Social Work

Progressive field education provides experiences and knowledge that will enable social work students to integrate a social justice orientation into their practice framework and develop an understanding of the links between private troubles and public issues. Some of the key elements of progressive field education are: social justice, human rights, inclusion, empowerment, and advocacy.

 St. Thomas University’s School of Social Work supports progressive field education in all student placements. Specifically, SCWK 5053 Field Instruction I: Social Action field placement has been developed to provide an opportunity to learn about community-based practices that promote social change. The focus of the placement is usually an initiative or project related to a social issue such as poverty, homelessness, violence against women, bullying in the workplace and schools, racism, homophobia, discrimination, or inequality.  As Martin (2007) explains, social action or activism is “action on behalf of a cause, action that goes beyond what is conventional or routine. The action might be door-to-door canvassing, alternative radio, public meetings, rallies or fasting. The cause might be women’s rights, opposition to a factory, or a gap in services.” It can also include “working behind the scenes” to secure support for an initiative through research, consensus building, grant applications, and public engagement. However, in all social action placements, there is a clear political goal for change and a public face to the social action.

 One of the ways a social action field placement differs from our direct practice field placement is that its focus on social issues is broader, targeting community level interventions, rather than individual and family interventions. Another difference is the team-work focus where we match 2-4 students with each social action placement.  Students are expected to practice the skills of team work with each other and agency staff in carrying out the initiative or project.  We have an expectation that this project experience will allow them to learn more about sharing leadership skills and work responsibilities in a respectful and collaborative manner.

This course will explore the theory and practice of narrative as it relates to social work.  Integrating narrative theory with personal and professional experience, the course will provide an opportunity for students to explore how narrative can provide a creative and constructive way of working with service users, both individually and collectively. The course will cover narrative theory, narrative therapy, thinking with stories for personal and professional development and working with narratives in groups and with those who are narratively dispossessed.

As social work students begin their second theory course of the post-degree Bachelor of Social Work program, they have developed at least a beginning understanding of the assumptions and theoretical foundations for structural social work practice, and have had the opportunity to distinguish the ideological and practice differences between ‘conventional’ and structural social work.  As well, most students are beginning to develop a repertoire of generalist practice skills.  In this course, students have the opportunity to build on this foundation and develop strong links between theory and practice, so that they are prepared to actively engage in the practice of social work in their field placements and as they enter their professional social work careers.

Professional practice requires that each social worker has developed, and is able to articulate, their own approach to social work and those professional values are integrated with their personal belief system.  When social workers have a clear sense of their own assumptions and beliefs, they are in a much more effective position to be able to evaluate critically their own practice and, as a result, are more able to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills as they gain professional experience.

The overall purpose of SCWK 5046 is to assist students to strengthen both their theoretical foundation for social work practice and their ability to integrate into their personal and professional lives developing knowledge, skills, and values.  This course will present some recent and critical developments in knowledge and theory along with a variety of theories that may enhance structural social work practice if integrated appropriately.  A variety of theories that inform direct practice approaches will be studied.

Class time will be spent introducing and critically exploring these theories and developments, and their application to social work practice.  Through this process students will be encouraged to clarify and articulate their own assumptions and beliefs, their approach to social work, and their ability to operationalize their approach in work at the individual, group, and community levels.