McMaster University School of Social Work Do we have (the)Heart? Preparedness for Practice: Bridging Field and Classroom in Social Work Education McMaster’s School Wide Initiative CASWE/ ACFTS Conference, Congress of Social Sciences and Humanities, Calgary May 31, 2016 Janice Chaplin Jennie Vengris Sheila Sammon McMaster University School of Social Work

Developing disciplinary ‘habits’(L. Shulman) All disciplines Habits of thinking Professional disciplines Habits of the heart integrating values frameworks; developing & refining ethical sensibilities Habits of the hand Developing & refining capacities for practice - for acting & interacting effectively in practice contexts

Goals for today: Provide context What do we mean by preparedness? Shifting from “field” only to “School wide” Changes/strategies put in place to date Our “review” Next steps and things to continue to puzzle about…

The Context

Current Concerns (Some) Students Less prepared for direct practice Less focus on social justice Less life experience Less insight / reflexivity More barriers affecting success in class and field School Struggling with Gatekeeping Worried about excluding students and perpetuating inequities AND Worried about graduates who are ill prepared for the complexities of practice Potential hurt/harm to students Potential harm to service users Field Less time/opportunity to know the student and help develop skills and reflexivity Less societal and organizational support for combining ‘justice’ practice with direct service Less organizational support for student placements More stress

Neo-Liberal Context Efficiencies Constraints Field Efficiencies Constraints Decrease in social action/advocacy/ prevention Decrease in Jobs precarious employment Complex needs Regulators Competition from other professions Challenges to support students who are traditionally excluded from PSE Universities Schools across country have Increased enrolment = competition for students and placements Faculty pressures Predicted decrease in university enrolment Students Tuition costs Multiple responsibilities Anxiety re future Less practice / life experience Service Users Changing demographics Complex and depth of issues Impact of social forces Sense of hopelessness Much of how we envision field education was developed during the years that we refer to as the “welfare state” today’s context, the neo liberal context challenges what we experienced as field education in the past. UNIVERSITIES move to faculty role related to valuing field. Eg. Conversation with Nick

What do we mean by Preparedness?

What do we mean by preparedness? Reflexivity Responsiveness to Feedback Social justice values Ethics Social work skills = purposeful conversations; analysis; planning; ‘interventions’ Critical analysis Integration of theory and practice Work readiness Presentation skills Small group skills Writing

Our Initiative School Retreat “Student Readiness for Field” May 2015 Course Syllabus Changes Sept. 2015 Standing Item for Faculty Meetings ‘its everyone’s responsibility’ Sept. 2015 Enhanced orientation to social work program upon admission including discussion re: preparedness for practice Fall 2015 Fall “Gathering” with Field Instructors October 2015 Report from students: “Enhancing Accessibility and Disability Inclusion” Fall 2015 Working Groups: Revise content and method of Social Work Admission Test Completed Winter 2016 Revise first year Intro to Social Work Course (students not yet admitted to the School) Summer 2016 Revise Theory, Process and Communication course (first year for students admitted to the School) Summer 2016 Enhanced Field Instructor Courses 2015 - 2016 Enhanced ‘Matching’ process for placements Winter 2016 Confidentiality Agreement started in placement seminars Spring 2016 Review Process Spring 2016 Clearer feedback to students about concerns

Changes to the Course Syllabus Clarity about ‘Essential Course Requirements’ (Including the field placement which is a course) i.e. the knowledge and skills necessary to pass the course and to do social work Recognizing and Revising ‘Access Skills’ i.e. those skills developed & necessary to do an assignment or class exercise but not essential. Make it clear that each course has different essential requirements—otherwise, different responses to accommodation requests are experienced as inconsistencies

EX: Social Work with Groups Assignment – facilitate your tutorial group and write an analysis of group process Access skills (= skills required to do the assignment, and thus unintentionally ‘tested’) Attend tutorial Group work skills Writing Analysis of group process. Target skills/ essential course requirements (= what the assignment is designed to assess) Group work skills Analysis of group process

EX: Social Work with Groups Accommodation & Accessibility Assignment – facilitate your tutorial group and write an analysis of group process Accessibility : consider multiple ways students can fulfill essential course requirements Access skills (= skills required to do the assignment, and thus unintentionally ‘tested’) Attend tutorial Group work skills Writing Analysis of group process. Target skills/ essential course requirements (= what the assignment is designed to assess) Group work skills Analysis of group process Student Accessibility Services: All students must meet essential course requirements

Our Review

Steps to the Review Clarity about purpose of the review Transparency with students Feedback from faculty and field instructors Faculty Field Coordinator Meetings with Students Review lists of students with marginal failing or incomplete grades

New Model: Concerns about a student comes to the Review Team Director Undergraduate Chair Faculty Member Administrator School’ s Field Coordinator

Still To Do For students identified as potentially not ready for practice: clear + consistent feedback (who, how? Documented?) attention to whether/ how feedback is integrated Failure ‘on the table’ Clearer pathways for/ communicated possibility of: delayed placement; extended placement; particular kind of placement (concurrent vs block; specific settings); leaves of absence; counseling out; failure

Still To Do For Faculty: Refine processes of identifying students-regular email reminders and discussion at Faculty meetings Tracking our responses in order to balance consistency in response with individual student needs Refine process of relaying information back to Faculty Continue to work at defining “essential requirements” and beginning to have field instructors do this for field placement settings

Thanks for Listening and Puzzling!