Social work education and the ‘place’ of placements

Abstract

This article suggests that the impact of placement physicality upon student performance is often tacitly viewed as being of a secondary or separate order to other factors. In contrast, we suggest that the significance of place for students, practice assessors and tutors is deeply enmeshed with personal values, beliefs and identity, and we suggest ways in which exploration of this area provides a rich vein of opportunities for understanding and working with students on issues of difference, culture, and power and highlights many practical issues in relation to the matching and negotiation of student placements. The article relies heavily on formal and informal placement feedback from University of Bradford social work students, tutors and practice teachers over the past ten years. During this time we have seen three dominant, but interlinked, themes emerging in relation to the significance students attach to physical location, and these are: issues of risk and safety; the match between ‘personal’ and ‘professional’ obligations and the process of movement to ‘ownership’ of new physical space. All three themes are clearly analogous with service user experience of place and as such provide clear opportunities for students' learning and reflection.

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