Practice-Based Design for Professional Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Adapting the ‘Key Situation Model’ for Social Work in England

How can social workers be supported to continuously develop knowledgeable and ethical practice? Acknowledging the dilemmas and uncertainties in social work practice that unfolds in complex environments, this thesis turns to practice-based perspectives in response to the main question. It foregrounds the interplay of humans within physical and social environments with a focus on ‘practices’ and considers the challenges for social workers as practitioners, professionals and knowledge workers. In relation to individual decision-making, the role of research, theory, tools, emotions, experience and reflective deliberation are explored. On an organisational level, evidence-informed and best practice, knowledge transfer, group reflection approaches and the role of technology are examined. The author argues that knowledgeable and ethical practice emerges from knowledge related (epistemic) practices within organisations that are grounded in what professionals do. This requires reflexive and mindful professionals who are able to weave together different forms of knowledge and ethical principles with practice situations and with organisations who will support epistemic practices and environments for reflective learning, knowledge co-production and the sharing of knowledge. Building on earlier work (Tov et al., 2016; Staempfli et al., 2012), the author argues that the Key Situation Model can support both practices and environments. Key situations are the typical practices that social workers regularly encounter and thus reflect what social workers actually do. 116 key situations in social work in England are developed and validated in a modified three-round Delphi study with experienced social workers from diverse sectors from across England (n1= 13, n2= 88 and n3= 41). Based on these and informed by the Activity Centred Analysis and Design (ACAD) framework, this thesis presents design options for social work organisations for the implementation of the Key Situation Model’s blended reflective learning and knowledge sharing. These design options could support the development of knowledgeable and ethical practice

The New Town Culture Programme: Promoting Cultural Exchange between Artists and Children's Workers

Rachel Hughes and her colleagues reflect on their research into a multi-agency partnership between a local authority children's services department and arts-based workers. They explore how neoliberal culture presents dilemmas to the work. In particular, they identify that children's services workers experienced a barrier to engaging in cultural exchange activities alongside young people in feeling that they did not have the time or 'permission' to do so. They argue that collective reflective practice is needed to engage with and resolve these tensions

Intervision and professional development: an exploration of a peer-group reflection method in social work education

‘Intervision’, a peer-led group reflection method, was introduced in a teaching partnership between a university and three local authorities to enhance the quality of social work education and support the development of a learning culture across the partnership. A review of the limited international research on Intervision shows almost entirely positive impacts but no studies in social work education. This article reports on research into impacts following the introduction of Intervision sessions for BA and MA social work students. An interpretive, qualitative approach with thematic data analysis of two focus groups with 23 participants was carried out. Findings show that for most students, Intervision offered emotional containment, widened their perspectives and enhanced skills for Intervision. Students identified several positive impacts on their professional development and practice. Reported factors that contributed to students’ varied experience of Intervision sessions and their impact were commitment among participants and facilitators’ ability to model the Intervision process. The context of the teaching partnership was crucial in supporting students to negotiate their learning at the boundary between practice and university. Based on these findings Intervision is suggested as a useful approach to embed peer-led reflective practice, and open questions for further research are suggested

Improving professionalism through reflection and discourse in communities of practice: the key situations in social work model and project.

Professional social work under conditions of uncertainty and complexity requires integration of various forms of knowledge, practice and values and entails managing emotions skilfully to make ethical professional judgements. The article discusses these challenges for social work(ers) and introduces the key situation in social work model. It consists of a systematic reflection process of typical, reoccurring practice situations in communities of practice (CoPs). Situated knowledge, memorised in relation to situations is dominant and is more easily accessed in practice. Situated knowledge, co-produced in reflections on key situations, is documented and shared on a virtual platform. Therefore, the model offers a concept for situated knowledge management and for discursive examination in professional and scientific communities. In the #keysituation project a platform was constructed and 10 CoPs with 35 active members from practice and academia quality assure its content. Based on the literature nine design principles for CoPs are suggested. The authors describe how these were applied. Success and failure depends on balancing three constituent aspects of CoPs: domain, community and practice. The model offers a flexible approach to continuous professional development (CPD), which fosters a learning culture essential to overcome managerial, technocratic approaches so prevalent in social work organisations

Ready for Qualified Practice? A Comparative Study of Capability for Critical Reflection and Analysis of MA Social Work and MA Step Up to Social Work Students at the End of Second Placement

Social Work education is faced with substantial changes. New programmes like Step Up to Social Work have emerged and were evaluated in relation to intake, programme development and subjective student experiences. The lack of evidence on outcomes of such programmes was addressed in this study. In a comparative study of a MA in Social Work and a MA in Step Up to Social Work, the authors analysed students' capability to critically reflect on and analyse social work practice scenarios at the end of their final placement at one university. The PCF domain ‘Critical Reflection and Analysis’ was operationalised and the study design employed qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Demographic data, academic marks achieved during social work education and written reflections on case vignettes from the two programmes were analysed statistically. The findings suggest that, while there are some differences in outcomes between the programmes, they are not statistically significant. However, reflections on children and family vignettes were significantly better (U = 185, p=0.008). Thematic analysis revealed considerable variation in the levels of curiosity and critical thinking and that respondents who framed their answers with reference to policy guidance, theory and research often extended their critical thinking

Book Review: „Das Elend der Suchtprävention. Analyse-Kritik-Alternative.“

Book revie

Schlüsselsituationen der Sozialen Arbeit. Professionalität durch Wissen, Reflexion und Diskurs in Communities of Practice

Professionalität bedeutet in der Sozialen Arbeit, wissens- und wertebasiert zu handeln. Eva Tov, Regula Kunz und Adi Stämpfli werden diesem Anspruch gerecht, indem sie Theorie und Praxis zueinander in Beziehung setzen. Ihr Weg führt über das Modell der Schlüsselsituationen, das sie speziell für Studierende, Ausbildende in der Praxis und Dozierende entwickelt haben. Theoretische Grundlage des Modells bildet der Ansatz des situierten und erfahrungsbasierten Lernens. Kern des erprobten und evaluierten Konzeptes ist die Arbeit mit Schlüsselsituationen – ein Reflexionsverfahren, das auf bedeutsamen Situationen der Sozialen Arbeit beruht. Dabei wird die Bedeutung von Begriffen wie «Wissen» und «Handeln» in Communities of Practice diskursiv ausgehandelt, um auf diese Weise implizites Wissen und weitere (Wissens-)Ressourcen für professionelles Handeln zu erschliessen und zu relationieren. Die Autorinnen und der Autor erläutern die konkreten Arbeitsschritte und zeigen methodisch-didaktische Umsetzungsmöglichkeiten auf. Das Buch öffnet die Perspektive auf eine virtuelle Community of Practice als offene Plattform zum Austausch von Erfahrungen und Expertenwissen. Es leistet einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Professionalisierung der Sozialen Arbeit