Paper presented at 2010 JSWEC Conference. In the last decade marginalised groups have directly or indirectly utilised a range of creative and visual media to challenge dominant stereotypical and pathologised imagery and representations. Such 'outsider' perspectives have provided an alternative voice in a range of cultural contexts, from art in the street and installation to post modern 'sit down' comedy and contemporary music. In the author's role as a lecturer in undergraduate and postgraduate social work education a range of contemporary creative media have been used in and outside of the university environment to raise students' awareness of the ideological battle that is currently taking place in the 24/7 media that surround them.This has aimed to provide students with greater understanding of issues of power and partnership alongside a critical awareness of how authentic experiences of exclusion are being articulated. In the teaching of a 'Creativity and empowerment' unit,the author and students have worked alongside artists, poets and film makers who are engaged in changing perceptions and 'mainstreaming' perspectives that have previously occupied the position of being 'outside' most institutions. The paper will outline and critically evaluate how such a curriculum has been developed with the involvement of service users and been delivered to student groups over the last two years. A consideration will also be given to the use of creative artefacts to assess students knowledge and their ability to embrace the principles of participation in their consultative work with service users.

The issue of partnerships is a core requirement in social work training (Department of Health, 2002). However, mainly as result of a lack of substantive research, a partnership that is central to the delivery, quality and experience of care - the partnership between service users and their carers - receives little attention. This paper will focus on the impact of personalisation on this partnership, and argue that it should not be forgotten within social work education and practice in the move to mainstream operation of personalisation (Department of Health, 2007). It will start with an outline of the nature of the carer-service user relationship, focusing on those qualities that contribute to its partnership status. Specific reference will be made to the mutual interdependence that has been found to characterise caring relationships. An exploration of the ways in which personalisation has the potential to shape aspects of this partnership will follow. For instance, initiatives introduced within this agenda mean that carers can be faced with the situation where their dependants make more of the decisions about their own care, they have to make different contributions to the provision of care which may involve them in new tasks and in some cases, a contractual relationship with the service user. The effects of these sorts of changes could also be compounded by any misalignments with their own needs. Hence personalisation can affect the dynamics of the caring relationship. Given the importance of this interdependent relationship to the successful implementation of initiatives within personalisation, it is crucial that changes in this relationship are recognized and addressed in social work practice as this agenda gathers momentum. Therefore, the final part of this paper will include some ideas about resolving this dilemma and ensuring the implications of personalisation for carer-service user partnerships are both incorporated into social work education and translated into effective practice. References Department of Health (2002). Requirements for Social Work Training. London: HMSO Department of Health (2007). Putting people first: a shared vision and commitment to the transformation of adult social care. London: HMSO

Paper presented at 2009 JSWEC Conference. Social work courses recruit a higher proportion of students from different black and minority groups than many other courses. However, national statistics continue to demonstrate that some groups of students do not progress through social work training at the same rate as other students. Students from black and ethnic minority groups and disabled students have a significantly higher rate of referral and deferral than other groups of students and the recruitment, progression and achievement of men is worsening. Representatives from the GSCC multi-agency project group Diversity, Progression and Achievement which includes students, people who use services, carers, programme providers and other stakeholders will share their understanding of the recent findings from the research carried out by the Social Care Workforce Research Unit (Hussein et al 2009) with whom they have been collaborating. Further evidence will be presented from the latest social work degree annual monitoring exercise carried out by the GSCC. This examines what HEIs report they are doing to support vulnerable groups. Initial analysis suggests that problems in progression are more likely to be identified and responded to as individual issues. The paper explores what the implications are for universities, students, stakeholders and the regulatory body and poses How effectively are universities responding to the needs of those groups who are not progressing as they should? How can the GSCC become more effective in regulating and promoting equality requirements? How can HEIs continue to measure, monitor and improve their own progress in this area? Reference: Shereen Hussein, Jo Moriarty, Jill Manthorpe (2009) Variations in the Progression of Social Work Students in England, Social Care Workforce Research Unit, Kings College London/ General Social Care Council Full report - www.gscc.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B5A5B087-E7B9-471C-BAAF-207DA1FBE1DA/0/Progression_analysis_FT_UG.pdf Executive Summary - www.gscc.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/E4482365-4F9F-46F0-9238-A030302E0ED7/0/Progression_analysis_FT_UG_0305__Executive_Summary.pdf

Paper presented at 2010 JSWEC Conference. This paper contrasts the virtues and vices of the positivist and constructivist paradigms in social work education research and highlights the dearth of studies rooted in a critical paradigm. Questions will be raised in respect of the compatibility of different paradigms with social work values and the possibility of combining approaches in future research into social work education. The main example of research rooted in a positivist paradigm is the study published by the evaluation of the social work degree in England team in 2008. This generated standardised data from students' responses to survey questionnaires and hypothetical vignettes along with statistical profiles of students and their progression rates and statistical correlations between the variables deemed to be influential in teaching and learning. Such robust objective data may nevertheless have a limited use-value for educators and students at the grassroots. The presenter has recently completed a study of social work education which is due to be published as a textbook for students. It was an ethnographic study drawing upon a participatory approach to encourage students to share their experiences in interviews or focus groups and to submit their practice portfolios for a research reading, and it was rooted in a constructivist paradigm. This generated a wealth of real-life case studies of students' experiences of teaching and learning in university and community settings including their use of critical reflection, theory and research and the dilemmas thrown up by working with service users and other professionals. Nevertheless, I was confronted with a number of ethical and political predicaments during the conduct of the research, and the use of real-life case studies may itself prove to be controversial in due course. Evaluation of the Social Work Degree in England Team (2008) Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree Qualification in England Volume 1 Findings and Volume 2 Technical Appenix, available at the SCIE website www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk Humphrey, C. Becoming a Social Worker. A Guide for Students. London: Sage (forthcoming, October 2010

Paper Presented at 2010 JSWEC Conference. One of the specific work areas for the SSSC is to drive and support the implementation of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) as a key element of the skills strategy and to increase potential benefits to the learning and development of the social services workforce. At degree level in terms of shaping the learning and teaching experience the drivers have been: - The report prepared for the SSSC by Bellevue Consultancy and Critical thinking which suggested that each course should be able to show, and should take steps to explain as appropriate, its levels of practice within the SCQF - The IRISS report, 'New Degree New Standards' which explores methodologies to be more explicit about what and when students learn in their degree programmes. The SSSC has commissioned materials and pilot work to benchmark the Standards in Social Work Education against the SCQF level descriptors. Project Definition: - To write illustrations of practice for selected outcomes (Learning Foci) of the social work degree; to write these descriptors at SCQF Levels 9 and 10; to do this within the context of case studies - To consult with stakeholders about how this work can potentially be used - To undertake a pilot use of the illustrations - To review the practice illustrations in light of the pilot. Outcomes of the work will be - The development of a language through which to assess applied knowledge in practice at different SCQF levels - Materials to make this possible - The testing of language and materials in practice - Feedback from stakeholders about the usefulness of the approach. The workshop will outline the process,content and outcome of this work and offer considerations about how to take it forward with stakeholders. It will include small group consideration of the materials, particularly the case studies and feedback about their usefulness. References SSSC/Bellevue Consultancy and Critical thinking www.sssc.uk.com/nr/rdonlyres/245afd96-2bbd-437c-af02-dac55423ab44/0/qacommissionfinalreport.pdf IRISS 'New Degree New Standards' www.iriss.org.uk/publications

The study upon which this paper is based aimed to explore the experiences of students enrolled on „Access to Social Work‟ courses striving to navigate their way from further education (FE) to higher education (HE) social work programmes. The study was set within the context of widening participation policy and more stringent Department of Health (DH) entry requirements for social work education introduced in 2003. These requirements stipulate that all applicants to social work education must demonstrate key skills in literacy and numeracy equivalent to grade C GCSE, and personal suitability for social work (DH, 2002).

Dr Derek Clifford produced a CD-rom Social Assessment: Applying Critical Auto/ Biographical Methods which he has used with both DipSW students and employees of a local authority social work department to facilitate learning about assessment. In this case study, Derek discusses the development and use of this CD-rom, and also other ways in which he has incorporated e-learning into his teaching about assessment, including email, Blackboard, Pro-Care and CCIS. Used together with other methods of teaching, it is proposed that e-learning can facilitate students developing an understanding of a holistic anti-oppressive analysis of social situations and to relate theoretical principles and basic skills to assessment of a complex case study.

This case study describes the way in which students' prior experience is recognised on a social work degree. It explains the APEL process, the evidence students need to obtain and the modules gained through the process. It also describes initial outcomes for students.

This report informs on the project 'Younger students in social work education: our new 'non-traditional' students?. The report includes the following sections: 'Introductory Comments', 'Project Aims','Project outcomes','Future plans' and 'Concluding comments'.

This project report discusses the results of a research study into group learning in social work student practice placements in Northern Ireland. The research was carried out during 2002, and made use of quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data. The report includes a literature review, methodology, findings, discussion and summary of conclusions.

In 2005 SWAP funded eight projects in social policy and social work education designed to promote the use of effective learning, teaching and assessment activities; to encourage the development and sharing of innovative approaches and to raise awareness of the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of educational methods. The following is the final report of the project Skills Development and Theorising Practice in Social Work Education.