I was invited by The Guardian to write a blog about social work education: see link below.
http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/social-life-blog/2015/jun/17/dont-take-social-work-training-away-from-universities
My motivation to write about this issue stems from my desire to ensure that current students and those about to embark on their social work education develop as knowledgeable, reflective and critically aware social work practitioners, and avail themselves of the wide range of additional opportunities which a university education can bring. The Guardian blog explores some of these. I might have added that university education exposes students to knowledge derived from a long standing commitment by the profession to continuously improve practice and service users experiences through rigorous research and inquiry. Familiarity with new technologies and digital competence are also much needed skills for social work practice and are central to university education. Social work practitioners need to be equipped with critical thinking skills, and the confidence and abilities to challenge "common sense" thinking and be emotionally literate. I am not suggesting that private training providers can't facilitate this, I am however suggesting that the emphasis on producing social workers who can "do the job" is driven by ideology. The education of social workers does not end once they begin to practice, indeed their continuing professional development is critical, and the current governments' interest in social work might be better oriented towards supporting and resourcing CPD in the same way that other human service professions are.
