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Unlike qualifying education, forensic social work education is heterogeneous. This review provides a cross-national comparison of 10 countries: the United States, Brazil, England, the Netherlands, Hungary, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, India and Australia. It aims to understand education models across diverse contexts and encourage further reflection on forensic social work pedagogy. Findings revealed that there is little mandating of educational standards or curriculum requirements in forensic social work. Moreover, current modelling is drawn from Eurocentric epistemologies and has a duty to incorporate and celebrate First Nations, non-Western and culturally inclusive paradigms. Opportunities exist to develop international standards for forensic social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work external accrediting bodies are moving towards competency-based models that require educational providers to demonstrate that students meet specific competencies at graduation. It is expected that all social work students at accredited social work programs in Australia will have acquired specific graduate attributes and demonstrated the associated learning outcomes by the completion of their degree. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences and benefits of using an ePortfolio with Master of Social Work students (n = 43) to critically reflect on their own learning and demonstrate how they met the Australian Association of Social Work graduate attributes necessary for accreditation. The findings revealed that students' perceived level of readiness for practice and identity as a professional social worker increased with the successful completion of the ePortfolio. The study also identified barriers and enablers in implementing the ePortfolio as an assessment piece to document overall program learning outcomes. The conclusion discusses how ePortfolios are a viable assessment tool in the online and blended learning space that has benefit for both the student and the program in demonstrating learning outcomes and compliance with accreditation graduate standards. Academic ePortfolios are an effective tool for student reflection and communication of competence of required graduate outcomes. Student self-assessment of graduate attributes can strengthen professional identity and preparedness for professional practice. The ePortfolios benefit students and social work educators by sharing the accreditation-obligated responsibility of ensuring that AASW graduate competencies are met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-standing concerns about the sustainability of social work field education requirements were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) implemented revised Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) during the pandemic as existing standards had become unworkable. The revised ASWEAS (during 2020 and 2021) allowed greater flexibility regarding how placements could be delivered, enabling students, educators, and practitioners to trial modified placements normally considered non-compliant. This article reports the findings of a national qualitative and quantitative survey that used Appreciative Inquiry to examine key stakeholders' experiences of the modified field placements. The findings demonstrated strong support for the modifications. The findings are discussed in the context of international standards and hold implications for the future development of ASWEAS. A trial of modified field placements under revised ASWEAS due to the COVID-19 pandemic represented a timely opportunity to conduct a nation-wide, empirical study to explore experiences of different field placement models. Emerging empirical evidence confirmed enduring field education problems, and highlighted experiences that could inform more flexible, sustainable field placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, pressure is mounting from multiple stakeholders for a full review of the national social work education standards for field education as evidence grows about compulsory, unpaid placements exacerbating student poverty and the related adverse consequences for students' learning and well-being. This article reports on the findings of an Australian nation-wide qualitative and quantitative survey that explored social work students', educators' and practitioners' perceptions of proposed strategies to address the challenges identified with existing field education requirements. Descriptive statistics were calculated using Excel. Qualitative data were coded for thematic analysis. The main finding of the survey involving 1,191 participants was a call for a reimagined model of field education with flexibility in all aspects of how future placements are conceptualised, structured and delivered. The findings provide important and previously unavailable empirical evidence about field education strategies to inform and support the reimagining of existing Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards. Recommendations for change, which have implications for both the Australian Association of Social Workers and the Australian Government, are discussed in the context of international standards for social work education and the social justice goals of the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the current status of social work field education in the United Arab Emirates. Using a case study approach, the authors explore field education differences and commonalities between two federal higher education institutions. Although nascent, United Arab Emirate professional organizations have been established or are in the process of being established. The authors call for further development of field guidelines and standards of practice, weighing the potential costs and benefits of such standards. Practical recommendations for field education in countries where social work is an emerging discipline are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we grapple with how social work educators and practitioners should hold and respond to the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. We begin by outlining what is at stake for the social work field by mapping the impact on the safety and well-being of individuals, families, and communities of color. Our analysis also makes visible the ways in which the Court's decision has enacted epistemic violence to decades of reproductive justice-based theorizing and organizing spearheaded by women of color. Applying a reproductive justice (RJ) framework to the Council for Social Work Education (CSWE) Competencies, we identify areas within micro-, mezzo-, and macro-level practice for social workers to disrupt patterns of reproductive oppression, including restrictions on abortion. We believe that every social worker is situated to play a unique role in creating liberatory clinical social work practices. By centering reproductive justice and decolonial thinking in social work education and practice, we can begin to ask different questions and try new strategies to build safe and more supportive environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and its commitment to promoting excellence in social work education worldwide. Topics include the recent activities related to the Global Standard of social work education, partnerships and projects such as the development of an E-learning platform and workshops in various countries, and the importance of incorporating an international dimension into social work curricula to address global challenges.

This is the final document adopted at the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) General Assemblies in 2020. The updated Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training is the product of an extensive global consultation that lasted for more than 18 months and included a wide range of social work academics, practitioners and experts by experience across 125 countries, represented by 5 regional associations and engaging with approximately 400 universities and further education organisations. The consultation and publication process was co-ordinated by Professor Vasilios Ioakimidis (IFSW) and Professor Dixon Sookraj (IASSW). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews and critically analyzes the Canadian Association for Social Work Education—Association Canadienne Pour La Formation En Travail Social's (CASWE-ACFTS') Accreditation Standards and Procedures from a Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIESC) lens to examine how such are addressed in relevant documents. The CASWE-ACFTS Queer Caucus undertook a lead role in examining 'diversity' in the documents as it serves as an umbrella term for SOGIESC and other intersecting positionalities. This paper iterates an initial response in the CASWE-ACFTS Queer Caucus' ongoing consultation with the CASWE-ACFTS's Education Policy Committee's work on Education Policy and Accreditation Standards 2019 (EPAS2019). The content analysis of the documents reveals that SOGIESC issues are not adequately addressed and this has implications for undergraduate and graduate social work curricula in Canada. The authors provide recommendations that address the integration of SOGIESC in CASWE-ACFTS's Accreditation Standards and Procedures documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses regulations and standards that frame social work education and practice across a set of English-speaking countries including the UK, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA, as well as the Global Standards for the Education and Training of the Social Work Profession. All documents were keyword searched and also read in their entirety. Religion and belief appear briefly and incoherently and are often deprioritised, unless particularly problematic. There is a common elision of religion, belief and spirituality, often expressed in the designation 'religion/spirituality'. References to religion and belief, and their inclusion and removal, are recognisably subject to debates between policymakers who frame the guidelines. This makes them issues of agency which might themselves benefit from analysis. Religion and belief may frequently be addressed by the use of overarching frameworks such as 'anti-oppressive' or 'anti-discriminatory' practice. Yet, such proxies may prove merely apologetic and result in standards that aim only to establish what is the minimum required. It is hard to argue that religious literacy has been a priority in the English-speaking social work countries, though new law and emerging best practice may make it so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student learning abroad experiences are encouraged to develop students' intercultural understanding and global citizenship. This article reports internationally collaborative research exploring social work student short-term mobility programmes and international field education placements. Findings from interviews with staff from Australian schools of social work are presented. Themes developed from the data explore the establishment and ongoing resourcing and sustainability of international exchange programmes, including implications for risk and safety, relationships and partnerships, and reciprocity. The complex landscape of student international experiences is discussed, and it is proposed that the lack of adequate resourcing of learning abroad opportunities threatens their sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underpinned by the Global Standards published for the promotion of quality social work education, and as a benchmark for social work education at national levels, a qualitative content analysis is conducted to explore the alignment of national standards of the Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia regulatory bodies with the Global Standards. A number of equity issues are identified: service users and student participation, student representativeness, indigenous rights and political action, gender and cultural equity, and equitable access. The implications for social work education internationally are considered, including a possibility of the role of the Global Standards in democratizing social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces the importance of education as a change agent has not be underestimated. Topics include International Association of Schools of Social Work for regional associations and in collaboration with current and new partners; and the Agenda includes a set of 17 ‘Sustainable Development Goals' to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice.

This research examines the changing climate in UK universities since the introduction of fees-based funding and government-backed student loans. In what is now a highly marketised sector, the study considers what influence this neo-liberal environment may be having on the nature and quality of social work education. The study, which was carried out in 2015–16, has sought the views and experiences of a sample of social work academics. Methods employed involved a combination of survey and unstructured interviews, with both data streams having a largely qualitative focus. Questionnaire data was gathered from seventy-eight UK-based academics alongside eighteen interviews. The study has representation from all four countries in the UK with academics including professors, researchers and lecturers from both new and more established universities. Findings indicate a level of concern among participants regarding the influence of market forces on the academic–student relationship, on processes of student admissions, assessment and specifically academic decision making with regard to failing students. Interview participants describe feeling caught in the middle of competing priorities and agendas. Discussion seeks to employ a transformatory critically reflective model of analysis placing emphasis on those researched and the wider social work community to collectively take forward issues which this study has given voice to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study highlights social work's response to socio-cultural diversity by investigating the reality of multiculturalism in social work curricula vis-a-vis the Global Standards debates. Content analysis technique is used from a transcendental perspective to explore the attributes of multiculturalism in social work curricula via the online directory of the International Association of Schools of Social Work. Each curriculum reflects relative attributes of multiculturalism, identifiable as tenets of the Global Standards - a tool for modeling social work education across cultures. A new theory and a practice model for international social work also emerged from the study, and are proposed for testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers have an ethical obligation to the consumers and communities they serve to draw on practice-relevant research evidence in planning and executing interventions. A model for using evidence in social work practice is proposed, which rests on a foundation of competence in the common factors of helping relationships. The model integrates the use of evidenced-informed resources in executing a treatment plan created through a modified evidence-based practice process. This practice framework is presented, followed by a discussion of how relevant training can be incorporated into generalist and specialist educational curricula while fulfilling requirements of the Council on Social Work Education accreditation standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an estimated 21.3% of persons aged 15 and older experiencing disability in the USA, social workers will see clients present with disabilities across all practice settings and stages of human development. Yet, the training and terminology of social workers—which often closely aligns with medical professionals—may seem to occur in isolating silos or disciplinary theories. Social work education often views the needs of older adults and people with disabilities as two distinct populations, despite the fact that many of these individuals share similar needs for access, resources, and support. Furthermore, when discussing human development, the focus may skew to individual affective, behavioral, and cognitive processes and indicators of abnormal development and frailty. Thus, by clarifying terminology and applying a social model of disability across the life span, we identify how educational efforts related to human behavior and the social environment can promote intersectional and inclusive social work related to aging and disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘Use of self’ was a central concept in social work in the middle of the twentieth century. Since then its emphasis in social work education has declined as more managerial, procedural and task-focused approaches have prevailed. A review of the degree and postgraduate diploma in social work in Scotland, initiated in 2014, incorporated a comparative content analysis of past and present UK National Occupational Standards (NOS) for social work. The analysis revealed many shifts in thinking and practice, including increased emphasis on ‘use of self’ in the 2013 Standards. This paper reports on this finding in the context of the fluctuating positioning of use of self in social work education, and the potential impact of these changes on qualified practice. It concludes that the changing standards reflect increasing interest in social workers’ ability to draw reflectively on ‘self’ in their day to day practice. Some of the drivers and challenges for a renewed focus on relationship-based practice and use of self are identified, as well as the opportunities presented by this review of the degree for evaluating the impact of changing educational policy on day to day social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article discusses the methodology and findings of a qualitative study on the impact of an international social work course in Germany on four American undergraduate social work students. These students participated in a 2-week study abroad experience at a host university located near Berlin in what was formerly East Germany. The authors examined how the 10 core Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) competencies and their associated professional behaviors of the Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards were exhibited in the students’ journals. This was done by having two independent coders review the journals and code the professional behaviors exhibited. Summative data were tabulated on the basis of frequencies of each respective professional behavior included in the study. Results were reported and implications discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political involvement is an integral component of the social work profession, yet there is no explicit reference to social work participation in election-related activities in either the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics or the Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Social work education may offer an opportune time to shape crucial patterns of future electoral participation among social workers. This study examines BSW, MSW, and PhD student electoral involvement during the 2012 presidential election and ways social work program administrators across the country encouraged students to acquire skills and experience in election-related policy practice during the election season. Findings indicate that the extent of opportunities offered to students varied widely across programs as well as across types of electoral activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of social justice shapes several of the competencies and practice behaviors of the Council of Social Work Education’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). Furthermore, a global perspective guides the social work profession and influences its educational programs. A number of social work scholars have adopted the capabilities approach, as defined by economist Amartya Sen and political scientist Martha Nussbaum, as a globally relevant social justice framework. This article builds on this scholarship, suggesting that the capabilities approach provides a blueprint to rethink and conceptualize the EPAS social justice pedagogy in the global context. Teaching illustrations integrating the capabilities approach in an EPAS curriculum are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2008 EPAS Standards on Engaging Diversity and Difference in Practice (2.1.4) added intersectionality (a theory developed by feminist of color) as one aspect to understand diversity, difference, and power in social work curriculum. We consider how intersectionality is omitted in graduate student learning even when class assignments center discussions and theorizations on power. This qualitative study explores student narratives and corresponding metaphorical drawings on power within an assignment charting their role as social workers. The research emerges from data where authors noted omissions of race, class, and sexuality in discussions on professional power. This inquiry is guided by critical feminisms. Constant comparative methods were used in this study and two themes emerged: policing resources and a pretense of harmlessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This teaching note describes an innovative process in which faculty members worked collaboratively to create an integrated three-course sequence of requisite course content in a PhD program, developed complementary assignments, and coordinated a classroom experience that led to the creation of an individualized area statement and eventual integrated literature review. Lessons learned from this experience are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dramatic growth in social work education is documented in the International Association of Schools of Social Work’s 2010 census of institutions offering at least one degree program in social work. The census gathered data on program structure, personnel, student enrollment and curriculum from 473 respondents in the five IASSW regions. Half of the respondents reported requiring course content in social work history, values or ethics, and 20 percent of required courses are taught by non-social work educators. The expansion of social work programs is indicative of social work’s untapped potential for delivering social justice content on the international stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Association of Social Workers requires social workers to obtain continuing education (CE) after they receive their social work degrees. A large and profitable industry that has emerged catering to this need for CE that is particularly focused on the needs of licensed social workers. Quality control mechanisms in place to monitor the content and delivery of CE approved by the field of social work is relatively lax, and as a result a considerable number of social work CE programs convey content that can be labeled as pseudoscientific. We provide illustrations of currently approved social work CE courses that provide training in a variety of bizarre and unsupported assessment methods and treatments that are pseudoscientific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graduate social work pedagogy is challenging to diverse faculty and students who work with diverse clients, often in international practice. We discuss the development, outcomes, and assessment of an assignment designed to stimulate students’ research on proverbs as cultural resources for practice and to promote attainment of six competencies related to diversity and social justice of the Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. We used procedures from grounded theory and Atlas.ti to analyze 40 student papers. More than 70% of papers reflected students’ mastery of three competencies, suggesting the assignment was insufficient to ensure attainment of all six competencies and signaling errors in the structure of the assignment and in the rubric. Ensuring students’ achievement of the competencies requires careful design and assessment of assignments and deliberate, structured assessment of the assignment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The logistics of field practicum in social work education, specifically the number of hours that students are able to complete, have yet to be reported in the literature. Survey results of 199 BSW and 507 MSW students from U.S. and Canadian Schools of Social Work shed light on the extent to which students are meeting hourly field education requirements. Findings indicate that one quarter of students do not anticipate being able to complete the required number of field hours by the end of the semester, and another quarter report not accurately logging their hours. These findings raise important questions about ethical standards and current models of field practicum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of social work in any country around the globe has its own context that is significantly different from one environment to another. For example, Walton (Williams, 1975) has identified the role of British women and their contributions as one main factor affecting social work development in the British context along with three other factors: the influence of U.S. trends, international events, and patterns in British social work. The current article has identified a set of different factors affecting the development of social work education in Egypt. These factors are the influence of nongovernmental and private education of social workers, the efforts of the early Egyptian social reformers, political factors, and efforts of social work educators. It is concluded that private social work education, the strong practitioners-established and -led professional organizations, the contributions of indigenous social reformers and the Egyptian people, and the institutional and collective efforts of social work educators are cornerstones of the development of social work education in Egypt. As Watts (1995) said: when social work education in a specific country has been examined, a great deal about social work education elsewhere will be learned. Through comparisons, some fresh ideas on social work education have been gleaned. For example, an idea or program in this specific country could be adapted for use in another country. Other countries could learn from the social work education experiences of Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines master’s of social work graduates’ early careers. Six cohorts graduating from 2002 through 2007 (N= 246) completed a questionnaire 9–15 months after graduation. Most reported adequate or exceptional preparation on both generalist and advanced concentration practice behaviors. Almost all direct practice graduates and 2/3 of macro graduates found employment doing functions for which they had prepared. However, 10% never worked in their practice method specialization, highlighting the relevance of skills in the generalist curriculum. Salaries were higher for macro graduates and for graduates performing macro functions (regardless of concentration). Nearly 1/2 of all graduates had moved jobs (and improved their salaries) within 15 months of graduation, but few moved into administrative functions or engaged in professional leadership activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents an overview of how social work leadership skills can assist field coordinators to implement the signature pedagogy in their schools. Although this call has been made before, no other article has described specific planning steps to implement this initiative. This work fills a distinct void in the literature about this subject. The main assumptions are that (1) schools must adopt and clearly operationalize field education as their signature pedagogy and (2) field coordinators need to lead this initiative. We provide field coordinators and schools with recommendations about how to lead this important and necessary organizational paradigm shift. The article addresses social work leadership, developing a more field-centric curriculum to operationalize the signature pedagogy, shaping a school’s culture to embrace this important and required initiative, and offers suggestions to proactively plan this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping and evaluating a student's progress on placement is a core element of social work education but there has been scant attention to indicate how to effectively create and assess student learning and performance. This paper outlines a project undertaken by the Combined Schools of Social Work to develop a common learning and assessment tool that is being used by all social work schools in Victoria. The paper describes how the Common Assessment Tool (CAT) was developed, drawing on the Australian Association of Social Work Practice Standards, leading to seven key learning areas that form the basis of the assessment of a student's readiness for practice. An evaluation of the usefulness of the CAT was completed by field educators, liaison staff, and students, which confirmed that the CAT was a useful framework for evaluating students' learning goals. The feedback also identified a number of problematic features that were addressed in a revised CAT and rating scale. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Response by the authors to the issues raised by researchers H. Burgess, C. Barcham and P. Kearney on the formers' research paper "Perfect Opportunity--Perfect Storm? Raising the Standards of Social Work Education in England" is presented. The authors' assert on the details of their paper citing two reports on social work education by the English government.

The response takes issue with some of the points raised in the article by Taylor and Bogo (‘Perfect Opportunity—Perfect Storm? Raising the Standards of Social Work Education in England’, published on advance access, May 2013). The purpose, ownership and development context of the Professional Capabilities Frameworks are clarified and differentiated from the framework used in the USA. We debate the concepts of competence and capability, contest Taylor and Bogo's content analysis and correct some errors in the article. We suggest a way forward in understanding and using the PCF to support professional development and excellent social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Government plans to reform social work in England, led by the Social Work Reform Board, have resulted in far-reaching changes to social work education. These include establishment of The College of Social Work and adoption of its Professional Capability Framework, and transfer of regulation to the Health and Care Professions Council whose Standards of Proficiency competences gate-keep the threshold to practice. A critical scrutiny of the literature on competence and capability used by the architects of change provides a lens with which to explore findings from a content analysis of the new standards. Comparisons are made with the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) competences approved by the American Council on Social Work Education. Fault lines are identified that might seriously jeopardise the future of social work education in England and ways forward are explored to address these. First, given the importance of making what's important assessable, the choice is presented between opting for ‘wicked competences’ or investing in the design of complex assessment models and their operation. Second, the priority of building robust partnerships to contain different stakeholder objectives is underlined. Both are essential to prevent fault lines developing into a perfect storm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores competencies and methods for their assessment in higher education and in social work’s accreditation standards. Many contemporary policy and educational accreditation efforts employ the model of competency assessment. The current emphasis on accountability in higher education, including the Council on Social Work Education’s 2008 and draft 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, is contextualized through a short history of this movement and its purposes. A multipart definition of competencies is offered based on McClelland’s pivotal conceptualization of competency assessment. Within this competency model, several methods of assessing competencies in social work education are described and critically examined. The importance of identifying an appropriate and complete list of competencies is also addressed. Several issues regarding how to assess professional competencies are identified for future professional discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Educationin Social Work (GADE) adopted a new version of quality guidelines for PhD social work programs at its annual meeting in April 2013. These guidelines are reprinted in this article, together with a discussion of the context in which they were developed and approved. They are offered with the aim of advancing excellence in research-focused doctoral education and continuing the decades-long conversation about what constitutes excellence in those programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban legends circulate throughout society, including higher education and social work education. Some academic mythologies take on the status of a tradition-no matter the evidence or lack thereof-and continue to thrive, to influence thinking, and to shape norms, which, in turn, direct behaviors. As with urban legends, academic myths are able to overpower and dismiss the conclusions drawn from critical thinking processes. Accreditation standards, common program structures, and faculty behaviors and expectations have evolved over time grounded in and shaped by various legends. Social work educators applying critical thinking processes to their educational enterprise will be able to challenge with intellectual rigor the profession's urban legends, which will then result in national standards and program models that are creative, proactive, and forward-thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's view on the reemergence of policy practice in social work and social work education in the U.S. The author states that a number of people and events contributed to the renewed focus on policy practice which culminated in the inclusion of policy practice as one of the ten important social work competencies. The author mentions that Robert L. Schneider, professor emeritus of Virginia Commonwealth University was the key player in the elevation of policy practice.

This article reports the results of a scoping review into the content of the social work qualifying curriculum in England exploring whether recommendations made by the Social Work Task Force and the Social Work Reform Board for an ‘overhaul of the content and the delivery of the qualifying curriculum’ were grounded in published research. The review found that rigorous research-based published evidence about the qualifying social work curriculum was lacking. In particular, most material dated from the early years of the social work degree and did not appear to have been replicated more recently to see if the original findings held true. Other subjects, such as how students are taught about older people's human development, had been considered by researchers but were not addressed by the Task Force and the Reform Board. The implications of this are that, while the content of the social work qualifying curriculum needs to adapt to reflect changing professional contexts, there is a need for greater consensus and clarity about what should be taught and how. The development of an evidence-based curriculum in terms of course content and delivery remains a priority for social work education in England. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Efforts to reduce the widening gap between the health and social well-being of people within and between countries have become an urgent priority for politicians and policymakers. The Rio Declaration called on governments worldwide to promote and strengthen universal access to social services and to work in partnership to promote health equity and foster more inclusive societies. This paper contributes to international debates about the role of social work in promoting social justice by reducing social and health inequalities. Despite clear commitments to promote good health, there is a notable absence of a social determinants of health perspective in international social work curricula standards. The current review of social work education in England presents a timely opportunity to integrate such a perspective in teaching and learning and to disseminate this more widely. Employing the concepts of downstream and upstream interventions, the first part of the paper examines the distinctiveness of the social work contribution to this global agenda. In the second part of the paper, we consider how the content of learning activities about health inequalities can be incorporated in international social work curricula, namely, human rights, using Gypsy and Traveller families as an exemplar, inter-professional education and international perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's economic and social development requires professional social work. To achieve the professionalization of social work in China, we must focus on its indigenization, change the function of mass organizations, and improve the professional quality of existing social work personnel. We must also pay attention to promoting social work theory and practice and improving social work education. The formation of an industry will come with professionalization. Achieving the industrialization of social work in China will have a major, positive effect and is a realistic possibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first of two articles presenting findings from a scoping review undertaken in 2011 to inform proposals for a review of the social work qualifying curriculum in England made by the Social Work Reform Board. The review used a mixture of published and unpublished resources to compare the issues raised by the reports of the Social Work Task Force with what was known from published research investigating the ways that the current Requirements for Social Work Training (Department of Health, London, 2002) operate. It found that the evidence base on which the key issues relating to the concerns about initial social work qualifying programmes rest was very variable. The absence of a substantial research evidence base in this area hinders the development of effective policymaking on social work education, but the current changes to social work education and to social work regulation offer a timely opportunity to expand what we know about different assessment systems and how best to regulate social work courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is located in the theoretical debates of late modernism: it explores the tensions inherent in the delivery of standardised, validated and carefully planned social work education programmes within the context of late modern societies. Preparing social workers to address dynamic policy changes, fluctuating resources and changing service demands and the needs of service-users in areas with shifting populations, provides a challenge to social work educators. The design and delivery of a refresher programme for previously qualified social workers is used to illustrate the ways in which the tension between static teaching programmes and fluid demands for social work services were accommodated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores issues that arise in the assessment of failing social work students in practice learning settings in England. It draws on existing literature on the topic, as well as on a small empirical study. The qualitative methodology is influenced by practitioner-research paradigms. Based on 20 in-depth interviews with practice educators, the research utilised the voice-centred relational method of data analysis which revealed five distinct ‘emotional stories’, explaining why practice assessors found the process of working with a failing student challenging and difficult. These stories include the ‘guilty story’, ‘angry story’, the ‘what is my role story’, the ‘idealised learner story’ and the ‘internalisation of failure so I couldn't always fail them story’. The paper considers the possible adverse impact on the assessment process of these often unacknowledged emotional responses experienced by practice educators, namely, that there is a very real possibility that students are being passed as competent when the evidence may strongly suggest otherwise. The paper offers some ways forward in light of the findings, linking these to the change process underway in social work education in England but suggesting that these have wider relevance to practice assessment in other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article contributes to discourse on signature pedagogy by reconceptualizing how our pedagogies are understood and defined for social work education. We critique the view that field education is social work's signature pedagogy and consider what pedagogies are distinct about the teaching and learning of social work. Using Shulman's work on professional education, we offer a conceptualization that rests on the belief about the necessary outcome of our pedagogy-it must enable students to think and perform like social workers through the development of the professional self. We present a framework that focuses on three integrating features: thinking and performing like a social worker, development of the professional self, and characteristic forms of teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similar trends are occurring in Australian and US social work education, as universities increasingly adopt a rigid market orientation to tertiary education. This marketisation shapes social work education in manifold ways, including the pressure to increase revenues (and effect greater efficiencies) by expanding the size of social work programs. The unregulated growth in social work programs leads to lowered admission standards, as programs are forced to compete for students. An oversupply of social workers will also drive salaries downwards as supply eclipses demand. These issues are examined in the context of a “big” versus a “small” (fewer but more highly trained social workers) model of social work. Emphasis is placed on the lessons that Australian social work educators can learn from the challenges facing US social work education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In response to an increasingly culturally and ethnically diverse population, accredited social work programs in the United States have been mandated to provide students with course content regarding cultural diversity as it pertains to race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, ability, and sexual orientation. Typically, social work educators transmit this content to students by way of regular didactic teaching. While useful for imparting factual and descriptive content about diversity, this method of teaching is generally inadequate in stimulating students' cultural awareness and sensitivity, which research indicates are critical to the development of cultural competence. More useful in stimulating students' cultural awareness and sensitivity is a teaching method that incorporates experiential learning activities with an interactive group format. One such experiential learning activity is the cultural genogram, which challenges students to examine the development of their cultural values, after which they critically explore these values in a group setting with other students who have different experiences and perspectives. This article describes the cultural genogram, its use in an undergraduate introduction to social work class, and a retrospective study of its usefulness in stimulating the cultural awareness and sensitivity of social work students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]