A social work degree is about more than just getting an academic qualification; it is about learning to do a job and developing into a versatile practitioner who is ready to work with people and alongside them to make a difference, not just to their individual lives but also to wider society.
The International Federation of Social Workers definition (2014) states that:
“Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work. Underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities and indigenous knowledges, social work engages people and structures to address life challenges and enhance wellbeing. The above definition may be amplified at national and/or regional levels.”
Based on this perception of social work as a vocation alongside the academic discipline, it is worth thinking a bit about what it means to be ‘doing social work’ and how this relates to who you are and your motivations for undertaking this course.
Pause for thought
What are the reasons you decided to choose to study social work?
How do they relate to the above definition?
Have a think and write some notes for yourself.
Use of Self
Prior to starting the degree, it is important to understand that whether you will gain a qualification does not only depend on essays and classes but also on how you, as an individual, perform within the social work role while you are out on placement (More on placements will be discussed in the that section of this site so let’s not get into it too much here).
The point is, that who you are as a person (your beliefs, behaviours, way of communicating and relating to people, as well as your thoughts and feelings) also matters a great deal in your readiness to take on the role of the social worker. So much of who we are as people is made up of our individual life experiences that can encompass our communities, families, previous education, work or volunteering we have been involved with. Coming into social work studies, you will already be bringing with you your own lived experience, knowledge and skills that you will build on during your course. Some of it will be immensely useful and some of it might need adjustment for you to adapt to working within the new context of social work. Each student will be different. So, in a way, you are expected to bring your whole self and your experiences into this study, more than required in most other degrees, and to develop this self, as your knowledge and practice experience grows, into a tool to enhance your practice.
However, this is not a ‘come as you are’ situation; the assumption is that, through the learning experience of the course, you will grow and develop not only in your knowledge of theory but also in your ability to think reflectively and critically about your own actions. This might involve developing awareness of how you present in terms of body language, communication styles, how you relate to other people, as well as how personal opinions and beliefs might interact with your way of working. Academic achievements aside, the above aspects of you as a student, will be key in defining your fitness for practice as potential future social worker. It is important to have a think about what this might mean to you and how you will engage with this learning process.
Pause for thought
What qualities do you think you have that would be useful in the social work role?
What do you feel you would need to work on?
Take the time to make some notes as they might become useful to you later.
Reflective Practice
In our day to day lives, we often look back on our day or a particular event or memory and consider what went on and how it affected us. Questions like:
What exactly happened there? Why did I react the way I did?
What was I thinking? How could I have done things differently?
These are some of the kind of questions that we ask when talking about reflective practice.
Reflective practice is not just relevant for social workers; actually one of the most influential books in this field is written with reference to architecture students (Schön, 1983). However, reflection is of particular significance in social work because of the relational nature of the job, because we often work with people who might be at risk and because it involves so much of ourselves within its practice.
Within social work, we often have to deal with difficult situations or encounters with people who are on the edge and really struggling. Other times we might have to face an ethical dilemma or take responsibility for a decision that might change someone’s life dramatically. We might find ourselves in situations that make us feel uncomfortable and yet we have to push through and hope we made the right decision, knowing we will be held accountable for it. Through reflective practice (and, of course, appropriate supervision), social workers can make sure they keep themselves in check in order to do the best job possible and continue improving in their practice, learning from their successes and mistakes.
Being a reflective practitioner means being able to look back on our experiences and actions, seeing ourselves from the outside, almost like holding a mirror to a situation and observing the reflection (thus the name ‘reflective’ practice). It is about paying attention to what went on, how we and others behaved and what our thinking was at the time, not only in order to describe it but with the aim to take a deeper look and consider how we can learn from this experience so we can do better next time.
Reflective practice, thus, does not only require the person to build the capacity to think freely but also an element of bravery to expose oneself; to explore aspects of one’s thinking beyond the surface. It is about opening up to accepting mistakes and seeing ourselves as works in progress, always evolving, always learning; and it is how then we apply that learning harnessed through reflection that evidences our fitness to practice.
Pause for thought
When you have a quiet moment, try out this reflective exercise.
Think about a situation you were involved in or witnessed and answer the questions below. Take your time with this; explore each question in more depth.
What did you do?
How did you do it?
What led you to choose this approach?
What were you thinking or feeling?
What was good/bad about this experience?
What else could have been done?
What might you do differently next time?
Social Work Values
The nature of social work requires practice to be anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive. In Scotland social workers have to abide by the Scottish Social Services Council Code of Practice. Have a look at this here:
https://www.sssc.uk.com/the-scottish-social-services-council/sssc-codes-of-practice/
Social workers work with a variety of people from different backgrounds and with different life experiences and their engagement should be in ways that are non-judgmental and respectful. We strive to build positive relationships with people and get to know them in order to be able to help them in the best way possible; our goal is not to patronize but to facilitate people’s empowerment through offering support.
Whatever people’s skin tone or ethnicity, religion or sexuality; whether they are transgender, migrant or have a disability; whether they have mental health issues, are struggling with addiction or have a criminal record, the social worker should be there to help, to listen and to try to understand the person’s experience as an equal human being. We aim to approach people with empathy, whatever their situation.
It is worth highlighting here that any personal views that are racist, homophobic, transphobic etc. do not align with social work values and would have no place in this line of study and social work practice in Scotland overall.
As social workers, we also have to remember that we do not always know better, and listening to the views of the people we support is paramount in achieving outcomes that will genuinely be helpful for them. Of course there are times when a social worker might have to make decisions against the will of a person in order to keep them and others safe; how to do this ethically and with compassion is among the many ethical dilemmas that we face in this line of work and which you will get the chance to explore and reflect on during your studies.
Pause for thought
Are there any differences between what is considered acceptable in your country of origin and what is accepted in Scotland?
Start having a think about how you will manage your own preconceptions in order to be able to work in alignment with social work values and approach people with empathy, rather than judgment.
References:
Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit. Oxford Polytechnic: Oxford.
International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) (2014). Global Definition of Social Work. Retrieved from https://www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-work/global-definition-of-social-work/ on 20/10/23.
Schön, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. London: Temple Smith.
Scottish Government (2003) The framework for Social Work education in Scotland, Available: The framework for Social Work education in Scotland – gov.scot (www.gov.scot) (Accessed 29.11.23)
Scottish Social Services Council (2016). Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers. Available: https://www.sssc.uk.com/the-scottish-social-services-council/sssc-codes-of-practice/(Accessed 29.11.23)
Recommended reading:
Cree, V. E. (2022). Becoming a social worker, 3rd ed. London: Routledge.