concerns regarding competence more effectively.

There is an increase of international students studying social work in Australia. Undertaking the compulsory field work component of social work studies can be particularly complex for international students, as they have to acquire an understanding of social work practice, knowledge and skills in a new cultural context. Prior research has highlighted the importance of supporting students and field educators to ensure successful quality learning experiences for international students in social work field education experiences. This paper reports on a subset of 35 international students who responded to a 2019 field education supervision survey in one Australian state, Queensland. The findings highlight that more international than domestic students are placed in placements with external supervision, that the overall the student cohort is younger than domestic students and that more international students reported longer supervision sessions. Despite field placements often being personally challenging international students rated their supervision experiences positively, and highlighted the opportunities it provided for support, learning and professional development. Students recognised that the process helped them understand concepts of critical reflection and an appreciation of the value of supervision and professional support for their ongoing professional development.

Background: Medical Assessment Units (MAUs) have become a popular model of acute medical care to improve patient flow through timely clinical assessment and patient management. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a consensus-derived set of clinical criteria for patient streaming from the Emergency Department (ED) to a 15-bed MAU within the highly capacity-constrained environment of a large quaternary hospital in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Clinically coded data routinely submitted for inter-hospital benchmarking purposes was used to identify the cohort of medical admission patients presenting to the ED in February 2016 (summer) and June 2016 (winter). A retrospective review of patient medical records for this cohort was then conducted to extract MAU admission data, de-identified patient demographic data, and clinical criteria. The primary outcome was the proportion of admissions that adhered to the MAU admission criteria. Results: Of the total of 540 included patients, 386 (71 %) patients were deemed to meet the MAU eligibility admission criteria. Among patients with MAU indications, 66 % were correctly transferred (95 % CI: 61 to 71) to the MAU; this estimated sensitivity was statistically significant when compared with random allocation (p-value < 0.001). Transfer outcomes for patients with contraindications were subject to higher uncertainty, with a high proportion of these patients incorrectly transferred to the MAU (73 % transferred; 95 % CI: 50 to 89 %; p-value = 0.052). Conclusions: Based on clinical criteria, approximately two-thirds of patients were appropriately transferred to the MAU; however, a larger proportion of patients were inappropriately transferred to the MAU. While clinical criteria and judgement are generally established as the process in making decisions to transfer patients to a limited-capacity MAU, our findings suggest that other contextual factors such as bed availability, time of day, and staffing mix, including discipline profile of decision-making staff during ordinary hours and after hours, may influence decisions in directing patient flow. Further research is needed to better understand the interplay of other determinants of clinician decision making behaviour to inform strategies for improving more efficient use of MAUs, and the impact this has on clinical outcomes, length of stay, and patient flow measures in MAUs.