Martin Ryan

Guarding the gates of the profession: Findings of a survey of gatekeeping mechanisms in Australian Bachelor of Social Work programs

Abstract Gatekeeping is concerned with ensuring that social work graduates meet requisite competency standards for beginning practitioners. The issue which is of particular concern to social work educators within academia and in the field, ultimately has important ramifications for clients, yet it is rarely systematically considered. This paper is the first of two reports on the results of a survey of Australian Bachelor of Social Work programs regarding their gatekeeping mechanisms. The study sought information on the admission criteria to courses, gatekeeping functions associated with field education, and attitudes to counselling out of students for non-academic reasons. It was found that high priority was given to academic criteria at all points in the program, despite acknowledgement in the importance of skills, values and personal qualities. Whilst counselling out for non-academic reasons was used by most schools, few schools had written policies for terminating students enrolment for such reasons. M...

Belief, Optimism and Caring : Findings from a Cross-national Study of Expertise in Mental Health Social Work.

What characterizes expertise in mental health social work? This article attempts to answer this question by reporting on the findings of a cross-national Australian and American study of social work practice expertise in mental health settings, particularly in working with people with long-term serious mental illness. The study identified expert practitioners through a peer-nomination process and asked each of them to describe a memorable practice situation in focus groups. These group interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a constant comparative method. In the face of often complex and demanding work situations, these social workers demonstrated qualities specific to mental health social work that were designated as belief, optimism and caring. These three qualities are delineated and discussed in this article, as well as the implications for social work practice and education

Student Performance in Field Education Placements: The Findings of a 6-Year Australian Study of Admissions Data.

This article reports on a 6-year study that examined the association between pre-admission variables and field placement performance in an Australian bachelor of social work program (N=463). Very few of the pre-admission variables were found to be significantly associated with performance. These findings and the role of the admissions process are discussed. In addition to the usual academic criteria, the authors urge schools to include a focus on nonacademic criteria during the admissions process and the ongoing educational program.

Supply and demand: A study of labour market trends and the employment of new social work graduates in victoria

Abstract At a time of significant restructuring in the community services labour market, it is particularly pertinent to analyse the current labour market opportunities available to new social work graduates. In 1995, using a small RMIT-funded (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) research grant, five schools of social work in Victoria collaborated to pilot a survey of the employment paths of the previous years social work graduates. The survey was repeated in 1996. A complementary project which analysed the job advertisements for social work and social work-related positions during six months in both 1995 and 1996 provided further insight into the employment opportunities being advertised. Survey results showed a high rate of employment among new graduates with a decreasing number of graduates being employed in designated “social work” positions. This trend was reflected in the requirements for the positions advertised. The implications of this diversity of jobs and the decrease in designated “social work” positions are discussed, particularly in terms of broader changes in the world of work.

Part-time Employment and Effects on Australian Social Work Students: A Report on a National Study

Abstract University students, nationally as well as internationally, engage in employment to supplement income while studying. Social work students are no different in this respect. There have long been questions about whether such part-time work has an adverse impact on student academic performance. This paper explored the experiences of social work students enrolled on-campus across three Australian universities as reported through a survey and focus groups. The research found that social work students did engage in significant amounts of paid employment while studying, that there were both positives and negatives for students depending on the nature of their employment, and that compromises needed to be made in juggling competing responsibilities. Accessing and living on inadequate government benefits imposed particular stressors. The findings have implications for the ways in which social work education is structured, especially in terms of flexibility, and demonstrated that part-time work also offers opportunities for student learning.

Towards better gatekeeping: Discussion of the findings of a survey of gatekeeping mechanisms in Australian Bachelor of Social Work Programs

Abstract Gatekeeping in social work education is an issue of vital importance, but is rarely systematically researched and debated. This paper summarises the results of a survey of Australian Bachelor of Social Work programs regarding their gatekeeping mechanisms. The results indicated that priority was given to academic criteria throughout the course, despite recognition of the importance of personal qualities and values. Counselling out for non-academic reasons was used by most schools, but few had written policies for terminating students for such reasons. The full results of this study are reported elsewhere (Ryan et al. 1997). The aim of this paper is to discuss these results in order to critically examine gatekeeping in social work programs. A model of the gatekeeping process is presented. The issues examined include gatekeeping within a broader social context, the extent to which non-academic criteria should be applied and how these could be operationalised.

Watching the Experts: Findings from an Australian Study of Expertise in Mental Health Social Work

Summary: What characterizes the practice of expert mental health social workers? An observational study of social workers in a public mental health network in Melbourne, Australia sought to answer this question and the findings are reported in this article. As part of a larger study of mental health social work expertise, direct observation was done of the work of six practitioners engaged in a range of activities about which they were subsequently interviewed. Findings: In the first stage based on group interviews, six themes were identified. These were termed: 1) ‘The Knowledge’; 2) ‘A lot of hard grind’; 3) ‘We are here for the clients’; 4) ‘The complicated and the difficult’; 5) ‘The stone in the shoe’; and 6) ‘Going ten rounds with the system’. In this second stage observational study, evidence was found for all of these six themes, plus two additional ones relating to supervision and the emotive content of the work. Applications: Development of expertise consists of three elements: 1) a personality predisposition and personal capacity; 2) education; and 3) a conducive workplace environment. The application of the findings lies in developing the conditions for these elements to emerge.

Writing about social work education: A content analysis of Australian Journal articles 1983–1993

Abstract Journals are a prime means of documenting and disseminating the knowledge base and scholarly output of a profession, with social work educators having a particular responsibility to add to their professions accumulated knowledge. As with any field, social work education can benefit from review and assessment of its journal output. With this aim, the authors analysed articles with social work education as their prime focus published in Australian Social Work and Advances in Social Welfare Education in the period 1983–93. This article reports on and discusses the findings of this content analysis which examined the numbers of articles written; the authors and their academic affiliations; the content of the articles and the methodological approaches used. It was found that 141 authors were represented across 100 articles. Significant omissions in content are discussed including the lack of research on social work education and dearth of writing on postgraduate and continuing education.

Research Articles in Australian Social Work from 1998–2007: A Content Analysis

Abstract With the rise of evidence-based practice, there have been calls in social work for practice research that examines the efficacy of its interventions. For the present paper, the authors conducted a content analysis of all articles published in Australian Social Work in the period from 1998 to 2007 to examine the nature of published research and evaluation. Of the 313 articles, 138 (45%) reported on research findings. Of these, only six articles involved practice evaluation or testing of an instrument, but there were positive signs of a developing empirical research culture primarily utilising a qualitative approach or mixed methods studies. The authors suggest that there is a need for more research on social work interventions, a more conscious decision by the profession about its attitude to evidence-based practice (EBP), specific directions for research education, and greater rigour in reporting all types of research studies, but particularly qualitative studies.

Doing It Well : An Empirical Study of Expertise in Mental Health Social Work

SUMMARY Social workers are being challenged internationally to be accountable by defining competency standards at beginning and advanced levels. The study that is the subject of this article will develop the work of one of the authors, which involved a 5-year longitudinal study of beginning social workers and another of experienced social workers. These studies resulted in a book on professional expertise (Fook, Ryan, & Hawkins, 2000). The present study furthered that work and subjected this theory of professional expertise to further testing by examining the work of a sample of expert (rather than experienced) social workers in the mental health field in Melbourne, Australia. Data was collected from a selected sample of mental health social workers by the use of focus group interview. This article reports on the studys findings and discusses their significance and application.