Mel Hughes

Enabling Learners to Think for Themselves: Reflections on a Community Placement

This paper provides reflections on the organisation, delivery, challenges and effectiveness of a community placement undertaken by first-year students in an undergraduate social work qualifying programme. The placement aims to foster transformative learning, autonomous thought, critical reflection, professional competence and evidence-based practice which is attuned to the values of the profession. Working in small groups, students are encouraged to immerse themselves in a particular topic and to explore and gain insight from the perspectives of those with first-hand experience. Evaluations demonstrate that when presented with a range of experiences, conflicts, dilemmas and real-life situations, students critically question their assimilated and taken-for-granted beliefs and evaluate their developing knowledge of legislation, policies, theories and models of intervention. They have the opportunity to practise a range of social work skills including research, interviewing and self-managed group working within real settings. This provides useful skill development and preparation before undertaking a social work role in subsequent practice learning opportunities. As such, it is suggested as a model of skill development to meet the current demands of the profession, such as the recommendations for skill development by the Social Work Reform Board in England and Wales.

What difference does it make? Findings of an impact study of service user and carer involvement on social work students’ subsequent practice

Abstract This paper reports on a study which followed up a group of social work students to explore whether service user involvement in their education made any difference to their practice and whether there were different models or types of involvement which had a more significant impact than others. The findings showed that the impact was individual to each student. It was often specific encounters or ‘light bulb moments’ which led to increased awareness or insight into their own practice particularly when encountering similar situations or when pressures of practice led to them losing sight of service user perspectives. The paper shares these findings and considers the learning for educators in developing models of involvement which enhance impact on subsequent practice.

Public involvement in health and social sciences research: A concept analysis

Research funding bodies have significantly increased emphasis on the need for public involvement in research with the requirement to evidence effective methods and approaches to achieving this. Specific definitions and approaches within published research remain tokenistic and vague.